Diary of a Suspect

WWW.NEWORLEANSSUSPECTS.COM This is the official blog of The New Orleans Suspects, a band of misfits from New Orleans, La. It'll bring you into the inner circle of the band, and inform you about our travels, shows, and inside jokes. Primarily written by CR Gruver, it is the diary of the entire band, and will include submissions by other band members as well, along with photos, video, and other content we deem worthy. Come back often and feel free to comment or question...

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Right back to Colorado for a private party on a remote ranch at about 10,000 feet, in the mountains above Vail. Pretty sure Willie saw Bigfoot on the 12-mile dirt road that led to the ranch. The narrow dirt road wound through aspen and pine forests, climbing slowly to the ranch, and then finally coming to a lake in a box canyon accentuated by outcroppings of red sandstone, some little spots of snow still up above the tree line on the surrounding peaks. Moose wandered along the banks of the lake, and teepees, cabins and tent sites were nestled into the nooks and crannys of the ranch. It was truly breathtaking. Now I'm on the plane heading back to New Orleans. The fall tour is two weeks away, and we're all excited to get back at it. With our single being released to radio stations in the coming weeks, the new CD dropping on October 14, the support of Louisiana Red Hot Records, and the restructuring of our business almost complete, we're ready to take a step up to the next level.  I'll leave you all with a little Willie Green wisdom I just overheard him lay on some people a couple rows behind me: "It is what it is, until it is what it ain't, that's how I look at life." We'll see you all out and about!

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Oh, Colorado, how do I love thee. Let me count the ways. 

1. Could the people be any friendlier? Only if you legalized weed. Wait a minute...

2. Once you get a few minutes west of Denver the drive becomes stunning as you get higher.

3. I'm not a big fan of good beer, fitness, or healthy, organic food - but if I was, this would be paradise.

4. Who knew a thriving and diverse music scene would sprout out of a dusty little mining outpost?

5. Denver, the most progressive and forward-thinking city in America, is the gateway to a handful of some of the hippest ski-towns in the country.

Now of course every silver lining has a touch of grey...

1. Dry, dry, dry - can I get a little moisture, for the love of god?

2. Um, is there any air in your air? I wonder - is it the smoke in the room, or just the sheer lack of O2 at 8,000 feet that makes me perpetually dizzy? 

3. Having 350 sunny days a year? That's just... selfish.  (Except for summer of 2014, I hear y’all got wrecked by rain!)

4. How am I supposed to decide between 30 different favors of weed and an unlimited variety of edibles? I'm a Gemini, help me out here. It makes me miss the days of two choices, brown or green... Or after that it was seeds or no seeds... But now I'm just dating myself.

Seriously though, coming to Colorado for me is like putting on my favorite shirt. It's a comfort zone, a happy place. It doesn't matter if you agree with their decisions about marijuana, this place is vibrant and alive, giving their residents the power to choose how they want to live and giving plenty of options to express yourself, whether you love extreme outdoor activities, theater, music, or just sitting in your hotel room and partying until check-out time. 

Nederland, Nedfest, you treated us like kings and we thank you. Thanks to all y'all who came and partied with us by the lake, gettin down to the sounds of the Suspects with Paul and Fred from Little Feat. I speak for all of us when I say we loved it, had a great time, and hope we get invited back to your little slice of heaven one day!

Code words: Girlscout, Scrambell Campbell, poker chip, bad beer

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In light of our upcoming release of New Orleans Suspects CD, "Ouroboros", I thought I'd write a little something explaining the significance of Ouroboros...

The CD “Ouroboros” may be third CD The Suspects have released since going full-time 3 years ago, but the band looks at it as our first real release - it’s our first all-original CD, truly defining the sound and direction of the band musically, and setting us on a course (hopefully) to make a mark in the modern musical landscape of New Orleans and the world.

The Ouroboros, or serpent eating his own tail, was the chosen symbol and name for The Suspects first all-original CD for many reasons, and was not chosen lightly.  Although the nature of the band and its music is high-energy, fun, party-inducing music, the members of the band take our careers, love of the music, and responsibility to represent New Orleans seriously.  The Ouroboros seemed to be the perfect symbol and philosophy to describe those things, at this time in our lives, and for this particular recording.

The Ouroboros symbolizes cyclicality, the eternal return - especially in the sense of re-creating itself - such as the Phoenix rising from the ash, and things that begin anew as soon as they end.  It It also represents the idea of a connection to something deep which exists with such force that it cannot be extinguished, like the love and power of music - or the culture of New Orleans.

