MANKATO — Pick a reason, any reason, for showing up at Buster’s Saturday night.

For one thing, four bands will be performing back to back, including a reunion performance of Lonnie Knight & Big Shoes with guest Billy Steiner of City Mouse. For another thing, the event — called the Fat City Blues Show and sponsored by Mankato’s Static Magazine — serves as the official CD-release party for NiteRail’s new CD, “Back & Forth.”

And finally, the three bucks you pay at the door is going to a good cause. The show is a fund-raiser for KMSU, the independent public radio station at Minnesota State University.

Nick Iverson of Two Fish Studios went to Jim Gullickson, KMSU station manager, weeks ago with the idea of putting together the show. Iverson volunteers at the station as the host of “The Downshift,” an hour of hard rock 7 p.m. Fridays, and knows money is tight there.

“I’m never one to turn down an offer of financial reward for the radio station since we’re hopelessly broke most of the time,” Gullickson said. “This is great for us.”

During the past few years the station has organized four of its own fund-raiser concerts with blues bands, such as The Butanes. But because of all the hidden costs, such as band fees and sound systems, two of the four events ended up costing the station money.

Gullickson hasn’t been deterred. He still thinks it’s important to bring in unique acts once in a while because of a lack of opportunity to see them elsewhere in town.

“You still have to dust yourself off and try again,” he said.

But the station doesn’t have money to lose. So he’s more cautious about putting together shows.

That’s why the Fat City Blues Show is perfect for the station, he said. All the work is being done for them.

“It’s impossible for us to lose,” he said. “Even 100 bucks is great for us.”

Iverson said the show should do well. The blues is popular in the Mankato area, and Buster’s is a good venue with good sound and plenty of space.

“KMSU (via Mark Halverson) is the main source for blues music in southern Minnesota and Static Magazine supports the arts,” Iverson said. “So, if we could tie it all in and raise some cash for KMSU, who could complain?”

KMSU’s cause will share the spotlight with NiteRail Saturday. The band, fronted by Franklin Elementary School teacher Mike Fugazzi of Mankato, thought the Fat City Blues Show would be a great time to release their first EP, which they recorded at Two Fish Studios in December.

Despite the band only being together for a year, they wanted a snapshot of where they are now, Fugazzi said, and had plenty of original material to record.

NiteRail, made up of Fugazzi, Korey Hicks of Roseville, James Schneeberg of St. Louis Park and Konr Ness of Maple Grove, formed in November 2004. Their funky blues sound is influenced by Freddie King, Johnny Water and The Fabulous Thunderbirds.

“We play cut-loose blues that everybody could use,” Fugazzi said. “We want people to have a party with us and enjoy the highest quality music in town with a bunch of awesome bands.”

Saturday the guys will play the kind of music they always play — a mix of covers and originals, some of which can be heard on the new EP. But they probably won’t sound the same. The guys twist and curve their songs night after night to offer something fresh to their audience.

“We play the songs over and over, but we want them to have a different feel,” Fugazzi said.

Knight has played solo and with numerous bands since the 1970s, including the Knight-Henley Band in the 1980s, Wild Horses and the Neilsen-White Band. In the 1990s he played guitar for Hoopsnakes before forming Big Shoes in 1997.

Knight still occasionally plays with Big Shoes and will do so again Saturday. His recordings include “Big Shoes” in 1999, “Cain’s Blood” in 2001 and “Better Days” in 2005.

Dave Owens of Minneapolis will continue the blues theme of the evening. His music ranges from “back alley blues” to ballads. He released a live studio album called “Influenced” on Aquarium Records.

Local duo Cooper & Scheidel also will perform.