NILES — Two local business owners are partnering to harness the powers of music and pizza to fight cancer.

The 11th Rock for the Cure concert will take place 9 p.m. Saturday, April 20 at Pizza Transit, 215 E. Main St. Those who attend can enjoy all-you-can-eat pizza and live music from local bands.  Hard rock and heavy metal band 5th and Syc will headline the show. There will also be performances from Saving Jupiter and Later the Never.

Tickets can be purchased at the door and are $10 for adults. For those 10 and under, tickets are $5. Event proceeds will raise money for the RiverBend Cancer Services in South Bend, an organization that works in partnership with hospitals to provide emotional, physical and mental support to those battling cancer.

Organizer Daniel Perrine, of Buchanan, said he and Sarah Brittin, the owner of Pizza Transit, founded Rock for the Cure in 2012. The show occasionally takes place more than once a year.

For Perrine and Brittin, the fight against cancer is personal. Perrine’s mother is a breast cancer survivor, while Brittin’s father, Mike Vogel, passed away from cancer.

“It hit really close to home for both of us,” Perrine said. “For each Rock for the Cure, we try to find an organization or family [to support].”

This year’s event will be particularly special because it will also serve as an album release party for a number of local artists. Perrine is the owner of a recording studio, Red Room Productions in Buchanan. This year, he decided to further channel his love of music into fighting cancer. He recorded and compiled songs by 13 Michiana artists to create an album.

“They were able to record a song for free, and then I mixed and mastered it,” Perrine said. “It is the first time we have done an album to go along with the event.”

The album will be available for purchase for $10 at the event. Proceeds from the album will also benefit RiverBend Cancer Services. Perrine is a vocalist and member of a local band, the name of which is currently in progress. Listeners will find a track on the album that hails to Perrine’s former days singing with the local band, All My Sins Remembered.

In the years that Brittin and Perrine have hosted the event, they have helped to raise about $11,000 for cancer-fighting causes. Perrine said the event typically packs the local restaurant, bringing about 100 people to participate.

“The community has been super supportive,” Perrien said. “They come out, and some people give more than what the entry fee is because they know it is all going for a good cause.”

In addition to fighting cancer, the show has also traditionally shined a spotlight on local musicians.

“We wanted to focus on local bands to help them get their name out there,” Perrine said. “And it all helps to support a good cause.”

For younger fans of live music who might not be old enough to visit a local bar to see a show, Perrine wanted to make sure that Rock for a Cure could bring live music to people of all ages.

Other local bands who have an interest in performing at the show can reach out to Perrine via Rock for the Cure’s Facebook to potentially be added to the line-up. 

Perrine encouraged people to visit the event, rock out and enjoy some pizza.

“It’s a great way to get some good food, help out a cause and listen to some awesome local music,” Perrine said.