Take the members of the band - all had successful careers of our own before serendipitously coming together to form The Suspects.  Reggie’s Scanlan’s Radiators were breaking up, Willie’s Green’s Neville Brothers were not booking any more shows, the unfortunate passing of James Brown left Jeff Watkins searching for something he could call his own, Jake Eckert was at a point as well where he wanted to step out of the shadow of the Dirty Dozen and forge his own path, and my undying passion for music had led me on a journey which ended up with all these guys in New Orleans.  The “ashes” of these previous experiences came together to form the “Phoenix” which would rise from the ash and be called New Orleans Suspects.  The serpent eating his tail, the unbroken circle - the Ouroboros.

New Orleans has always been a city which celebrates itself, its culture, and especially its music - another strong trait of Ouroboros.  The city itself was forged by the influx of a myriad of influences from French, Spanish, and African, to Acadian, South American, Carribean, American - a genuine time-tested gumbo.  It is known for its resilience and has repeatedly re-created itself in its own image, the true nature of Ouroboros.

Musically, the city is perpetually feeding off itself, and The Suspects are drawing on its roots to create new music which is steeped in tradition but pushing the boundaries of creativity.  Two of the Suspects are New Orleans natives with strong ties to the musicians that helped weave the tapestry of New Orleans music - they themselves are in fact part of that tapestry.  The other three of us moved to New Orleans because of our love and passion for the music, its heritage, and the way it has influenced our lives.  All five of us have a deep respect for those roots and that tradition, and in true Ouroboros fashion are embracing the old and creating the new.  

This is what Ouroboros means to us.  This is what Ouroboros represents, and why we’ve named our first original New Orleans Suspects CD, “Ouroboros”.  We hope you like it!

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Welcome back y'all.  It's been way too long since my last blog, consider this the first of many to come as we move into the fall tour.

The Suspects have taken the summer off to negotiate a record deal and restructure the business to accommodate this next big step.  Welcome Louisiana Red Hot Records to the family - we officially sign the deal on Tuesday August 12 and are excited to start on a fruitful path as we distribute our new CD "Ouroboros" nationally and start an aggressive radio campaign.

Or first weekend run in six weeks started out at dawn, boarding a plane for Oakland at 5:45am.  Big Sam's Funky Nation was on the plane with us heading for the west coast and Canada.  After a quick layover in Vegas we hit the Bay Area in time for second breakfast with an old friend.  We took the scenic road for a couple hours to arrive at our mysterious mountainside cabana to play with Paul and Fred from Little Feat under a bulging moon beside a clear sparkling lake.  

Driving East towards Nevada the next day we stopped in downtown Williams, Ca, and at a little side-of-the-road adobe ate probably the best burritos we've ever had. If you're ever in the neighborhood check out La Fortuna Bakery.  I'll never eat at Taco Bell again...

We continued on though the orchards and desert and then Redwood forests to eventually arrive at the Crystal Bay Casino on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe.  This place is the hippest music club in the area, and the rowdy crowd kept us on stage for two encores after our two-hour set. 

An early morning van call after a good cheap casino breakfast got us back on the road, heading back towards the Pacific Ocean to play at the stunning Mountain Winery Amphitheater.  The view is second only to Red Rocks in Colorado, and that's a very close second.  The staff and crew at the amphitheater were top notch, and it was nice to play a show at a level like this.  We were the opener for Aaron Neville and Dr John.  Unfortunately the good doctor had gotten sick the week before and couldn't make the trip, so we threw a few Dr John tunes into the set as a little tribute.  We played to a pretty full theater for an hour,  receiving a standing ovation after our set.  Aaron and his band treated us with class and respect, and I hope we get to share the stage with them again someday.

Now we're 40,000 feet in the air, amid a chorus of wailing babies, heading back home to our little island city of New Orleans to finish up our preparations for the record deal signing, and our upcoming fall tour.  Check back for more weekly blogs and stories from the road...

Code words: Hermes spew, Keefer Southerland, Hog legs.

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C.R. - you guys killed it last night at Fitzgerald's! 3rd time I've seen you this year, and it just keeps getting better! As a keyboard player myself, I love what you do. You're like Billy Payne & Longhair with your own thing in there! A question/suggestion (and no, I have no vested interest). Have you ever checked out a Neo Ventilator pedal? it looks like you're using onboard Leslie sim on Nord. The Vent gives a ballsier, more realistic Leslie emulation in a small foot pedal. I think you'd dig

I'll check it out.  Thanks!

