This weekend's benefit concert, Rocking For Paws, is proof that rock 'n' roll can save lives - those of hundreds of cats and dogs of all ages awaiting adoption at the Ingham County Animal Shelter.

This Friday's concert, which will be held at The Temple Club, 500 E. Grand River Ave. in Lansing's Old Town, will feature six local rock bands. All proceeds from the concert will go to the Friends of Ingham County Animal Shelter to help feed and maintain the health of the animals.

Joe Davis, manager of the band The Fuzz, started organizing the show last fall. Davis has worked with FICAS to do benefit concerts before and said it's an important cause.

"I'm an animal lover, there's no question in my mind what the money would be going for," he said. "That's not to say there's not other worthy causes in the area, but this is the one I've been exposed to the most and I really enjoy working with."

Doors to The Temple Club will open at 7 p.m. Friday and Killer Miller will take the stage at 8 p.m. Each band will perform for about 40 minutes, using the same drum set, which will cut down on setup time and make room for more music.

"I told the bands they weren't going to get paid for this, but it would be a lot of fun," Davis said. "No one really cares about not getting paid. There's so many animals out there that need a home."

Davis said he decided to organize the concert as a way for The Fuzz to make a big bang on the band's return to the Lansing scene. For a few months, Davis said, The Fuzz has been taking a break from performing and focusing on developing new material and a new album. He said inviting bands Killer Miller, Elastic Eight Track, Wanderjahr, The Pusherz and The Hush to perform at the benefit was an easy decision.

"We're in a pretty close-knit group of bands in the Lansing scene and we all go to each other's shows and support each other," he said. "I wanted it to be a big show with all good buddies and good tunes. It's basically just a big party that's open to the public."

Along with live music, Davis said he has prepared a slide show of animals awaiting adoption at the shelter. There also will be door prizes, including T-shirts, a raffle featuring everything from free oil changes to stuffed animals, and a cameo appearance by MSU's mascot, Sparty.

Holly Strobel, president of FICAS, said she's expecting the Rocking For Paws concert to have The Temple Club filled to capacity. The Temple Club also hosted Rocking For Paws last year.

"I know we're going to blow the last one away. I hope it's packed," she said. "There's going to be students, animal rescue workers and people who want to be supportive of the cause. It should be definitely a good show, plus we have so many great bands lined up."

Strobel said the $5-8 admission fees will go toward emergency medical services for animals at the shelter. The shelter is run completely by volunteers.

"Anything the animals need, we're going to try and get," she said. "Anything that's going to make the animals a little more comfortable while they're at the shelter. The county is only able to spend so much per animal."

The shelter sees nearly 4,000 animals per year. In 2002, there was a total of 3,980 animals brought to the shelter, and 1,747 of those were adopted or rescued. The rest were euthanized due to overcrowding.

Strobel said about 90 percent of the cats and dogs that come to the shelter are not sterilized.

Occupancy at the shelter depends largely on the season, Strobel said.

"The number really fluctuates; right now we're not terribly packed, but when summertime comes, we're packed," she said.

Strobel said the benefit raised more than $700 last year, and she hopes to raise twice that amount this year.

Recently, the shelter began giving rabies vaccinations to all animals that come in the door. That program can be costly, but Strobel said it is necessary for the health of adopted and homeless animals alike.

"We had a cat that had a bad eye and we couldn't leave the cat like that," she said. "He would have been euthanized for something that was fixable with surgery. But with these funds, we'll pay for it, and he'll go into foster care and be adopted by somebody."

Eric Stiegel, guitarist and vocalist of Elastic Eight Track, said having an event like Rocking For Paws that exposes multiple accomplished local acts also helps support the Lansing music scene.

"There are going to be a lot of people there and we're looking forward to performing with groups that we really like," he said. "It's for a good cause and it helps out the scene."

Davis said he agreed that having six local bands within the rock genre together at a show will not only benefit the animal shelter but the local rock scene as well.

"A lot of people may have heard of one or two of the bands, so this will expose them to bands they've never heard before and will probably like," he said. "There's also people coming out to just support the charity and they might end up really enjoying some bands."

Rob Kirk, lead singer of The Pusherz, said the show will be fun for the performers as well as the audience.

"There's a lot of different styles going on that night," he said. "A lot of times you go see a show and it's three different versions of the same band. It's gonna be fun; an all-encompassing rock night."

The Pusherz have performed at all three previous Rocking For Paws benefit concerts.

"They've always been real supportive of everything I've done for helping the animals at the shelter," said Strobel.

Aaron Dare, manager for Killer Miller, said this is the first big rock show the band has done.

"It's cool to see all the bands get together for a good cause," he said. "It's helping the puppies and kitties out and helping the scene out, because it needs it."

And while The Temple Club may not be conveniently located for most students, Dare said people should make the effort and catch some good local acts.

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Band Bios

Killer Miller

Formed: 2002
What they sound like: Jam band/rock 'n' roll combo with guitar, bass, drums and keys.
Albums: The group plans to record an album soon in a local recording studio.

Elastic Eight Track

Formed: February 2003
What they sound like: Crazy, loud, unpredictable, noisy punk. Mostly influenced by Sonic Youth, Pavement, Smashing Pumpkins and Rancid, said guitarist and vocalist Eric Steigel.
Albums: "Lights Out in the City," released in 2002

The Hush

Formed: 2002
What they sound like: Synth-driven alternative rock. "We've been told we sound like a cross between The Cure and Coldplay," said band manager Jeremy Robinson.
Albums: Working on first full-length album right now.

Wanderjahr

Formed: (Present line-up) mid-2002
What they sound like: Rock 'n' roll with a psychedelic edge to it. Mike Clauwaert, vocalist and guitarist for the band, said Wanderjahr could be compared to "Pavement meets Sabbath meets The Beatles."
Albums: Releasing first full-length album, "Is to Disappear," later this year.

The Pusherz

Formed: Have been a few different entities, the original three started in January 2000, new unit has been together since November 2003.
What they sound like: Ambient indie rock 'n' roll. "We draw a lot of influences from Radiohead, Pink Floyd and The Beatles," said lead singer Rob Kirk. "I wouldn't say we sound British - maybe we do."
Albums: In the process of recording the first full-length album to be released "sometime before we die," said Kirk.

The Fuzz

Formed: Late 1998
What they sound like: Noisy space rock. "It's pretty original in that it's a different rhythm structure than other stuff that's out there," said band manager Joe Davis.
Albums: "Remember to Forget," "Noise Destroyers," "Raisins and Rubberbands," "Nuckel Sammitch Live."