United Way is the chosen charity for Saturday’s EIU Takes Action concert.

The concert, sponsored by University Board, will feature four bands: The Outbreaks, Forgetting Paris, Friday Night Villain and Snowsera.

All of the bands are playing at no cost and are lending their time to help support a charitable cause.

Tim Trsar, guitarist and lead vocals of The Outbreaks, said that the band likes to play for charities and has done so in the past.

“We just kind of play to have fun and we don’t expect to get paid,” Trsar said.

United Way is a national charity with over 1,300 smaller organizations. The charity has local ties, said Pat Lamorte, UB mainstage coordinator.

There is a United Way of Coles County and its office is in Mattoon. Common duties of the charity include helping children and youth succeed, promoting self-sufficiency, strengthening families and improving access to health care.

Lamorte picked the charity because of the local ties.

“I figured you might as well stay local,” he said. “You (students) are helping out the Coles County area and EIU is a big part of Coles County.”

Money will be raised through donations. No admission fee will be charged at the concert, which starts at 8 p.m. in the McAfee gym.

“You (students) don’t have to donate a lot of money, just whatever you feel comfortable with,” Lamorte said. “You need to come out and support the charity and the bands for doing this.”

Two bands are from out of town and will not be paid for travel.

The Outbreaks are traveling from Barrington and Snowsera is from Champaign. Forgetting Paris and Friday Night Villian are local. Some of Friday Night Villian’s members are Eastern Students.

All of the bands have their own sound, but indie and rock are a common theme.

The Outbreaks and Snowsera identify their music as indie-rock. Forgetting Paris’ music is rock, and Friday Night Villain is indie-pop.

“They describe themselves as Iggy Pop on crystal meth,” Lamorte said of Friday Night Villain.

The Outbreaks are glad to bring their sound to Eastern.

“We’re kind of pumped for it,” Trsar said. “Playing (at) colleges seems to be the best place to play.”

The band members, who have friends who are Eastern students, said that college students could relate to their music.

College students can relate to the lyrics because they are about growing up and establishing a new sense of home, Trsar said.

One of the bands songs, “Better Days,” is about college life.

The band will soon release a CD titled “Places” and will hand out free samples of some of the songs at Saturday’s concert.

“When you play it and write music, it’s kind of like a relief,” Trsar said.

Lamorte said that seeing four bands for free is a good opportunity for students.

“Getting to see bands for relativity no cost here on campus is rare,” he said.

This is the second year that UB has brought bands together for a charitable cause. Last year, canned goods were donated for the local food pantry and the bands performed in the Thomas dining hall.

Forgetting Paris performed at that concert and has played at Eastern other times as well.

Lamorte said moving the event to McAfee gym will be beneficial for both the students and the bands because there is more room in the gym, plus a stage.

“It kind of gives it more of a concert-y feel,” he said.