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• Alto Vineyards hosts festival for Blues & Barbecue

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Music venue at Alto Vineyards. Photo by Claire Keating.

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Music Among the Vines/Blues & BBQ Festival presents Candy Foster and the Shades of Blue »

• Event has already occurred
• Alto Vineyards »
  4210 N. Duncan Road Champaign, IL 61820
  (Show on map)

Music Among the Vines/Blues & BBQ Festival presents The Joe Moss Band »

• Event has already occurred
• Alto Vineyards »
  4210 N. Duncan Road Champaign, IL 61820
  (Show on map)

Saturday, June 6, Candy Foster and Joe Moss, two locally and nationally renowned bustling blues artists, will reign over Champaign’s Alto Vineyards for the Blues and Barbecue Festival. A common pairing, the music of blues and often culturally oriented barbecue style share a similar connection of the soul — and stomach.

Matt Dickson, one of the Alto Vineyards’ event organizers, is enthusiastic about the upcoming event. “There’s a pretty good blues following in this area, and not a whole lot of venues specialize in that genre of music. The Blues and Barbecue Festival seemed like a good way to get a little more recognition for [blues music],” Dickson said.

The Blues and Barbecue Festival is a first for Alto Vineyards, following a number of musical events not jointly fueled by food. With this event, the vineyard hopes to continue the summer “Music Among the Vines 2009” series with some serious rhythm.

The right atmosphere, however, is key to successfully planning such an event, and the vineyard is excited at the prospect of a departure from a strictly wine-based audience.

“It’s something a little different for us — to get a national touring group down here playing in Champaign for our music series,” Dickson said.

Based out of Chicago, a landmark city in the history of blues, Joe Moss exhibits talent and originality, blending blues and rock with sensual lyrics. Each of the act’s songs is seducing with robust guitar solos and rugged instrumentals, a hearty combination for an afternoon of music and food. Frequent performers at Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago, the Joe Moss Band has gathered an immense following that will undoubtedly be seen at the Blues and Barbecue Festival this weekend.

The afternoon’s other act, Candy Foster and Shades of Blue, has a greater local connection as CU’s resident veteran blues act. Dynamic and fun, the combination of Foster’s powerful voice and the backing tones of Shades of Blue deliver on famous pieces like The Commodores’ “Brick House” and Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.” With three-hour set times for each act, Alto Vineyards expects a steady crowd focused on fulfilling a hunger for blues and barbecue.

Alto Vineyards welcomes summer music lovers to enjoy themselves at the Blues and Barbecue Festival on June 6, adding that the venue encourages people to become accustomed to coming out and “relaxing and having a good glass of wine or a nice beer, some good barbecue and some good music.” Music begins at 4:30 p.m. and is expected to last until 11 p.m.