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Hey there Mr. Gruver, was wondering if you all would be OK with us making an audio recording of the gig this Saturday in Durango. I've seen a few of them out there online but want to be sure it's still cool with y'all. Looking forward to a couple of your gigs here in the great Southwest (Durango and Telluride). BTW, your "hot night on Frenchman Street" story a while back is spot on. That's my favorite place on Earth to check shit out. Talk to you later sir. Bill Doherty

Absolutely.  We encourage people to record! Most of our tapers post their recordings on archive.org, so feel free to share the recording as well.  I appreciate you asking first, and I'll see ya in a couple days!

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(top photo by Teddy Anderson, www.teddyaphoto.com)

Another short weekend - this time we had a one-off in The City of Alexander City, Alabama.  A charming town of just over 14,000 souls, cut straight out of a Rockwell painting.  Driving around Main Street was like a scene out of Back to the Future...  I'm still not completely convinced that we didn't straddle some kind of line on the space-time-continuum boundary.  Were we going to a sock hop?  

Once the sun went down and the park filled in, the place had a much different feel.   Although threatening rain earlier, it was now a perfect night - early summer in small-town America.  We didn't want to bash 'em over the heads with our heavier stuff - some of our new tunes especially are better received in a dark, sweaty club in a squirrelly part of town.  Out here under the Alabama moonlight, things had a more laid-back feel - warm smiles and high-fives as opposed to fist pumps through gritted teeth.  Our set reflected that, and we sprinkled a heavy dose of New Orleans favorites in with our own tunes.  

Exit 130 on I-65, that's where the real magic happens.  Right there in the parking lot of a Shell Station, a little bit of heaven.  I am not talking about anything creepy, just down home BBQ out of a tiny smoke hut that makes your mouth water just thinking about it.  Yup, its that good. 

Buzz Words: Let's go to the hop. Kickstarter. Murika. Turkey. BBQ.  Jernt.  Gravy Big Gulp.  

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A great weekend in the South!  There is nothing quite like good southern cooking, and we made sure we took full advantage of our surroundings this weekend with stops at some out-of-the-way mom-and-pop eateries that rank at the very top of anywhere we've eaten down south.  Jeff Watkins will be writing a food blog about our food on tour, so details coming soon, but take a look at Mama's Boy and Carolina Crossing, two spots well worth the trip!

We left Nola in the wee hours of the morning and started our drive to Athens, GA for our first show there, ever.  The day was perfect and the drive was pleasantly uneventful, arriving in Athens right on schedule.  Thanks to our boy Paul Agostino for running the sound at The Melting Point, and for other Widespread Panic crew members for their help throughout the night - Willie needed a drum key, Jake brought a guitar to be re-fretted, and with our friends and connections in the Panic world, we were well taken care of.  

Our show that night was a good one, surprisingly filling the room on a weekday night with school between semesters.  Our set got stronger every song, and by the last few songs the entire crowd was up and dancing - we left Athens the next morning feeling like we made a good mark in that town, can't wait to go back!

The drive to Charleston is short, and we were there before we even know what happened.  There's something special about the Pour House - their new restaurant is bangin and the staff is top notch.  I've known the owner since he bought the place 16 years ago, and he's still one of the nicest guys in the industry.  We had another strong crowd - that town REALLY knows how to party - and pulled away from C-town the next day feeling good - 2 for 2.

We headed to our last stop for the weekend, in the deep woods of South Carolina.  We didn't have an address or any info, we were told to follow the smoke signals and keep our ears open to the sound of chanting and tribal drumming.  Following those things, we arrived at a place on sacred Indian Lands, an amphitheater carved into the very forest.  There they were - like a coven of dancing tree nymphs, the local tribes people gathered together and dancing to the beat of their own drums.  We joined in and together created a night of unspeakable bliss, the strains of dancing and music heard drifting through the trees until the sun started coming up...

That really made the next day's drive - a 12-hour behemoth - seem like un insurmountable task.  We took it on head-first, limping away from the forest with satisfied grins on our faces, and found ourselves at a down-home little restaurant on the wrong side of the tracks called Carolina Crossing that felt like our own momma was in the kitchen cooking for us.  It gave us the strength to make the journey, and we arrived back in New Orleans just at the strike of midnight.

