The New Orleans Suspects will continue their tradition of looking back to the roots of New Orleans funk, rock, r&b, and second line music on their upcoming album Ouroboros, set to be released by Louisiana Red Hot Records on October 14.

Photo by Bob Adamek

The album takes its name from the instantly recognizable symbol of a serpent eating its own tail, which can easily be applied to the Suspects’ approach to music.

With Reggie Scanlan on bass, “Mean” Willie Green on drums, Jeff Watkins on saxaphone, Jake Eckert on guitar, and CR Gruver on keyboards, members of the Suspects have played with everyone from the Dirty Dozen Brass Band to James Brown, the Neville Brothers, and Professor Longhair.

Their live shows bounce around from original material to deep dives into New Orleans favorites. On the 2012 live album Caught Live at the Maple Leaf, the band transitioned from James Booker’s “Classified” to Professor Longhair’s “Tipitina,” and on to “Look Ka Py Py” from the Meters.

Ouroboros features 10 original songs primarily recorded and mixed by Jeff Watkins and Eckert at Rhythm Shack Studio in New Orleans.

The Suspects will tour in support of the new album starting September 18 in Auburn, Alabama, and stretching all the way through a pair of shows in Washington, D.C. in January 2015.