One local band isn't canning to raise awareness about Thon -- it's promoting an uplifting song that members hope will be played in the closing minutes of this year's 46-hour event.

Hip-hop band Audio Imagery is finalizing the recording of its song "Find Tomorrow," which will be released on Nov. 15. The group said a large percentage of the money raised through downloads will go to the Four Diamonds Fund.

Frontman Jason Browne said the group will meet with the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon committee members this weekend to perform the song and discuss whether it will be officially associated with the philanthropic event.

Even if the group does not receive backing from Thon, Browne said the band still wants to support efforts to cure pediatric cancer.

"Having their support would be an extreme help," Browne said. "We want to cut down the barriers and get as much exposure for this issue as possible."

The band has previously supported other charities, including The AIDS Project, and has performed at benefits for cancer and cystic fibrosis, guitarist George Webster said.

"The community has supported us for a long time, so we wanted to use our talents to give back to the community," Webster said.

The band has created a Web site called findtomorrow.com, where a clock counts down to the release date of the song and lists some of the band's supporters in State College.

Webster said the band has reached an agreement with radio station B 94.5 for the song to play in regular rotation once the song is released.

The radio station will debut the song at 7:15 a.m. Friday.

The band recorded with the Penn State Glee Club to add a choir to the song so it would have more of a benefit-anthem sound, Webster said.

Christopher Kiver, director of the Penn State Glee Club, said the group was happy to help Thon by doing what they do best -- singing.

"I haven't heard the finished product yet, but it seems like its quite an uplifting piece," Kiver said. "You can picture everyone singing along to it."

Johnny Montagnese, CEO and producer for The Carriage House Recording Studios, said he recorded the main parts of the song, which reminded him of famous benefit songs like "We Are the World."

"It has the chord structure that makes the listener feel good about what they're doing or what they're attempting to do," Montagnese said.

Webster said the band was aiming to replicate the benefit songs of the '80s and bring them into a more modern light -- combining pop, rock and hip-hop.

Although Montagnese said he didn't want to discuss what he charged for the song, he said the band paid for the recording session out of its own pocket.

He doesn't think recording the song before getting Thon's approval was too much of a gamble.

"If it doesn't work for this particular organization, it's just a pretty good pop song to begin with," Montagnese said. "They can just put on a record of theirs.'

Kiver said Audio Imagery's intention was genuine -- not to become more well known through Thon, but to help the cause.

"I get the impression from these chaps they wrote it just for the music, and if they get an affiliation, it's just a bonus," Kiver said.