Bromfield Cares, a humanitarian club at the Bromfield School dedicated to helping families in need because of cancer or other diseases, has been a regular supporter of Relay for Life events, and this year is helping to organize a Relay for Life benefit concert that will take place Oct. 29 in Townsend at North Middlesex Regional High School. The club has invited local bands Would and the Hot Susannahs to represent Harvard at the concert.

Relay for Life is the main volunteer-driven cancer fundraising event of the American Cancer Society. Last year the Relay raised $89,909 and ranked number one in youth Relays in New England.

According to Bromfield Cares advisor Patricia Nilan, the club is very involved in the Relay for Life program at North Middlesex. "Bromfield has taken teams for the past several years over to the North Middlesex Relay," she said. "We normally raise about $4,000 to $5,000 for the event."

Nilan said the upcoming benefit concert is just one of several fundraisers the club will participate in this year. "We are going to do the giving tree this year, where we will be giving families in need gifts and other things for the holiday season," she said.

The two bands invited to the concert by Bromfield Cares—both of which count Bromfield students among their members—are looking forward to the event. Would drummer Griffin Kenna said, "We wanted to take part in this concert for a couple of reasons: one, we are always looking for gigs; two, to help raise money for the Relay for Life mission."

Will Byler and Phil Stapleton (right) of the Hot Susannahs perform at the Harvard Lions Club fair in September. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)

Would has been playing modern/alternative rock since the band was created in November 2009. Members are involved in the music program at Bromfield and plan to continue their musical studies after graduation. Kenna said, "Eamon, our rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist, and I are both looking to apply to Berklee school of Music in Boston. We, along with Ronan, our lead guitarist, have already visited the school once and really enjoyed our visit."

The Hot Susannahs were created this summer, shortly after the dissolution of better-known Friday Night Delight, a band that included the Susannahs' Phil Stapleton, Ethan Chadwick, and Will Byler. According to Stapleton, lead singer and bassist, the band has no definitive genre. He said, "We just write the music that comes to us, and if it does or doesn't fit a certain genre is up to the ears of listeners."

"We draw influence from a ridiculous variety of styles," he continued. "Not even limited to musical ones, but as a whole, everything seems to mesh together. We've played a countless number of shows as Friday Night Delight, and already a few as the Hot Susannahs."

Similar to Would, members of the Hot Susannahs want to pursue a music career after high school. Will Byler, the lead guitarist for the Hot Susannahs said, "I think all four of us—Phil Stapleton, Devon Murphy, Ethan Chadwick, and myself—will study music in college."

Both Would and the Hot Susannahs have been recognized for their talents. Would took part in the "Battle of the Bands" at the Harvard Lions Club Fall Festival this year, and finished the night with a third-place prize. Likewise, the Hot Susannahs took part in the "Battle of the Bands" this year; last year they received a third-place prize as Friday Night Delight.

Would and the Hot Susannahs will be among five bands playing at the Oct. 29 benefit concert, which will take place from 6 to 10 p.m. at the North Middlesex Regional High School gymnasium. Tickets can be purchased from the Bromfield Cares club for $5 or at the door for $7.