Tonight at Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave., Penn State's environmental club, Eco-Action, is hosting a benefit that will include the bands Crack Factor, The Daily Supplement and The Northern Shovlers.

As the semester starts, before the homework begins piling up, students will have a chance to help out a cause and have fun at the same time, Eco-Action treasurer Shaina Dulberg (senior-anthropology) said.

Eco-Action is a club that promotes environmental awareness and was established to focus on recycling, but has since broadened its objectives, branching out to work with issues such as deforestation and energy use.

The concert is going to raise money to help fund club projects that deal with environmental issues, Dulberg said.

"The concert profits will go to the club," she said. "They will help with planning for Earth Day and our ongoing Kyoto Now! campaign. We expect a big crowd. We're hoping for about 100 people -- that would be awesome."

One student who will be attending is Johanna Mirenda (junior-horticulture), a member of Eco- Action.

"It's supporting such a good cause," Mirenda said. "The concert is a great way to kick off the semester. We have some really important projects coming up, and it's a way to get not only the club members excited, but everyone else as well."

The Daily Supplement, a local band known for its blend of jazz, Latin and Caribbean beats, is one of the acts involved in the benefit, the band's manager Christopher Kelleher said. Kelleher also said The Daily Supplement is a perfect fit with the environmental tone of the concert because it has played other Eco-Action benefits in the past.

"The Eco-Action Benefit concert is very important to The Daily Supplement," Kelleher said. "One of the many touted beliefs that has helped bring the band together is ecology and conservation."

Jack Ray, saxophonist for The Daily Supplement, has been a member of ecological clubs in the State College area for many years, including Eco-Action, Kelleher said. Kelleher also said that Penn State students can see the band's keyboardist, Steve Faubel, driving around town in a 1970s Volkswagen Vanagon customized to use recycled vegetable oil as fuel.

With the two other State College bands playing the show, the lineup for the benefit is pretty diverse, Dulberg said.

"Crack Factor is a more acoustic band, while The Northern Shovlers are more blue grass, and The Daily Supplement is a jam band," Dulberg said. "They're local bands, and they will get the people dancing. It's going to be great."