Rock for Relief 2, set for Saturday afternoon at the Cohen Middle School Baseball Stadium in Bangor, is a bit of a smorgasbord. A cornucopia. A pu pu platter of music, if you will. With 24 local bands in four hours, spanning genres from hip-hop to metal, there’s something for everyone.

But what’s important is the reason it’s happening in the first place. Festival organizers Laura Aube and Becky Murdy, both seniors at Bangor High School, were friends with Blake Vaillancourt, a BHS student who died last year.

“[Blake] would have graduated this year. He passed away from a rare blood disease,” said Murdy. “He was a really close friend of mine.”

After the success of the first Rock for Relief in fall 2005, benefiting Hurricane Katrina recovery, Aube and Murdy knew that a benefit concert could work – and that it could be bigger and better. For the past few months, that’s what the students involved have been working hard to make happen.

Proceeds from Rock for Relief 2 are going to the Marrow Foundation, a charity dedicated to helping those afflicted with various diseases who need bone marrow transplants.

“If you know someone who passed away, you can set up a marrow fund in their name. It’s a more personal way to honor them,” said Murdy. “It goes to research, and to getting patients’ names on the donor list, and to helping patients’ families with their medical bills.”

Murdy and Aube held auditions for the concert last month, with a huge response. In order to facilitate the large amount of performers, some of the musicians will only play one or two songs before letting someone else take the stage. The upshot? Attendees will get to see a wide variety of young, local talent. In other words, you’re getting quite a bit of bang for your charitable buck.

Performers range from BHS students playing a few acoustic songs, to abbreviated sets from bands like 1800s Sea Monster and Hat Trick Avenue, to full band performances at the end of the evening from Linden, Andy Mead and Cold Water Armies.

Andy Mead, a former BHS student who now attends Tufts University in Cambridge, Mass., is an area favorite, having played in the band Oddly Appropriate before striking out on his own. He plays solo regularly down in Massachusetts, but he loves coming back to Maine for the summer and playing his upbeat acoustic pop songs with his bandmates, most of whom still live in Bangor.

“It’s definitely nice to look out and see people you know, who know your songs,” said Mead, 19. “I’m very excited to play, because it’s such a good cause, and I know people who were really close to Blake.”

Aube and Murdy also made a point of involving other schools in the area, and extended invitations to Brewer, Orono, Old Town, Hampden and other schools to send their best musicians along. Jon Bailey and the band Nebulus are both from Orono, while Hat Trick Avenue are Brewer boys.

The students are hoping to double what the original Rock for Relief raised, which was $7,000. If all goes as planned, they’re well on their way to doing just that.

“It’s all just coming together and falling into place,” said Murdy. “As soon as we tell people the story about Blake, they want to be a part of it. It’s been really positive for everyone involved, from the performers to Blake’s family.”

Rock for Relief 2 takes place from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 12, at the baseball field at William S. Cohen Middle School in Bangor. Admission is $12 on the day of the show, and children under 6 are free. There will be children’s activities all afternoon. For information, visit http://bhsrockforrelief.com. Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.

Rock for Relief 2

Hour one, 3-4 p.m.

West Side, Emily & Ashley, Quo Vadis, From Nothing, Nebulus, Mike Lalime, Kevin and Chase, Boozie & Beal

Hour two, 4-5 p.m.

Becky & Courtney, Kids with Swords, Lindsey & Emily, Wordplay 101, 1800s Sea Monster, Courtney & Ryan, Alex Brookings

Hour three, 5-6 p.m.

Hat Trick Avenue, The Kilts, Standing on Chairs, Alena with Becky, Zoe, and solo, Green House Effect, Jon Bailey

Hour four, 6-7 p.m.

Linden, Andy Mead, Cold Water Armies