Vendredi

New Orleans musicians wouldn't survive without their fans, and this weekend, one group is giving their audience a chance to become part of the music. The New Orleans Suspects, a band composed of some of the city’s biggest talents, are recording their third album live this weekend at the Maple Leaf.  Anyone who wants to be part of the live recording can get in for $10, and students can get in on the musical magic for just $5.

On Friday and Saturday night beginning at 10pm, the Suspects will start jamming out for their live studio recording. The band is composed of “Mean” Willie Green on drums, Reggie Scanlan on bass, Jake Eckert on guitar, Jeff Watkins on the saxophone, and C.R. Gruver on the keys.  

Even if their names don’t sound familiar, you’ve surely heard each one of these guys play around the city or even in your car’s speakers. Eckert is a former member of the Dirty Dozen, Watkins played with James Brown before he left to tour with Joss Stone for five years, Scanlan was a member of the Radiators before they broke up, and Willie Green is the drummer for the Neville brothers.  

Gruver is a classically trained pianist who used to play with the nationally recognized band Outformation, based out of Atlanta. The southern keyboardist has been in the Big Easy since 2006 now, and he has no plans of leaving any time soon. 

Despite their previous careers, Gruver wants his audience to understand that the Suspects are in fact a real band independent of their previous projects.

“We’re a fulltime band at this point, we’re not a splinter group. We kind of want to break that spell and show people that we’re in the studio, recording our original stuff,” said Gruver.

Their first record should be out by Jazz Fest 2013, one year after they released their last full-length album. While they’ve recorded a lot of tracks in the studio over the past couple of years, Gruver said the band decided it was time to show give their fans a chance to take their live energy home with them.

“Our live shows are a better representation, they reflect where we’re at as a band,” said Gruver. The Suspects pride themselves on their high energy shows, and Gruver said he hopes that their live recordings this weekend will solidify the band’s reputation as an independent entity, not a “super group.”

Everyone in the band is full time, and Gruver described their shows as “real funky, real high energy,” and said that every time they play together, they “try to throw a party.”

The Suspects’ performances are pretty cover-heavy, but they’re not a cover band. They distinguish themselves by blending their unique sound with their cover songs, as well as by performing original tracks.

“We’ve developed our own sound,” explained Gruver. “We draw from deep sources, deep cuts.”

Gruver looks forward to recording at the Maple Leaf, bringing the full time band back to the spot where it all began. “The first time we played there, we were just kind of a pickup band. The chemistry was so good we just kept doing it,” he said.

General admission is $10, but the Suspects don’t want to scare away broke college kids. In an effort to widen their audience’s scope, the members decided that students ages 21 and over who bring their student ID’s get in for just $5. “It’s important for students to get a feel for what New Orleans music is about historically,” said Gruver.

Fans and anyone else interested in checking out the New Orleans Suspects can purchase their CD at the Louisiana Music Factory or online at the band’s website.