Alexis P. Suter Band brings the blues to Centenary

When Alexis P. Suter started recording over a decade ago, her approach was relatively low-key. “We were more mellow, more spiritual,” says the Brooklyn native.

But when she and her band went into the studio to record a new CD earlier this year, she had a different intent. “We wanted to rock out,” she says with a laugh.

The result: “Love the Way You Roll,” a collection of songs that include elements of soul, rock, rap, and house music. “It was way different for us,” Suter says. “We wanted to show people how versatile we are.”

That message seems to have found an audience. Since its release this past August, “Love the Way You Roll” has been entrenched in the top ten of several roots and blues album charts, most of that time, it has been in the Number One position.

Suter is grateful for the attention. “It brought us a whole new fan base,” she says.

Now she and the other members of her band are bringing the music live. The Alexis P. Suter Band will headline a “Halloween Blues Party” at the Lackland Center at Centenary College in Hackettstown this Saturday, Nov. 1.

The opening act is the VooDUDES, a New Jersey-based blues-roots group. The concert is a benefit for WNTI, the listener-supported public radio affiliated located at Centenary.

Suter comes by her multifaceted approach to music naturally. Her mother, 92-year-old Carrie Suter, was trained at Julliard and sang with a wide range of artists, from Harry Belafonte to Mahalia Jackson.

“My mother would sing in groups, and she’d sing lead. It didn’t matter in what capacity she did it, as long as she sang,” Alexis P. Suter says. “Having her guidance set the pace and tone for what I’m doing today.”

Her personal approach began with gospel music. “I grew up in the church,” she says. “But certain music wasn’t allowed in my home. I couldn’t listen to Motown or the Jackson 5, so I had to go to the houses of friends who could listen to that.”

One of her friends was Ralph Carter, who later acted on the TV series “Good Times.” Suter was able to meet Carter’s godmother, Ruth Brown, the powerhouse R&B and jazz vocalist.

“Ruth Brown just caught my attention,” Suter says. “The way she delivered a song, the way she commanded an audience.”

“I met her before she passed away (in 2006),” says Suter. “I was totally star-struck. But she was wonderful. She said to me, ‘I can hear in your voice that you have the truth in you.’ ”

Another musician who had an impact on Suter was Levon Helm, the late drummer and vocalist from the Band.

Helm heard Suter perform in Brooklyn and invited her to be part of his “Midnight Ramble,” a series of concerts he hosted at his home in Woodstock, New York. That performance was later released as Suter’s first live CD.

Suter says she takes great pride in being the frontwoman for a band that includes Jimmy Bennett on guitar, Peter Bennett on bass, Ray Grappone on drums, and Vicki Bell on backing vocals.

“This band is so in tune,” she says. “We recorded our CD in two or three days, complete. No overdubs, nothing like that. It was like doing a live show in the studio.”

Suter says she is grateful to perform at a benefit for WNTI. “If it wasn’t for radio stations like that, we’d be lost in the sauce,” she says. “I support the station, and I love playing for people who support the station. They bring a whole different vibe.”

“I don’t understand how the big stations don’t play at least an hour of the blues a day,” Suter says. “The blues is where everything comes from. That’s our music.”

ALEXIS P. SUTER BAND

WHAT: Suter, a Brooklyn-born blues performer, will lead her band at a “Halloween Blues Party,” playing songs from her best-selling current release, “Love the Way You Roll.” Opening act is the blues-roots band, the VooDUDES. Concert benefits WNTI, a listener-supported public radio affiliate.

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1.

WHERE: David and Carol Lackland Center, Centenary College, 715 Grand Ave., Hackettstown.

TICKETS: $25

INFORMATION:www.wnti.org.