Blues man Smokin' Joe Kubek likes to get high … on life, that is.

Troubadour Jeff Finlin shows what a man can find after hitting bottom on his latest CD, "Ballad of a Plain Man."

And indie rocker Inda Eaton is addicted. To Jeff Finlin. It happened the second she heard him play, Eaton said.

At least these musicians have something in common. They understand addiction and struggle.

"Who of us don't know people who have been affected by some kind of addiction," Eaton said.

But these artists also understand the release brought by recovery - either personally or from watching friends and family fight to stay sober and clean day by day. Each one will bring that heart for recovering addicts to stage at the third annual Recovery Rally, a rocking benefit concert for Casper's 12-24 Club.

The club, a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1993, serves as a community center for a variety of 12-Step groups and the addicts seeking recovery in them. It offers a neutral place for group and one-on-one meetings, as well as an affordable restaurant, to foster open support and fellowship. The Recovery Rally is one of its biggest fundraising events.

"This is one of my favorite causes. Recovery is close to my heart," Finlin said. "The center they have there is top notch. I wish we had something that nice here [in Colorado]. Casper is really lucky to have that facility, that place where people can come and know recovery is free. It's a great cause."

Smokin' Joe Kubek and Bnois King

Texas blues-rock duo Smokin' Joe Kubek and Bnois King don't need alcohol to have a good time. They've got music. They've got each other. And they've got life. That's plenty to make 'em happy.

"Our life is like having a huge backyard party, bigger than you could ever imagine," Kubek said. "We've got friends all over the country. When we tour we get to see everybody and we make new friends all over the place."

Life, for this duo, is good - even without the alcohol both were addicted to for so long. Now they are sober and tearing up the road with their latest tour to support album number 12, "Blood Brothers." This weekend, they're headed to Casper for the Recovery Rally.

"I'm excited about this show because recovery is an important thing," Kubek said. "I've been in recovery myself for many years. I definitely have a heart for this show."

Kubek and King are an unlikely duo. Raised in Texas in the '60s, Kubek was playing night clubs when he wasn't even supposed to be in them, he said. By 19, he was playing with the legendary Freddie King and eventually became known for his blazing blues fretwork on guitar. King (no relation to Freddie) was born in Louisiana in 1946 and inspired to play guitar by a high school music teacher. His smooth jazz chords and voice took him all around the south until he landed in Dallas in the '70s. He and Kubek hooked up in 1989 and have blended their differing styles since.

Inda Eaton

Indie rocker Inda Eaton played at the first annual Recovery Rally and is looking forward to returning this year.

"I have to tell you, it was a magical evening," she said. "It was a very sober event, and the people were really present. It was heartfelt stories from the stage and heartfelt stories from the audience, and that's what it's all about."

Eaton calls the club her Casper family and said many members of her own family have benefitted from its services.

"I just know that it works, and that it helps so many," she said.

Eaton now lives in New York, where she writes songs for others, does sound design and teaches song writing and recording clinics. Hip replacement surgery this summer kept her off the road, but she is looking forward to coming home to Casper. She had such a burst of inspiration following the first Recovery Rally, she is hoping it will happen again so she can cocoon herself this fall and write.

While in Casper, Eaton will be promoting her latest album, named for and recorded in the Oil City. "Inda Live in Casper" was recorded last year at Kelly Walsh High School and has garnered plenty of attention in New York since its release this spring, she said.

"It's more than a record. It's like looking at a photo album of a really meaningful event."

The Jeff Finlin Band

Willie Ray Babel is an everyman hero who has hit rock bottom. But he doesn't stay there. After doing time and looking death in the eye, he has a spiritual awakening and gets to start a new life, free of the trappings of the modern world. He is a plain man living one day at a time.

That's the story told in Jeff Finlin's latest release, "Ballad of a Plain Man." It's one that will ring true for many at the Recovery Rally - including Finlin.

After scraping by in Nashville for 20 years and touring to little acclaim, Finlin had enough of seeking fame and fortune. He moved to Fort Collins, Colo., five years ago to be close to nature, write his songs and help others as he was able.

"I hit that point a long time ago where my music's not about me," he said. "My music's about service. If my music is about me, I tend to lose interest."

Now Finlin and his band - including Casper-based bass player Amy Gieske - play gigs around the Rocky Mountain region. Gieske calls Finlin "almost famous." And that suits him and his band fine.

As Gieske put it: "We'll just keep playing the gigs where people want to hear us. We'll just keep doing the next thing there is to do, one day at a time. Now doesn't that sound like a recovery comment?"

If you go…

* What: Third annual 12-24 Club Recovery Rally, a night of rock concerts to benefit a nonprofit organization that serves as a community center for a variety of 12-Step groups.

When: Doors open at 6 p.m. Saturday

Where: Casper Events Center, 1 Events Drive

Tickets: $30, available at Sonic Rainbow, Blue Heron Books, J. Prentice Travel, Davidson Mechanical, Wyoming Sewing Center, T-shirts Etc. and at the 12-24 Club, located at 136 W. Eighth St.

Info: Call 237-8035 or visit www.1224club.org.