Thanks to a talented cast of friends and family, the tribute to Rich Rust Saturday at Nick's Fat City is doubling as a CD release party.

	Friends of Rich Rust Tribute Concert Where: Nick's Fat City, South Side When: 5 p.m. Saturday; Doors open at 4 p.m., over 21 Tickets: $25 advance; $35 at the door; 412-323-1919 More information: CDs and more information are available at www.richrust.com

Rust, a well-loved musician who died of cancer in January, left behind a still-blossoming family and a large community of bands to which he had added his talents as a keyboardist and singer. No fewer than five bands that he had played in -- The Distractions, The Breakup Society, The Dharma Sons, The Nixon Clocks and The Affordable Floors -- are on the all-star bill Saturday, along with Ice Cream Headache, Jet Fighters, Bill Deasy, the Clarks, the Buzz Poets and Sho' Nuff.

But the most sentimental set of the night is likely to come from the debut of one band he never got to play in: The Rich Rust Experience. The songs that make up the Experience stem from Rust's recent collaborations with John Goberish, frontman for the Distractions, the band Rust first joined while he was still attending the University of Pittsburgh in the early '90s.

The two revived their partnership when Rust returned last spring after a stint working as a Web designer in San Francisco. Goberish says "we'd get together in my basement studio, usually on a Monday night, and we'd collaborate on songs. It was an exercise in improving our songwriting. We had a lot of the same musical interests -- Beatles, Crowded House, World Party -- and wanted to push the boundaries of what we were doing."

They realized at some point that "the demos sounded better than demos" and started to get serious about creating a finished project. Unfortunately, late last year, Rust's health deteriorated and he succumbed to melanoma on Jan. 13, leaving behind wife Deni, 2-year-old daughter Madison and an unborn child they plan to call Ethan.

His friends and family thought it would be a fitting tribute to complete the project, so Goberish and Matt Rust (Rich's younger brother and a bassist) set about the task in February and March with bassist Todd Demont, drummer Bill Warnick and producer Rick Witkowski. They replaced the computerized drum parts with real drums and added harmonies and other touches.

"Most of Rich's performances were right on," Goberish says. "His voice was sounding great."

The songs from the 14-track "The Rich Rust Experience" are bright and sunny, ranging from the Squeeze-like "King of Good Intentions" to "So Far Away," one that shows off sweet Beach Boys-style harmonies.

It's the best representation of Rust as a singer and songwriter. "When he was in the Distractions he did sing some lead and was a major contributor," Goberish says, "but he was not someone who was front and center. And that's what's nice about this recording. I'm singing a few, and Matt is doing some vocals, but on a good many of the songs, Rich is the focal point."

The record also has a playful feel, including one fadeout where Goberish says "solo!" and Rust breaks into a trumpet solo -- with his voice.

"I'm thinking back to the [b.s.-ing] and all the catching up were doing, and we both like really good beer. It's amazing we got anything done."

Now, he says of the project, "we can prove to our wives that we actually did something."

On Saturday, The Rich Rust Experience will be represented by Goberish, Matt Rust, Demont and Warnick. Proceeds from the ticket price and sales of the CD will benefit Rust's family.