Eventbrite is a better free alternative to evite. You should also be consider using Mailchimp (also free) to send out your emails.
Eventbrite integrates with mailchimp so you can send out blasts to your email list (although I recall eventbrite also provides the option to send out emails directly).
Two other mail responders that are low-cost (or free) that I am looking into, although they are a bit more targeted at the technical user are:
This is all of this related to my job, as I am implement a Fan Building Framework for more and more of my clients. It's a new offering I'm still refining and I can share more the process matures.