Oxford, Michigan Gears up for the 5th Annual Hot Blues and BBQ This Weekend, June 19-20, 2009

Hot Blues and BBQ, the Village of Oxford, the Oxford Downtown Development Authority, and the Detroit Blues Society are proud to announce that the 5th annual HOT BLUES AND BBQ will be held June 19-20, 2009. The Friday, June 19th event will be held from 7pm-10pm in Centennial Park in Downtown Oxford, MI. The Saturday June 20th event will be held from 12pm to 1am, in beautiful Scripter Park, in the Village of Oxford, Michigan. The single largest change this year is the fact that all events on both days are absolutely free of charge for admission. This is being done due the poor state of the Michigan economy and to allow families a weekend of fun without the worries of money.

THE FRIDAY JUNE 19 KICKOFF EVENT

The Oxford DDA Kickoff Night will feature Blues performances from 4 regional acts, all of which are well known in their own right. The gates will open at 5:00pm and admission is absolutely free. The musical lineup for this event will feature (along with their performance times):

MOJO PHOENIX (6:00pm)
FRONT STREET BLUES BAND (7:00pm)
TOMAS ESPARZA and t he BOA CONSTRICTORS (8:00pm)
· JOSH BOYD AND THE VIP BAND wsg/ MARK “PAZ” PASMAN FROM WCSX (9:00pm)

You may also attend the post-concert celebration at Callahan’s in Auburn Hills immediately following. (www.atcallahans.com).

THE SATURDAY JUNE 20 EVENT

The Detroit Blues Challenge at Hot Blues and BBQ is the 4th preliminary round of the annual Detroit Blues Society Challenge where the overall judged winner will move on to the Challenge Finals in November and win a cash prize. In 2008, 5 preliminary rounds were staged plus the Finals. In 2009, there will be 6 rounds plus the Finals. The overall winners of the Finals will go on to represent Detroit at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee in January of 2010. In this, the 4th round of the Detroit Blues Challenge, the competitors will be (along with their performance times):

BEBE AND THE BLUESMASTERS (12 Noon)
DAVID GERALD AND INSURRECTION (12:30pm)
MOTOR HONEY (1:00pm)
CROSSROADS BLUES BAND (1:30pm)
JACOB CLYDE BAND (2:00pm)

Each Band will play 1, 20-minute set of original music, and will be judged by a panel of music professionals, in accordance with International Blues Challenge rules, to determine an overall winner of this round. The winner will be announced at around 3:00 pm.

There will also be a people’s choice award for the crowd’s f avorite band. Patrons will vote with dollar bills and the band with the highest total of votes will win. All monies raised will benefit the Detroit Blues Society’s Blues Challenge Prize Fund. The Detroit Blues Society is a registered 501c3 charity and all donations are tax deductible.

HOT BLUES AND BBQ 2009 MAIN EVENT

Hot Blues and BBQ 2009 Main Event gets underway at 3pm and will feature spectacular Blues performances from a star-studded cast of musicians from across the USA. Along with the musical performances, the event also features BBQ Vendors, the Hubert

Distributors - Bud Light Beer Garden, Retail Vendors, Swimming, Picnicking, a Playground, Raffles, and an entire day of family fun for all. The gates will open at 11:00am and admission is absolutely free.

The musical lineup for 2009 looks like a who’s who of Blues music and will feature (along with their performance times):

THE BLUESCASTERS (3:00pm)
FROG AND THE BEEFTONES (4:00pm)
MEASURED CHAOS (5:00pm)
COUNT BRACEY AND THE PLEASURETONES (6:00pm)
THE ALLIGATORS (7:00pm)
THE MATT BESEY BAND (8:00pm)
MOTOR CITY JOSH (9:00pm)
JASON RICCI AND NEW BLOOD (10:30pm)

Event / Media Contact:
Steven J. Allen – Executive Producer
40 Burdick Woods Ct.
Oxford, MI 48371
(248) 249-5287 [email protected]