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This very moment.

(photo from uplop.com)

The New Orleans Suspects have had the last two weekends off, preparing for our Summer tour and getting some much needed R & R.  I don't know what to do with myself on nights off, so I picked up a couple gigs, one of them being down on Frenchmen St, a musical hotspot in New Orleans where the locals go for a taste of the real New Orleans music scene.  Here's what I wrote in the wee hours after my gig down there:

A hot night on Frenchmen street.  You wouldn't know it was Sunday night from the crowds of people lining the streets.  Not too hot a night for late May in New Orleans, but still a light glistening of sweat on the skin and in the streets, and the strains of jazz and funk swirling through the moist air remind you of where you are.  

There's a small crowd of people on the corner, clapping and dancing to their own music, a song they're singing to each other, all jazz hands and booty shaking.  Hot jazz throbs from The Spotted Cat, still burning when I left my gig at 1:30am, the room so packed that the line out the door became a dance floor.  

This city is alive in a way that doesn't seem real.  They must be shooting a scene for a movie… you look around for the lights and the cameras.  Instead you find smiling faces, tourists and locals moving together in rhythm with the pulse of the city.  Stereotypes and preconceptions break down, for a fleeting moment in time - the present moment - things are as they should be.  The music, the life experience, the celebration of existence is all that matters.

For us musicians it's a hustle, trying to make a living amidst the reality of our situations.  Even for us, we feel the unmistakable energy, the life force that throbs through the very veins of this entity we call New Orleans.  It's real, it's inspiration, it carries us through the darkness and reminds us that what we are doing is important, is undeniably imperative, humbly carrying a torch which needs to be kept lit.  

If all the world is a carnival, New Orleans is the roller coaster.  With corkscrews and loops, difficult climbs and blissful freefalls.  It's all you can do sometimes to just hang on, trusting that the car knows the tracks and if you give yourself to it, you'll reap the rewards of its journey.  It's a truly genuine and unique experience, it feels this way because the roots go deep into the very core of our being.  

In these moments, this is true life.  We celebrate each other, we celebrate our lives together, our place on this earth.  Our need to express it - whether through dance, through performance, or just by being here - brings us the kind of joy that tells us we belong here, on this earth, at this very moment.

[nolasuspects]

New Orleans Jazz Fest Week Two!

Where to begin?  I've just stepped off a cloud...  a week later and it feels like it all ended just yesterday.  It was such a whirlwind I didn't have time to snap a picture or take any show notes, so these are just random thoughts and memories of what was my personal best Jazz Fest, ever, and a Jazz Fest that helped solidify The New Orleans Suspects as a real band with something real to offer.

For The Suspects, our Week Two began on Monday 4/29 at Tipitina's "Instruments-a-comin" benefit for The Tipitina's Foundation.  It was filled to capacity, and our slot was between Galactic featuring Anders Osborne, and Dumpstaphunk  We had the normal 30-minutes to play, like everyone else, and we played a ferocious set of music, four songs in all, that sizzled from the first note.  We walked away from that show feeling like we made an imprint, like we truly belonged on that stage, and at that level.  

The next show was onThursday 5/2 at The Republic for Down on the Bayou IV, an event benefitting the New Orleans Musicians Clinic, hosted by Jojo Hermann of Widespread Panic.  The Suspects were the house band, playing behind almost every one of the guests, including John Gros, Billy Iuso, Christine Ohlman, Col Bruce Hampton, Roosevelt Collier (Lee Boys), Dr John, Bonerama horns, Papa Mali, Tanya Shylock, Dave Alexander, Lee Sklar, Harry Shearer,and Judith Owen.  Marcia Ball glowed, as always, bringing her own band on stage with her - and had the crowd in the palm of her hand.  There may be some I've forgotten - it was truly a magical night, and one of the highlights of a perfectly stellar run of shows for The Suspects.

Friday 5/3 featured two shows, starting with the Fiya Fest - a relative newcomer on the Jazz Fest satellite-show scene.  Fiya Fest is and will be a contender for years, boasting all-you-can-eat-and-drink all day, and a line up that rivals the festival itself.  We played with The Bonerama horns, and Big Sam came up for a tune as well.  We only had about ninety minutes after that show before we ran over to The Howling Wolf for the Bayou Rendezvous XI - an established night show that has been an annual staple for many over the years.  This was our first appearance at the event, and we were honored to be the first band on the main stage to perform as the room filled up.  We were joined on a number of songs by New Orleans' own Tanya Shylock - a vocalist who everyone should know about - and guitarist Eric McFadden.

