The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life of Hoboken held their first fundraiser of the year at Maxwell’s last Wednesday, bringing the house down with back-to-back musical performances by a group of talented local artists.

Hoboken resident and CBS’s Big Brother 13 third place finalist, Adam Poch acted as emcee for the evening and was proud of his role in the fundraising festivities.

“If I can use any of my celebrity for good and to raise money and awareness, I’m going to do it,” says Poch, who has a personal tie to the cause as he lost his own mother to kidney cancer approximately four years ago.

“I love Hoboken and this is for a great cause so it just felt right to do this,” says Poch, who moved here in 1996.

“Even though I’m not performing, to be a part of an event at Maxwell’s is really pretty cool,” he adds.

The benefit concert kicked off with the acoustic sounds of Sean Faust, who set the tone for a fun-filled evening of music and rock n’ roll. Following Faust were the sweet punk rock jams of Kosmic Daydream. Daydream’s lead singer, dubbed “the Kosmic Goddess,” belted out her vocals and exemplified all that is good about girl power in rock music. Rounding out the evening were stellar performances by Mercury Morning and headliner and Hoboken favorite Emergency Now.

Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature event. It’s a walk, held across the country, that raises awareness and funds to aid in finding a cure for cancer. The event also celebrates the lives of those who have beaten the crippling disease and remembers the men, women, and children who lost their battles.

In 2011, the Hoboken Relay raised more than $170,000 for the American Cancer Society alone. The 2012 Relay for Life of Hoboken will be held on Saturday, May 19 at Pier A Park. The next fundraiser will be a holiday happy hour event held at Trinity restaurant on Thursday, December 15.

For more information on the Relay and directions on how to sign up to participate, visit www.RelayForLife.org/HobokenNJ or Facebook.com/HobokenRelay.