Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle

The National Capital Barbecue Battle is a celebration of great food, music and family fun. This internationally acclaimed event features BBQ teams from all over the world competing for over $40,000 in prizes and the title of National Barbecue Champion. Taste mouth-watering BBQ from all over the country, enjoy free samples of many favorite summer foods and new products, hear great live music from over 30 rock, R&B, jazz and blues bands performing on three stages, ( This year’s musical entertainment includes rock icon Leon Russell, popular jazz star Roy Ayers, Washington’s own “Godfather of Go-Go” Chuck Brown, boogie-woogie master Deanna Bogart, and young rockers Fools & Horses and Jimmies Chicken Shack) watch cooking demonstrations with celebrity chefs, enjoy state-of-the-art interactive exhibits like the NBA Nation Basketball Tour, and exciting kids’ activities. Fun for everyone who likes music, food, people or all three! The National Capital Barbecue Battle is the largest annual fundraising event for the Boys and Girls' Clubs in DC and has raised over one million dollars for the Clubs and other local charities. Tickes are $10/adults, $5/kids 6-12, and under 6 free. Hours of event are Jun 21st, Saturday, 11am-9PM, Sunday, June 22nd, 11am-7:30 PM For more information go to www.bbqdc.com

Safeway’s 16th Annual National Capital Barbecue Battle
America’s Food & Music Festival - Historic Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C.
Saturday, June 21st, 11am-9pm, and Sunday, June 22nd, 11am-7:30 pm, 2008
www.bbqdc.com

Rock legend Leon Russell and Pioneering Jazz Great Roy Ayers Headline Eclectic Music Line-up Tailor-Made for Dancing, Grooving, and ’Cue Chomping

Whether your taste runs to swamp rock as messy as a rack of ribs or Jazz vibes as neat as an apron before the cooking starts, the Safeway National Capital Barbeque Battle has music to please all palates. Thirty top Rock, Jazz, R&B and Blues artists will play all weekend on 3 stages as historic Pennsylvania Avenue morphs into one of the worlds’ top spots for food, music, interactive exhibits, cooking demonstrations, and sensory pleasures fit for music and food-lovers alike. Leading the line up are:

Leon Russell
An American original and one of the top concert attractions in the world in the 1970s, Russell has been a major force on the music scene for more than 40 years. Russell has worked with hundreds of artists as diverse as Jerry Lee Lewis, Herb Alpert, The Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, and Phil Spector. As a solo act, Russell released four Gold Albums and had a number of top hits including Tightrope and Lady Blue. His songs became hits for other artists, as well, such as This Masquerade, (George Benson) Superstar, (The Carpenters) A Song For You, (Ray Charles) Hummingbird, (B.B. King) and Delta Lady (Joe Cocker) Still an in-demand act on the tour circuit, Russell is known for his high-energy live shows and continues to create new material. A trio of albums, “Almost Piano”, “Bad Country”, and “In Your Dreams”, were released this year.

Roy Ayers
One of the most visible jazz vibraphonists of the 1960s, and later an R&B bandleader in the 1970s and '80s, Roy Ayers' reputation is as the prophet of acid jazz, a man decades ahead of his time. Everybody Loves the Sunshine, released in 1976, has been frequently sampled by a number of popular hip-hop artists. In the late 60s, he was featured prominently on Herbie Mann's hit album “Memphis Underground’ and recorded three solo albums. In 1970, he formed Roy Ayers Ubiquity, which featured such players as Billy Cobham. Ayers' pop records were commercially successful, with several singles on the R&B charts. As the merger of hip-hop and jazz took hold in the early '90s, Ayers made a number of guest appearances with the next generation of Jazz artists. Roy Ayers continues to be an immensely popular performer.

Chuck Brown
Chuck Brown is the creator of Go-Go music, a hypnotically danceable genre deeply rooted in funk and soul. Brown is known for his legendary live shows that create a non-stop party atmosphere. Brown scored the #1 hit Bustin Loose in 1978 (used by Nelly in 2002 in his #1 smash Hot in Here). His 2001 release, “Your Game... Live at the 9:30 Club” was voted one of the top 10 albums by Billboard magazine. In 2007, Chuck Brown teamed up with multi-platinum producer Chucky Thompson to put together his first studio album of original material since Bustin’ Loose. The album was released to critical acclaim, and debuted in the #1 Independent album slot and the #2 R&B album on Billboard.

Fools and Horses
The Grand Prize Winner of Starbuck’s National CD Contest, Fools and Horses have the music and charisma that has won them legions of loyal fans, and continuous industry acclaim. Coming out of Baltimore, MD with full force, Fools and Horses have made a huge impact and fast climb to the top of the Mid-Atlantic's vibrant music scene, winning Music Monthly's Reader's Poll two years straight as "Best Modern Rock Band", and "Best Frontman" Fools and Horses continually tour and have performed with many national acts including Bon Jovi.

Jimmies Chicken Shack
Jimmie's Chicken Shack’s original blend of funk-metal with elements of ska and reggae has helped move the group to the head of the pack in the Mid-Atlantic music scene. Based in Annapolis, Maryland, the group formed Fowl Records and soon released the favorably reviewed “Give Something Back”. After selling tens of thousands of records around the Baltimore area, Jimmie's Chicken Shack signed to Elton John's Rocket Records and released their major-label debut, “Pushing the Salmanilla Envelope”. The group has also released a number of albums on its own label, including “The Original Recipe,” a collection of early recordings, followed in 1999 by “Bring Your Own Stereo” and “Re.present” in 2004. Their latest album, “Fail on Cue,” was released on Fowl Records in January of this year.

Eric Lindell
A roots rocker whose soul-shaking rhythm & blues, reggae grooves, and swamp pop never fail to fill the dance floor, Lindell’s 2006 Alligator Records debut “Change In The Weather’ garnered rave reviews from many publications including the Chicago Sun-Times and The New Yorker. Lindell’s live shows showcase his unstoppable grooves, rocking original songs and excellent musicianship. His newest release, “Low On Cash”, is already making waves around the country.

Deanna Bogart
After interning in western swing and R&B with the groups Cowboy Jazz and Root Boy Slim, Bogart has fronted her own tight ensemble for over fifteen years. Playing dazzling piano and soulful saxophone, Bogart has added the energy of boogie-woogie, contemporary blues, country, and jazz to create a unique fusion of musical styles. Her vocals and songwriting are as full of vitality as her playing – savvy, sensuous, and deep.

The Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle has been voted a “Top 10 BBQ Event” by The Travel Channel and Discovery.com, and has been featured on broadcasts all over the world. The Battle is the largest annual fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington Metropolitan Police Clubhouses, and has raised almost a million dollars for this vital organization. The Barbecue Battle also hosts the National Barbecue Championship with teams from around the country vying for $40,000 in cash, prizes and bragging rights.

Event tickets are only $10/adults, $5/kids 6-12, and free for children under 6. Admission includes a donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs, lots of free food samples, all the great live music, six cooking stages, celebrity chefs and other fun family entertainment. www.bbqdc.com for more details or call the event info line at (202)828-3099.