Of course we all had our individual side gigs and sit-ins with bands like The Nevilles, The Mardi Gras Indian Orchestra, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Papa Grows Funk, Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes, The Meters Experience, The James Brown Tribute Show, Widespread Panic, and more that I can't remember...  

Such an amazing two weeks, great people, phenomenal music, the feeling like this is really beginning to catch on, The Suspects are a contender and we aren't going anywhere. Thanks to all y'all who came out to the shows - whether to our shows or to anyone else's - thanks for supporting New Orleans, the culture, the people, the music!

[nolasuspects]

Jazzfest 2013 started with Break-Fest on the Acura Stage.  We got there EARLY and waited while John Mayer's gear was set up, checked, and rolled back out of the way.  There's a suspended feeling of excitement all around us, the calm before the storm - like the moment between when the lit fuse completes it's journey but before the bomb explodes.  

This is the greatest festival in the world, the standard to which all others are held.  The infrastructure, the staff, the kindness, and the ability to handle huge numbers of people with little to no negative consequences.  There's enough diversity to please any age group, any ethnicity, any type of person.  You can come to this festival just to eat and drink and leave completely satisfied, ready to come back the next day.  As a New Orleans musician, it represents the busiest 10 days of the year, where you can literally play as many gigs as you can handle and maybe even make enough money to get you through the sleepy summer season.

The last time we played on this stage Reggie was fresh out of the hospital and had to sit down to play.  Kevin Harris was our sax player.  We played almost all covers.  Our crowd was small but mighty.  We walked away from the stage after playing a solid set, but unsure of what the future would hold, wondering about Reggie's health and Kevin's commitment to the Dirty Dozen.

This year Reggie is back, sharper than ever.  Jeff has been with the band for almost a year now, and his experience, musicality, and commitment to the band has helped us gel as a unit  After a year of touring and writing music we are now - undeniably - a REAL BAND. There is a buzz about the band, people talking, media reporting, things are happening almost every day.  More than anything, we FEEL like a band, we respond to each other musically, we push each other, we are all excited about what we are doing and what the future holds.

Our Acura Stage set was solid, 50 minutes packed with originals, and one cover.  The crowd was five times the size it was a year ago - and at 11:20am on the first day of Jazz Fest, that's pretty significant.  We had Frenchy painting on stage with us, and his energy flowed around the stage as if he were another musician jamming along with us.  The crowd just got bigger as the set went on, and by the end of the set we felt like we had really connected with the audience, really showed people who we've become, and where we're headed.  We walked away from that set feeling triumphant, charged for the week ahead.  As difficult as it is to play that early, as much as we'd like to play later in the day to even bigger crowds, it's truly an honor to kick off the entire festival on the "Main" stage, to set the tone on the biggest stage at the greatest festival in the world.

The next night was our return to our home turf at The Maple Leaf.  You gotta love the buzz on the streets during Jazz Fest - this city is electric right now - and that electricity crackled in The Leaf like lightening.  We played two sets that ended at 2am, and were honored having Al "Carnival Time" Johnson sit in with us and sing his big hit song.  It was great to see old friends in the crowd - people we only get to see at Jazz Fest, or if we happen to play a show in their town  There were some who had travelled across the country just to see us - something that's been happening more frequently at our bigger shows.  It was the perfect cap to a simply glowing weekend.  

We have one day off before throwing ourselves back into the mix, preparing to play a number of high-profile benefits and a few other big shows.  We look forward even more now to summer tour, and what the future will bring.  The Suspects are for real - we're here to stay!

www.neworleanssuspects.com

[nolasuspects]

 A quick little trip, a hiccup, with a rare Friday night off, thrown together at the last minute to facilitate a gig opening for Tower of Power in Atlanta. How could we say no? Then a 420 fest thrown by Sweetwater Brewery in St Petersburg, FL.  It's a layup, a finger roll. 

7am departure, quick scramble to Atlanta.  The Variety Playhouse was surrounded by a bunch of feral cats, wanderers.  

Overheard on the street of Little Five Points in Atlanta, a little 20-something, "in the rain, at 3am, romance... That's how you do it".

We played a strong set, an hour of power before the Tower of Power.  Long tall woman in a red dress.  A couple history lessons by Reggie.  Watkins sat in with ToP and ripped the roof off the jernt. Our boy Louie was holding court out by the tour bus. He said,  "I tell my wife all the time, if I had killed you when I met you I'd be in and out of jail by now".  You just can't make this stuff up. 

