The House Cafe, 263 E. Lincoln Highway, invites the community to a memorial night of music, as local artists will perform to remember fallen music staple Mechanical Mouse.

Saturday, the House Cafe, will host a benefit concert to remember Rockford native, Joel Collinsworth, who performed under the stage name Original Mechanical Mouse and who died Sept. 25.

“He was a local legend,” Miles Mapes, House Cafe production manager, said. “He came through as a model figure in terms of being a musician on the DeKalb music scene. He never once missed a Monday open mic at The House Cafe.”

Collinsworth ran many businesses in his lifetime, including his computer repair business, We-Connect, which operated from 2006 to 2017.

From acoustic hits like “Love Me Not” to harmonic songs such as “You Lied,” it’s no surprise Mechanical Mouse made an impact on the local music scene.

“He had the most perseverance,” said featured folk tribute performer Pete Jive. “He just loved to play and play for hours. He just wanted people to play music and do what they loved without the worry of money.”

Collinsworth toured as Original Mechanical Mouse in 2012 on a tour titled, “Small Dreams 2012,” which covered five states and nine cities, according to bandmix.com.

“He always helped local artists make a platform for themselves on Youtube and even filmed a documentary on the House Cafe,” Mapes said. “If you are a local musician in the DeKalb area, you would know Mechanical Mouse was a local pillar for the music scene.”

The lineup for the benefit show will feature local artists, such as guitarist and vocalist Pete Jive and indie rock band Dana DeStefano and Doll Parts. This is an all-ages show, and doors will open at 6 p.m. with the concert scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Tickets for the show are $10 and can be bought at Ticketfly.com.