New Orleans Suspects w/ Rev. Billy C Wirtz

The New Orleans Suspects formed in summer of 2011 in the wake of the breakup of The Radiators after 34 years. The band comprises some of the best, most highly respected players in New Orleans, including: Reggie Scanlan, bass (Radiators, Professor Longhair Band); Mean Willie Green, drums (Neville Bros. current drummer since 1981); Jeff Watkins (James Brown Band, Joss Stone Band), saxophone; Jake Eckert, guitar/vocals (current member of The Dirty Dozen Brass Band); and C. R. Gruver (The Meters Experience, Outformation), keyboards and vocals. The band combines original songs in the New Orleans style with hits and obscurities from the Allen Toussaint and Dr. John songbooks, as well as performing favorites from Radiators, Nevilles and Dirty Dozen repertoire. They have released two albums, an eponymous studio album and Live at the Maple Leaf, which was selected as a new and noteworthy release by itunes in January. The band’s latest studio release, Ouroboros, will be released by Louisiana Red Hot Records on Oct. 14. The first single, “Soothe Me,” is currently being worked at adult alternative radio.

w/ Rev. Billy C Wirtz “Love the Sinner. Hate the Haircut.” Reverend Billy C. Wirtz is a comic genius, gifted pianist and American musicologist who defies easy classification. “I like to think of myself as the Victor Borge of the blues,” states the Reverend, but Billy goes way beyond Borge both in scope of subject matter (from politics to social commentary) and, of course, in taste. In fact, no theme is too extreme, taboo, or undignified for the Reverend, so long as it garners a good laugh.