Southern rock ain’t just the Allman Brothers anymore.
The New Orleans Suspects, a supergroup featuring members of the Dirty Dozen, the Radiators and the Neville Brothers, are coming to Brooklyn Bowl on Dec. 17 — but don’t expect the same old Dixie swamp music.
“We’re kind of a hybrid of those three bands,” said bassist Reggie Scanlan. “You have some of the brass-band sound in there, some of what the Neville Brothers were doing, which is where the funk comes from, and the Radiators, who were kind of more like a jam-band, rock kind of thing.“
The Suspects’ set will feature a few originals, as well as covers from classic rock bands, like Bob Dylan and Traffic, to which they apply a distinct, New Orleans twist.
“We’ll play some straight rock songs, but we give them that New Orleans second-line feel,” said Scanlan. “It’s kind of what they call the basic beat-down here, the second-line beat, and if you grew up in New Orleans playing, you give your music that kind of twist, like if you grew up in Havana everything would have a mamba beat.”
The musicians have decades of experience to draw on, but the true secret of their allure is that enigmatic quality, which few bands achieve — chemistry.
“We started out as kind of a pick up band and there was a certain chemistry that was undeniable,” said pianist CR Gruver. “The guitar player, Jake Eckert, and I have sort of this unspoken connection, and Reggie and [drummer] Willie [Green], you add them to the mix and we just had this sound that was effortless. It was really easy, and not something we had planned on.”
The Brooklyn Bowl [61 Wythe Ave. between N. 11th and N. 12th streets in Williamsburg, (718) 963-3369]. Dec. 17, 8 pm, $12 ($10 in advance). For info, visit www.brooklynbowl.com.
Reach reporter Colin MIxson at cmixson@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4514.
