Organizers have pulled together a stellar lineup for the 42nd San Jose Fountain Blues & Brews Festival.
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram — who many know from his cool cameo in the hit film “Sinners” — and longtime blues favorite Walter Trout are the headliners for the fandango, which runs June 14-15 at Plaza de Cesar Chavez in downtown San Jose.
Yet, there are so many other cool acts on the bill, including San Jose’s own Aki Kumar, acclaimed guitarist Mike Zito, and the superb pairing of saxophonist Vanessa Collier with fiery fret woman Laura Chavez.
The festival will be running on two stages — the Main Stage and the Poor House Bistro Stage — from 11:15 a.m. to 8 p.m. both days.
Looking beyond the blues, the festival has plenty on tap (yes, pun intended) for beer lovers and other thirsty folks. Festivalgoers can pick from a selection of 40 regional craft beers, wines and ciders. There will also be a variety of food options, including BBQ, burgers, fries, tacos and sweet treats.
Yet, it’s the music that really calls to us in this mix. So, with that mind, we’re spotlighting some of the artists performing at this year’s big blues festival. It should be a great time for all. Two-day passes start at $51.50 and single-day tickets are $31.50 and up, fountainblues.com.
Here are seven acts definitely worth checking out at the festival:
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
Ingram is one of the hottest young guns in the blues genre, wowing fans wherever he goes with his blistering guitar work and credible vocals. The fact that he delivered the single finest set we saw during the entire 2023 BottleRock Napa Valley — a major three-day festival that also featured such big-name acts as Post Malone, Lizzo and Duran Duran — should underscore what a talent this Mississippi native is on the live stage. Kingfish also scored a cameo appearance in one of the biggest movies of the year — Oakland director Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” — which certainly has boosted this Grammy winner’s profile.
Details: 6:30-8 p.m. June 14, Main Stage
Listen to: “Outside of this Town,” “Believe these Blues”
Walter Trout
Trout is blues-rock legend with more than a half century’s worth of experience in the business. The New Jersey-born vocalist-guitarist’s ample credentials include working as a sideman for John Lee Hooker, Percy Mayfield, Big Mama Thornton and Joe Tex as well as playing lead guitar for Canned Heat and serving as lead guitarist in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.
Details: 6:30-8 p.m. June 15, Main Stage
Listen to: “Pray for Rain,” “Days Like This.”
Vanessa Collier with Laura Chavez
Collier is a terrific soul-funk-blues saxophonist who has been nominated for a dozen Blues Music Awards — including the biggie B.B. King Entertainer of the Year trophy. She’s won four of those awards, three of which came in the Horn Player of the Year category. Collier, who is also an accomplished vocalist, will be accompanied in this performance by Mountain View’s own guitar wiz Laura Chavez.
Details: 4:15-5:45 p.m. June 15, Main Stage
Listen to: “Wild as a Rainstorm,” “Take Me Back”
,Aki Kumar, of San Jose, performs during the blues jam at Lounge 3411 in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Aki Kumar’s Bollywood Blues Band
San Jose’s “King of Bollywood Blues” can be counted on to deliver a crowd-pleasing set, as he rocks his trusty harmonicas and belts out tunes that draw equally from real-deal Chicago/Delta-style blues and the Bollywood music of his native India. Kumar has appeared at such festivals as Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, and he’s toured Europe, Russia, Australia and other international locations.
Details: 12-1:15 p.m. June 15, Main Stage
Listen to: “A.G. Blues,” “Bombay Stroll”
Alabama Mike and The Revelators
This soulful frontman, who won the the Muddy Waters Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023, indeed hails from Alabama — Talladega, Alabama, to be exact. Yet, he now calls Oakland home, which is a big blessing for Bay Area blues fans who like to hear his Gospel-inspired take on the blues. His latest album, “Stuff I’ve Been Through,” earned him a 2024 Blues Foundation nomination for Soul Blues Album of the Year. Definitely make sure to catch Alabama Mike and his backing band of top Bay Area players — drummer Ronnie Smith, guitarist Bobby Young, keyboardist Lorenzo Hawkins and bassist AJ Joyce — if you’re heading to the festival.
Details: 2-3 p.m. June 15, Main Stage
Listen to: “I’m Gone,””Hoo Doo Man”
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Kyle Rowland Band
The Sacramento-rooted act is led by harmonica extraordinaire Kyle Rowland, whose supporters have included a number of blues luminaries over the years. Indeed, none other than James Cotton — one of the greatest blues harpists of all time, who died in 2017 — reportedly once sang Rowland’s praises.
Details: 3:30-4:10 p.m. June 14, Poor House Bistro Stage
Listen to: “Catfish Blues,” “Born to Play the Blues”
Lauren Halliwell & The Dirty Sound
Halliwell is a powerful vocalist who fuses blues, jazz, soul and pop in her work. The Bay Area singer regularly performs at the Hyatt Centric in Mountain View (with her band Dolce Musica) as well as at the Poor House Bistro in San Jose.
Details: 1:15-1:55 p.m. June 15, Poor House Bistro Stage
Listen to: “Chain of Fools,” “Got My Mojo Working” (live recordings on YouTube)
Performance schedule
Here’s the complete lineup for the San Jose Fountain Blues & Brews Festival
June 14
11:15-11:55 a.m.: Petrichor, Poor House Bistro Stage
Noon-1:15 p.m.: M’sippi Slide, Main Stage
1:15-1:55 p.m.: Kevin Legnon and The American Vandals, Poor House Bistro Stage
2-3:30 p.m.: Mike Zito, Main Stage
3:30-4:10 p.m.: Kyle Rowland Band, Poor House Bistro Stage
4:15-5:45 p.m.: Greaseland Allstars with RJ Mischo & Fillmore Slim, Main Stage
5:45-6:25 p.m.: AC Myles, Poor House Bistro Stage
6:30-8 p.m.: Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Main Stage
June 15
11:15-11:55 a.m.: Sunny Blues Band, Poor House Bistro Stage
12:00-1:15 p.m.: Aki Kumar Bollywood Blues Band, Main Stage
1:15-1:55 p.m.: Lauren Halliwell & The Dirty Sound, Poor House Bistro Stage
2:00-3:30 p.m.: Alabama Mike & The Revelators, Main Stage
3:30-4:10 p.m.: St. George & The Sinners with Amy Sarver, Poor House Bistro Stage
4:15-5:45 p.m.: Vanessa Collier with Laura Chavez Main Stage
5:45-6:25 p.m.: Herb Toor Band with Gleidson Sousa, Poor House Bistro Stage
6:30-8 p.m.: Walter Trout, Main Stage