Today’s Rhythms on the Rio opened up with heavy cloud cover, promising rain. That’s not a good sign with an outdoor festival, but these Coloradoans are a hardy lot and will dance to music no matter the condition. For Blake Himert and his sound crew, though, it’s a lot of extra tarping and strategic towel placement, which they already did a bit Friday night. Luckily, what rain we did have was light that came mid-afternoon.

New Orleans Suspects & Friends featuring JoJo Hermann (Widespread Panic) will perform at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom & The Other Side on Friday, June 26th & Saturday, June 27th after the Widespread Panic Red Rocks shows.

New Orleans Suspects & Friends featuring JoJo Hermann (Widespread Panic) will perform at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom & The Other Side on Friday, June 26th & Saturday, June 27th after the Widespread Panic Red Rocks shows.

They say you’ve got to crawl before you walk, so I guess you have to walk before you dance. The occasionally cooperative early-spring evening presented itself this past Friday in Denver, so I said why not. The near-mile trek from River North Brewery to Cervantes procured flashbacks to the Five Points Jazz Festival as I rounded the corner of Welton and Will Call and made my way into the Other Side for the New Orleans Suspects.

Bass player Reggie Scanlan built an extensive resume throughout The Radiators’ three decade-plus run. Not everybody can say they played with Professor Longhair or James Booker, but Reggie can. When The Rads hung it up in 2011, Reggie was already on to the next one and saying so long to a bout with cancer. A road warrior with an appreciation for the arts and photography, Reggie has soaked up the substance that came before him and carefully selected the mold he performs within to this day.

Onetime Colorado resident CR Gruver has been on a roll recently. The New Orleans-adopted pianist is right at home holding down the keys in the New Orleans Suspects, wearing the moniker without hesitation; more a sense of pride.

FRED TACKETT and PAUL BARRERE of LITTLE FEAT and New Orleans Suspects will perform at Cervantes' Other Side on Friday, November 7th and Saturday, November 8th.   Doors will open at 8:00 P.M.  Showtime is 9:00 P.M.   This is open to patrons 16 and over.   Tickets are $20.00 in advance and $25.00 day of show.

Every summer music festival season brings a slew of new concepts and destinations for “festivarians” to pick and choose from. You have to marvel at the fact that so many continue to thrive year after year considering the number of options that are out there. In Colorado alone, thousands of tourists from everywhere come to enjoy countless summer music festival options. Maybe you made it to Rockygrass in July and rejoiced in the revival of a flood-ravaged site miraculously sprung back to life with true roots community effort.

New Orleans’ super-group, New Orleans Suspects, featuring members of legendary veteran touring acts The Radiators and The Neville Bros., will headline Washington Park Grille's 20th Anniversary Bash on Saturday, May 24th.

We live in a time where plenty of incredibly entertaining funk acts with talented players are saturating the live music scene. Funk has almost become synonymous in meaning to being just a good times band with some soul. Digging back toward the true roots of the genre reveals a particular form and structure with certain places breading their own unique spin and history on it. New Orleans musicians are held in a high caliber for a reason. They don’t just learn to play in their own niche group; these stellar players are constantly collaborating and have been for decades.