Excuse the cliché, but if there is one act right now whose music can truly be considered a gumbo of styles, it’s the New Orleans Suspects. Collectively the members of this NOLA supergroup have played with the likes of James Brown, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Neville Brothers and the Radiators among others, and the effect of that shows. Perhaps it was the Easter holiday or the number of other high profile shows happening in Austin on Saturday night that kept the crowds from coming out to the Parish to see the Suspects. However, those that did make it were treated to a top-notch performance from one of the better bands to emerge out of New Orleans in recent years.
Going back to the gumbo, each member of the group brings a different flavor of New Orleans music to the table and the result is a simmering pot of good times dance music. Onstage at the Parish the Suspects presented these flavors as one all-encompassing package of rollicking tunes. The group stuck to a setlist that dwelled heavily on songs off their newest album Ouroboros – released late last year – and the classics that come to mind when thinking of the Crescent City. Keyboardist CR Gruver pulled straight from the barrel roll and boogie woogie style made famous by the likes of Professor Longhair and James Booker, stealing the spotlight with his upbeat take on Professor Longhair’s “Tipitina”. Guitarist Jack Eckhert kept the jams moving along at full throttle with his nasty funk licks and ability to solo while still staying in the groove of the jam. This of course could only happen with the in-the-pocket rhythms of bassist Reggie Scanlan and drummer Willie Green, the latter of which had no problem leading the band down a parade route of loose, jovial second line beats. Adding heat to it all was the unstoppable Jeff Watkins, who plays the saxophone like it’s nobody’s business and posses the ability to light a flame under any song and bring it to a boil. Anyone who’s spent time in New Orleans never gets tired of hearing the standards like “Tipitina” and “Big Chief”, but the band’s original tunes also stand alone as a reflection of the city. Tunes like “Cigarette Smile,” “Soothe Me” and the instrumental “Pocketful of Grits” conjured images of a night of jubilant debauchery at Ms. Mae’s or mingling with drink in hand on Frenchmen Street and framing the Suspects more as ambassadors of their city’s festive nature than just another band.
One hopes that future visits to Austin will bring more people out to see the New Orleans Suspects, but those that were hip enough to get on the train were taken on a ride through the many sounds of the city’s music. Funk, soul, brass bands, R&B and zydeco were all given fair treatment by the Suspects, and the audience embraced every moment of it. It doesn’t matter how small or large the crowd is because the New Orleans Suspects play each show with the same vigor and are well worth catching.
Setlist:
Blackbird Special
Cigarette Smile
You Got The Fire
36 Cars
Soothe Me
Standing On Sacred Ground
Carnivale
Tipitina
Country Side of Life
Pocketful of Grits
Cocaine Jane
Pass The Peas Medley
Encore:
Big Chief
