Whether it is fronting one of New York City's hottest blues bands or opening for Kiss as an indie-rock guitarist on the side-stage of Jones Beach's Nikon Theater, J. Blake has been a staple of the NYC music scene for over a decade; playing on many of the Big Apple’s most prestigious stages, including The Bitter End, Kenny's Castaway,
Crash Mansion, The Canal Room
and B.B. King's Blues Club & Grill.
Over the years, he has played lead-guitar for many notable NYC blues and rock acts and was a founding member of the indie-rock groups Roadkill Breakfast and Stiletto Wheels. These days he is doing what he does best, flying solo and serving up a unique blend of classic and contemporary blues, rock and jazz with a guitar-driven debut album titled When You Coming Home?
J. Blake's sound can best be described as a high octane combination of Chicago & Texas-style blues with healthy doses of rock ‘n’ roll, modern blues-rock, jazz and at times...a touch of funk. His singing and playing styles have been compared to Freddie King and Warren Haynes and he takes great pride in the fact that critics have called his sound "authentic" and the fun he and his band have on stage "infectious."
In November of 2015, he was inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame as a "Great Blues Artist."
PAST SHOWS:
J. Blake has performed at the following venues...
(among others)
In Manhattan:
- B.B. King's Blues Club & Grill (Main Stage & Lucille's)
- Arlene's Grocery
- The Bitter End
- Kenny's Castaway
- The Canal Room
- Crash Mansion
- Ella Lounge
- Sugar Bar
- P&G
- Banjo Jim's
- Silvana (in Harlem)
- The Shrine (in Harlem)
- Local 269
- Greenwich Village Bistro
- National Underground
- Pianos (Upstairs Lounge)
- The Blarney Stone
- Ace of Clubs
- Murray Street Grill
- A&M Roadhouse
Outside of Manhattan:
- Nikon Theater (Side-Stage) (Jones Beach, Long Island)
- Aqueduct Casino (Queens, NY)
- Belmont Park (Elmont, NY)
- 5 Boro PicNYC (Governors Island, NY)
- Ortlieb's Lounge (Philadelphia, PA)
- Two Boots (Brooklyn)
- Cha Cha's (Coney Island)
- Kildares (King of Prussia, PA)
- Jean-Jacques (Pleasantville, NY)
- Freddy's Backroom (Brooklyn)
- Tea Lounge (Brooklyn)
- The Court Yard (Queens)
- Red Star (Brooklyn)
- Greenhouse Cafe (Brooklyn)
- 1st and 10 (New Milford, CT)