Emerson Hart's year-long tour to support his debut solo album, "Cigarettes and Gasoline," ended in March and produced a pair of hits in "If You're Gonna Leave" and "I Wish the Best for You."

Ah, the life of a musician -- there is always one more gig to play.

Hart will be at the Hard Rock Cafe in Salt Lake City on Friday at 10 p.m. to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Salt Lake City location. All proceeds from the concert will go to the Utah Food Bank Services, an organization that provides food to a statewide network of more than 240 nonprofit agencies, emergency food pantries and regional food banks.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at Hard Rock Cafe or at www.ticketweb.com. The doors will open at 9 p.m. with the performance set to begin an hour later.

This will mark the third time Hart has played in Salt Lake City in less than a year. He opened for Collective Soul in October at Saltair and played a date at the Hard Rock Cafe in Salt Lake City in late February. When the Hard Rock called and asked him to come out to celebrate its anniversary, Hart didn't hesitate to take a break from writing to make one more Wasatch Front appearance.

"It's a benefit for the food bank and also the Hard Rock anniversary," Hart said in a phone interview last week. "I have a good relationship with the people there. I like playing where good people are."

Hart will perform some material from "Cigarettes and Gasoline" as well as some songs from his days with the group Tonic and some new material that he is currently working on.

"It will give me a chance to tell some stories. Maybe I'll play some new songs and try them out," Hart said. "I'm very proud of the work I did with Tonic -- I wrote it, I'm very proud of the band. I don't get tired of playing Tonic songs. It was a wonderful time in my life."

Hart founded Tonic and was the primary writer for the group's first three albums. In 1996, Tonic released "Lemon Parade." It achieved multi-platinum sales based primarily on the band's biggest hit, "If You Could Only See," which was radio's most-played rock song of 1997.

Tonic followed up "Lemon Parade" with its second album, titled "Sugar," in 1999 and scored a hit with "You Wanted More."

Then in 2002, Tonic returned with "Head On Straight," which earned the group two Grammy nominations.

"We didn't break up," Hart said of Tonic. "I might go back and forth [with Tonic] -- it's really about the music. Tonic records have a different feel. I'm writing as we speak. I'm about halfway through [a new CD]. I have a couple more songs to write. I haven't quite found the edge of the record yet. Maybe it will be another Tonic record. I don't know yet."

If Hart's new material does turn into another solo album, it will have a different feel than "Cigarettes and Gasoline," which drew from experiences in his youth.

"What this record is about to me is that it's OK to forgive. That it's OK to fall down when it comes to the industry and it comes to love. You just have to get back up and start running," Hart said. "This is my chance. This is the one time to be honest and tell everyone where I am and what I've went through. If someone wants to go along on the ride with me, that's great. I hope I can help, or I hope I can make you think about it."

Hart says he's glad he embarked on a solo album and now that he's had that experience, his focus is changing. His experiences are changing.

"I've been on tour almost a year and went out four or five months before the record came out. I don't like being on the road for more than a year. It's counter-productive and especially now that I have a 9-month-old daughter, I want to be around for her."

But before Hart puts out "Cigarettes and Gasoline," there is one more date left to play -- an encore in Salt Lake City.