Blues enthusiasts yearning for a hefty dose of their favorite mood music will find solace among other blues fans at the Third Annual Fall Blues Bust at 9 tonight at Mississippi Nights in St. Louis.

As part of a triple headlining bill, area blues acts Blues Handle, Uncle Albert and show opener River City Blues will converge on the club stage to display the music that gave birth to rock n’ roll.

Uncle Albert guitarist Tim Albert said the Fall Blues Bust will not only offer blues fans three different styles of the blues, but will bring the three bands’ following of fans together in one location.

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It will consolidate three different blues audiences, and it will build some community and camaraderie, he said. It’s a better way for people to understand that there is a lot of good music out there, and it’s better for people to be exposed to what is going on with the area blues.

Albert also said the show’s all-ages entry is an excellent way for young people to hear a style of music to which they normally are not exposed.

We’ve been pumping (the all-ages aspect) because there are not many chances for young people in the St. Louis area to see the blues, he said. It gets too locked up in the bars and that limits your audience.

Why should younger people be excluded from the blues?

The Fall Blues Bust is the brainchild of River City Blues bassist Joe Miles, and it came about simply because of his impromptu, colossal desire for a decent blues concert for people of all ages.

I was driving down the street one day and I thought it would be cool to see a blues show in one of St. Louis’ bigger venues, he said. It was that profound.

A couple phone calls later to Mississippi Nights, 914 N. First St., and the first Fall Blues Bust was underway.

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Miles said the interest in the blues shown by the younger audience was a big reason the Fall Blues Bust came about.

With the 70s thing really big right now, the response I’ve been getting toward the blues seems to be that it’s appealing to younger people as well, he said.

Blues Handle harmonica player Matt Morrell said catering the Fall Blues Bust to a broad scope of new, potential and old blues fans had a lot to do with which site was chosen.

The nice thing about Mississippi Nights is that we can accommodate all ages, he said. We picked this venue because we can hit every age in just one place.

And what will strike the audience on hand tonight will be three distinct styles of the blues from three unique St. Louis area bands in one show.

River City Blues opens the night with its chameleon-like band lineup for a mix of blues and Texas shuffle.

We will play with anything from a trio to an eight-piece band. It’s a variation of the same players, Miles said. That is what makes it cool and keeps it interesting not only to myself but to the other members in the band. We take the same song with a trio and then with an eight-piece lineup, and it’s a totally different song.

Albert said what makes the members of Uncle Albert different is that they enjoy something most bands find annoying and disrespectful:on-stage crowd and band communication.

On a good night the crowd will yell back at us. That can dictate the direction of the evening, he said. When you have a connection with the audience, they get to hear what they want to hear, and we’re not searching for what we should play.

It’s a long night if you play to a silent crowd.

After Uncle Albert fires up the crowd with its contemporary blues sound, Blues Handle, which also is making its third Fall Blues Bust appearance, will close out the night with a set of its traditional and contemporary blues numbers.

Albert said the night will offer plenty of honest and emotional music for people interested in the appeal of the blues.

I think a lot of what people judge the blues on is whether or not you’re telling the truth. People can tell when you play if you’re faking emotion, he said. You can tell when someone is bullshitting you in a conversation, and the blues is the same way.

The blues is all based on attitude.

Doors to the Third Annual Fall Blues Bust open at 8 p.m. and the show begins at 9 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages concert are $5 at the door.