Leaving Atlanta, rain is pouring down.  Breakfast burger, slowest Steak and Shake in town.  There was a live taping of the new reality hit show "Milfs of Cobb County" happening though, so we had something to watch.

The drive seemed longer than it should have, but we ended up in an authentic Cuban restaurant in Tampa - The Columbia, Florida's oldest restaurant.  A little blurry eyed and beleaguered, eventually made our way to St Pete. This is what a Friday night off is like.

Good hang with a childhood friend, afternoon load-in at the State Theater in St Pete.   If you don't speak the lingo, don't push your weight around.  Or maybe show some real professionalism as an opener and walk out on your gig.  These guys were unbelievable - they set everything up, then somebody had a little hissy fit because they couldn't get the type of soundcheck they wanted, and they packed up and left.  I've ne'er seen anything like it.  We later found out is was their first gig... and probably their last...

420fest on 4/20. What is the true meaning of 420, you ask? It's the stoner version of Pi. Very deep, mystical even.  If you're traveling fast enough, it could be a moment that never ends.

All of a sudden, bam! A 40-year old wearing a purple neon zebra top, tight black tapered jeans, big cork platform spike high high heels, with long jet black hair and a Marlboro ultra-light swagger, at the Circle K. We're in St Pete, no doubt about it.

Sweetwater and The State Theater took great care of us, although I think we may have taught some people about the meaning of 420. 

I spent most of the ten hour drive asleep in "the cave", the last bench seat in the van, in and out of consciousness until we arrived in a cool but dry New Orleans.  Home again Home again, ziggity zag.

Tour Buzzwords:

Ear horn . Interface. Flat black meth wagon. Just say ok. Opening band walk-out.  

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We're packing 6 full-grown men with their suitcases, a full band's worth of equipment, and an injured sound console from The Rhythm Shack in a Chevy 15-passenger van to travel from New Orleans to Brooklyn, Ny - with a few stops in between.  BBQ at DL's. Deep, deep truckstop in Alabama.  That guy walking up the street at 11:45pm in his pajamas has GOT to have a good story.  Midnight feast at Barney's, early morning rise, The trees are coughing pollen, a thick yellow haze.  Dropped the console in Atlanta and headed for WNCW.  "I knew a lesbian drummer who lived on Beaver Ruin Road" - you just can't make that kind of thing up.

Get Back, Swampthang, Soothe Me, Carnival, as always Roland and the folks at WNCW took great care of us.

The drive through North Carolina took us through towns that were like a trip back in time, back roads and Main Street USA.  Pisgah Brewing Company served up gourmet hot dogs and Strange Fruit ale.  Sometimes you've just gotta pull a cart through the mud.  After the gig, Watkins, like a crazed sea captain, drove as The Blue Ridge Parkway pounded us with sideways rain and howling winds for 3 hours in the middle of the night, a pitch black Appalachian Mountain downpour ending in a pea-soup fog and a Motel 6. 

Another early morning and long drive further North brought us to the brink of reality. We were transported to a magical place - a subterranean fantasy world where lights danced in the trees and everybody left with a smile.  

Another early rise and drive greeted us sooner than we wanted.  There's something about Brooklyn's energy, we could feel it as soon as we started driving. 270, 370, 95, 495, 295, 695, 895 to 95, turnpikes and tolls - it makes your head spin.  The energy at the Brooklyn Bowl was palpable, a party in the streets, we didn't want to leave.  We left Brooklyn with a new guy, Soul Stew, added to the mix, 7 men in the van.  It was a haze filled rocket ride, a swaying Scott Joplin Speakeasy on wheels. Does CPS know where we're going? Did you know Hunter S Thompson is Eddie Money's cousin? True.

Up this far North, Spring has just begun painting the tips of the branches a soft fuzzy pale green.  We arrived in Baltimore and spotted a Pirate Ship on the horizon, through the fluffy white blossoms of a dogwood tree.  Crab cakes and soundcheck at The 8x10 - we all got crabs in Baltimore.  Shout out to Big John and his crazy Uncle Willie.  Great crowd and a lot of energy on a perfect Sunday night.  Batting 750 this weekend, not too shabby. 

