Great Caesar, a local band from Madison, Conn., kicked off the night, and unveiled new tracks like “Tango.” The blend of saxophones, piano, and the occasional trombone were not unfamiliar, as they played at last year’s WQAQ’s Battle of the Bands and Spring Concert.

Massachusetts-based trio Art Decade, who played live in the WQAQ studio last year, followed Great Caesar. They performed a set of new tracks that will be featured on “Western Sunrise,” a follow up to their 2009 release, “Royalty.”

Headlining the event was Cymbals Eat Guitars. Music director Kyle Murphy was especially excited for their performance.

“It’s the final date of their tour and we got to see it,” Murphy said.

The Staten Island-based group previously played for BBC live radio, where they shared new tracks for their anticipated album. As the night drew to a close, the crowd joined in singing “Indiana,” one of Cymbals Eat Guitars’ popular songs.

WQAQ General Manager Mike Farrell, also a guitarist for Great Caesar, dropped off the canned food donations to the Hamden Food Bank on Monday with Promotions Manager Jess Kenney.

“There was enough food to fill two grocery carts,” Farrell said. “It was great. We didn’t count the individual cans but we were impressed with the result. While we only asked for two cans of food for admission some people brought a bag or two full of cans.”