This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Photos: Greg Gaughan

Veteran bluesman Bobby Kyle and the Administers, who released a fine album, It’s My Life, late last year, graced the stages of a new, unique venue, Jamey’s House of Music, in the “dry” area of Philadelphia, called Lansdowne. There’s no other live music venue within a five-mile radius.

Kyle opened the show solo, acoustic, for three tunes, and switched to electric when he brought on bassist Everett Boyd and drummer Marc Copell. Kyle is a blues traditionalist, whose mantra is “simple and organic.” The trio played a mix of originals from the album and seldom-heard covers like Johnny Copeland’s “Cut Off My Right Arm” and Curtis Mayfield’s “Tripping Out (also on the album).”

Kyle and the Administers were joined in the second set by singer/guitarist Lonnie Shield, an Arkansas native who now resides “just two miles away.” Kyle and Shields have known each other since the mid ’80s and htis night did a set of covers marked by Shield’s vocal lead on “The Thrill is Gone” and “Every Day I Have the Blues,” while Kyle handled Denise LaSalle’s “Someone Else Is Steppin’ In” and Johnny Taylor’s “Part Time Love.” Both sets were tastefully done and a real treat for blues purists.

Jamey’s House of Music (JHOM), Live house and BYOB Cafe is a labor of love, owned, built, and designed by Jamey and Suyun Reilly. “Live House” is an Asian term for venues that double as restaurants or bars. Suyun, who hails from a restaurant family in China, oversees an ever-changing Asian-inspired menu and keeps the top-shelf food relatively inexpensive, while Jamey broadcasts the evening shows live on Facebook. Importantly, the informal nature of the setup, allows the audience to converse directly with the performers, both during breaks and after the show.

Some have already called this aesthetic, intimate 60-seat venue “the best small venue on the East Coast,” while others liken its Asian ambience to a tea ceremony. Musicians rave about the sturdy backline, and the exquisite sound, which Riley engineers himself. Also a musician, Riley hosts a Sunday Brunch blues jam, playing bass, and features music—like Bobby Kyle and several other genres— on Friday and Saturday nights. Go. You’ll love it.

—Jim Hynes