San Jose’s own JC Smith is quite possibly the definition of old school cool. Wielding his gorgeous Gibson 335, Smith has played classic-sounding soul blues all across the world, most recently releasing a live album with the South America All Stars. Smith may think globally, but he also acts locally; he hosts T-Bone Taxi under the name Johnnie Cozmik for the outstanding heritage station KKUP and is a pillar of the Silicon Valley Blues Society. Smith is a terrific stage personality, and the audience at Poor House Bistro Saturday will find him irresistible.

JC Smith
Sat, 6pm, Free
Poor House Bistro, San Jose

Poor House Bistro has got to be among San Jose’s most underrated concert venues. Since 2005, SAP Center’s next door neighbor has been shelling out rock solid cajun-inspired comfort food, while still finding time to keep vital blues and jazz alive in the South Bay. On Saturday, they host Chris Cain, San Jose homegrown guitar guru and certified shredder. Coming off a brand new LP and a nomination in the Blues Music Awards, Cain is sure to give the local crowd a showcase of face-melting guitar chops. Chris Cain in the membrane!

Chris Cain
Fri, 9:30pm, $25
Poor House Bistro, San Jose

Elvin Bishop is true blue. Film fans will recognize him for his dusky mellow gold hit “Fooled Around And Fell In Love,” which appeared in Boogie Nights before getting dubbed onto Star-Lord’s “Awesome Mix Vol. 1” in Guardians of the Galaxy. But Mr. Bishop’s career is far more storied than one song. An inductee to both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of Chicago blues group Paul Butterfield Blues Band) and the Blues Hall of Fame, he’s sat in with the Grateful Dead, played guitar on a Bo Diddley record, and a whole lot more. True blue.

Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio
Sun, 4pm, $55+
Poor House Bistro, San Jose

Truly a product of Silicon Valley cultural exchange, Aki Kumar is a San Jose-based bluesman fusing the great American tradition with musical influences from his native India. As a singer and harmonica player, Kumar plays classic electric blues with a little bit of ‘50s rock and pop, and throws that in the blender with the kind of melodies you might hear in classical Indian music or Bollywood film scores. When it all comes together, you get a light, surf-y sound both instantly recognizable and unlike anything you’ve heard before.

Aki Kumar
Sun, 5pm, $20+
Poor House Bistro, San Jose

Long a favorite of Bay Area blues fans, the mighty Tia Carroll comes to Poor House Bistro after releasing an album considered to be her proper American debut: You Gotta Have It! Consisting of both originals and original takes on classics, like the Staples Sisters’ “Why Am I Treated So Bad?” You Gotta Have It! finally captures the energy and spirit Carroll has been bringing to her live shows for the last three decades here in the Bay. With her is fellow Little Village artist Sonny Green, an immense soul voice with wry hits like “Cupid Must Be Stupid.”

Tia Carroll & Sonny Green
Sun, 5pm, $20 adv / $25 door
Poor House Bistro, San Jose

This Fourth of July, the Poor House Bistro is celebrating sixteen years of blues, brews, and flavorful cajun food with a blowout to remember. The event is sure to be the last anniversary held at their original location on Autumn St., as the entire Bistro, 100-year old Victorian and all, is about to relocate to Little Italy to avoid the path of Google development. The party begins at 4pm with a parade from nearby Diridon Station. Once it gets back, Jefe and the Family Band kick out the jams and keep them coming til the sun goes down.

PHB 16 Year Anniversary
Sun, 4pm, Free
Poor House Bistro, San Jose

AC Myles has it bad and, buddy, there ain’t no cure. Morning, noon and night, it’s there with him. The blues. On new album With These Blues, the Central Valley-born guitarist charts one man’s descent into the azure hue note by note, and fret by fret. Once described as “perhaps the only soulful thing to come out of Fresno,” Myles puts some grit on his guitar this Saturday at Poor House Bistro, playing out those blues that have shaken him (and perhaps you, dear reader?) to his very core. Sure there’s no cure, but there is plenty of good company.

AC Myles
Sat, 6pm, Free
Poor House Bistro, San Jose

Enjoy a Big Easy brunch and music from The Sons of The Soul Revivers—all while helping support the upcoming Fountain Blues & Brews Festival, scheduled for June 20 at Plaza de Cesar Chavez. The Morgan brothers—the three-part vocal center of this traditional gospel quintet—have been singing together their entire lives. The group recently released a live album on the South Bay-based Little Village Foundation nonprofit record label. The performance is a part of the San Jose Jazz Winter Fest concert series.

Brunch Blues Benefit
Sun, 11am, $50
Poor House Bistro, San Jose

San Jose’s New Orleans joint, Poor House Bistro, is filling up this Sunday with food and live music straight from the Big Easy, at their annual Lil’ Easy event, a backyard party fundraiser for the Stroke Awareness Foundation. Poor House will be showcasing six Bay Area blues bands alongside a silent auction and a special menu featuring charbroiled oysters. The acclaimed boogie-woogie pianist Wendy DeWitt and harmonica wizard Gary Smith are both slated to perform, bringing the rich musical heritage of New Orleans with them.

Lil’ Easy Backyard Party
Sun, 11am, $60
Poor House Bistro, San Jose

Move over, dinner and a movie. These days, it’s all about brunch and a piano—at least at San Jose’s Poor House Bistro. The last Sunday of 2018 starts with a New Orleans-themed piano brunch hosted by local “bourbon-esque” crooner and one-man show Johnny Fabulous. Boogie down while snacking on beignets and hear songs from the Great American Songbook over griddle cakes and grits. The Poor House Bistro, known for serving up homestyle Cajun food since 2005, spotlights different musicians daily, but takes its first foray into daytime entertainment with its weekly Sunday brunch performances.

Piano Brunch
Sun, 11am
Poor House Bistro, San Jose