The Standard Deluxe will be serving up a great selection of tasty Birmingham bands this weekend at the “City Comes to Country” Birmingham Music Showcase and Tornado Relief Benefit.

A grand total of seven bands will take the stage in an effort to show people what the Birmingham music scene is all about, and make some money for the Alabama Red Cross while they’re at it.

Co-hosted by Standard Deluxe and This is American Music, the showcase/benefit will be at the Standard Deluxe in Waverly Saturday, June 11 from noon to 7 p.m., featuring seven Birmingham-bred acts total.

“These are some of the best bands out of Birmingham,” said Standard Deluxe owner Scott Peek. “And if folks haven't seen them, it’s a good opportunity to come out and hear a set by each band.”

Originally intended to open Birmingham bands to new audiences, the showcase took a new direction after the storms and tornadoes that tore through Birmingham and much of Alabama.

“When the tornados hit, a lot of the bands mentioned, ‘Hey, why don't we make this a benefit?’” Peek said.

After shopping for the best place to donate, the Alabama Red Cross came out on top, and will be the main benefactor from the showcase.

Peek said to expect “Super-great music, and you know, it'll probably be hot. We have a nice lawn, and you can bring your chairs and blankets out and sit around outside with your friends and eat some good food and listen to some good music.”

The showcase will feature Vulture Whale, Through the Sparks, Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires, Sanders Bohlke, Taylor Hollingsworth and the Gum Creek Killers with James Jackson Toth, as well as 13ghosts.

Brad Armstrong, founder of indie/rock band 13ghosts, said that he avoided damage in the storms that tore Alabama in half, but just barely.

“Literally two blocks from my house, a tornado came through and laid waste to this street.” Armstrong said

Fully on board with the “City Comes to Country” benefit, Armstrong has played with most of the artist in attendance and said that attendees should be looking forward to some rock n’ roll.

“Most of the guys on the bill, I've been playing with and known for years,” Armstrong said. “It's always fun when you take the big Birmingham family on the road.”

Gates open at 11 a.m. and music starts at 12:30 p.m. Small coolers and lawn chairs are welcome, and children under 14 get in free.

Bringing people together and providing them with an alternative to the bar scene is part of what “City Comes to Country” is all about, according to Peek.

“I don't know of anywhere in Auburn or the area that's doing anything similar,” Peek said. “It's just kind of an extension of what we've always done out here for the past 15 or 20 years.”

For more information about the “City Comes to Country” Birmingham Music Showcase & Tornado Relief Benefit, visit standarddeluxe.com.