We started the 18 hour drive home right after the gig, another Marathon Sprint back to our island in the swamp.  We slid over the Smoky Mountains in the daylight, the trees slowly exhaling puffs of clouds.  The Alabama Welcome Center offered some disturbing possibilities and the Cracker Barrel is where we finally hung our tea bags.  

We pulled into New Orleans and she immediately wrapped us in her hot, moist embrace, home again home again baggity-bag.

Tour Buzzwords: Social Nutria. Tea Boys - Tetley, Nestea, Earl Grey, Nas-tea, Lipton, Green Tea, Throat Coat. Snail Trail.  A-1. Mortar and Pestle.  Gloryhole splinter incident. 

[nolasuspects]

New Suspects Website!

This is No April Fools Joke!

2013 is proving to be a big year for The Suspects, and to show you all how committed we are to pushing ourselves to great things, we will be launching a BRAND NEW Website tomorrow, April 2nd!  www.neworleanssuspects.com has a great new look and feel, and will be updated daily with music, videos, merchandise, information, and photos!  Here’s what you can find on the new site:

 Featured Video:

       Changed monthly, this will be the video we have chosen to be featured for the month.

   Band Member Videos:

       The members of The Suspects all come from different bands, so we thought it would be fun to have videos from our past bands so you can see where we’ve come from.   Willie Green and Neville Brothers videos, Jeff Watkins and James Brown videos, etc. 

  FREE Weekly LIVE Download:

       We will hand-pick a live song from one of our shows and offer it as a FREE download every single week.

  Music updated monthly:

       We will also change the featured songs (powered by Soundcloud) every single month.  It will include one song from each of our albums, a live song we like, and the FREE download mentioned above.

  Tour dates and tickets:

       You can find the most updated list of tour dates, as well as links to buy tickets for any of the shows.

  CR’s Blog:

       This is a weekly blog that will be primarily written by CR, bringing you a tour diary, information, and assorted fun stuff.

  Ask Willie:

       A second weekly blog that features “Mean” Willie Green answering questions that you, the fans, ask him.

  Reggie’s Scanland:

       A little known fact about Reggie Scanlan is that he is an accomplished photographer with decades of beautiful photos in his portfolio.  We will be adding one of his photos every single month for your viewing pleasure. 

  Monthly Music Showcase:

       We are passionate about New Orleans music, and to prove it we will be showcasing a different band from New Orleans every month.  We hand-pick the bands that we love, to share with you.

  Monthly FREE download:

       Every month will bring a new download that we offer to our fans.  It could be a song off the cutting room floor of our studio, or a hi-res copy of one of Reggie’s photos.  You can receive these gifts by signing up on the email list, sharing posts on Facebook, reviewing shows when we post setlists on Facebook, or any other interaction we deem worthy of a gift (and we’re pretty generous when it comes to giving away free stuff…).

  Email list:

       If you sign up for our email list, we will send you monthly emails containing information, free downloads, and other great stuff.

  Social Media:

       We have a web presence on nine (count ‘em, 9) social media and music sites, and you can access any of these from any page on the website.

  You could also contact the band management, booking, or publicity companies.  We also have a page that includes our press photo, booking promo page, assorted promo videos, and the best press clippings from publications around the country.

  As you can see, this is a fully functional website packed with anything you could want from a Suspect.  We hope you enjoy it!  You can click, comment and share just about everything on the site, and we encourage you to do so as much as possible!  Let us know what you think, and the more you interact with us, the more we’ll share with you!

  Thanks as always for your continued support as we roll deeper into 2013!

[nolasuspects]

Since The Suspects had the weekend off, I've decided to open an old notebook and dig out something I wrote years ago.  The process of recording this next studio CD, writing songs and developing them as a band, reminded me of this, and I wanted to share it with everyone as the weekly blog.

It has been said that art is a divine expression.  The untouched block of marble contains the form of the sculpture within it.  It's an old "folk tale" (based loosely on fact…) familiar to many - Michelangelo, when creating his sculpture of David, spent the first month sitting in the room with the marble block, staring at it.  When the church (the organization who commissioned Michelangelo for the work) demanded that he prove he had been working, he told them that he was waiting for God to show him the form of David inside the block, so that he could remove all the marble around the form of David.  He wasn't going to create the sculpture, he was merely going to remove all the excess marble around the sculpture to reveal the form which already existed in the block.  At first they thought he was crazy, and almost fired him on the spot.  Of course we all know how the finished product turned out - it stands today as one of the most amazing accomplishments in the world of art and sculpture. 

Music, I believe, can be a similar experience.  Any particular song has a true essence.  When it speaks to the songwriter, the songwriter responds not so much by "creating it", but by stripping away all the "noise" to reveal the song within.  By quieting his/her mind and really listening from within, the songwriter can get a clearer sense of the essence of the song.  A band's job in performing the song is identical - it's the challenge of the band to express the true essence of a song, by NOT playing things that aren't part of the song's true essence.  

When we first learn a song, it's like a rough piece of marble in a shape which may resemble the actual song.  Through time and patience, the band tries to remove anything that takes away from that essence.  It's a very humbling experience, and if done correctly, will encourage the musician to not force himself or his "style" into the song, but to let the song speak to him and tell him what is needed.  If the musician can quiet his own voice long enough to allow that experience to happen, the song has a life and character of its own, and the true essence of the song shines through.  Ironically, during this process of quieting your voice is when your true voice appears.  It's a mystical process that we can only hope to be an active part of, a fundamental aspect of the purity of the gift of music.

I believe that when we are truly touched by some piece of music or artwork, really moved by something on a deep level, it's because the artist has expressed something beyond himself, something universal and powerful - that true essence.  We as listeners or viewers are put in touch with the same spirit that moved the artist to create it - just as the artist was merely a channel for that expression, so the listener (or viewer) also becomes a channel by experiencing it.  Artist and spectator both become equal participants in the experience of expression - a truly symbiotic and transcendent connection.  That to me is what makes all forms of art so important to understanding ourselves and each other, and things beyond our comprehension.  

[nolasuspects]

From the Rocky's Purple Mountain Majesty to the Eastern Shores of the sunny peninsula of Florida, our winter tour continues.  Starting with an early morning TV appearance, playing through two of the country's finest juke joints still alive and thriving, and two nights at the rowdy Bamboo room.  

Aces is aces, one of the country's great venues but we started too early. We cut across the fruit basket of Florida on 70, the highway of honey bees, orchards and burning Everglades, arriving at the Motel of the Stars.  The new songs are taking shape, and the shows get better as the days go on.  Friends are all around, from in and out of town, and the 24-hour flu didn't slow us down. 

Fore!  Can we play through? Van call came too early, I think I'm blind.  Trying to find a fuse in a dash across the state.  Racing through the rain for an early show at the Bradfordville Blues Club.  Holy Juke Joint - this place is the real deal.  A stop on the blues trail under the sagging moss.  A diamond in the rough, a rare authentic gem in a landscape of glass beads and impostors, where genuine hospitality is natural and the folks show up to get down.  This was a Sunday full of life and love, a surprising pot of gold at the end of our rainbow. 

We depart Florida in a gentle rain, sliding home under the radar in the wee hours, beckoned by the sultry sirens of our swampy city and the promise of Gabba Gabba.

Tour buzzwords:

Florida bound, On the run for what felt like an hour. Capt Pete's with Earl, our new companion.  Mariachi glory hole.  America's best foyer.  The jerk hut. Morning confusion at channel 10 Tampa,  WTSP.  Purple cornflakes and the inflatable dolly.  Mohell Six in Bradenton.  No hot water for JB, meanest hotel on earth.  Chris Jones Koolade and the Vape Apes.  Slow motion Thai.  Bam! Boom! Room!   Digi-Al, Team Carlin, the Miami Crew and so many others.  Is that a black leprechaun? Refried bean Big Gulp.  It's all about the Flavor, man.  Green mullets and fried catfish, grits and eggs.  Jackalope teabag incident. Home again home again, giggity gig.

[nolasuspects]

Colorado is one of our favorite places to tour, despite the mind-numbing altitude and lack of oxygen.  That's how much we love you Colorado!  Thank you for a real good time!  

Tour Buzzwords:

What you finish first, the bottle or the show?  Grits and wine.  Berkeleys.  Backline lagniappe. Barkleys.  Lost but not Least.  Strange fruit at the Sunshine Cafe.  He's on the phone.  The vape.  KDNK.  Fresh Gnar.  Drinkin red wine at the community center.  Caravan Thai.  Buffalo Teabag.  Bon Grips.  Landlocked sushi.  Polytoxic green room.  Montanas rager.  Downhill gridlock.  Oriental Whiskey > Blurry Sunrise. Night two magic.  Mimosa Maddies.  Quixotes Panic.  No eye contact at DIA.  Home again home again giggity gig.