They burst on the scene seemingly out of nowhere, blowing away audiences with their powerful mix of rock ‘n’ roll influences, intense stage presentation, and compelling original songs. The Iceman Special will celebrate the release of their first recording on Saturday night at the Maple Leaf Bar along with their own Carnival organization, the Krewe de Void.
I have seen the band a few times and can attest to the fact that this group has the goods. They are an intergenerational outfit featuring two brothers, Will and Charlie Murry on guitar and bass respectively and Hunter Romero on drums. The ringer in the group is 60-something year-old lead guitarist Steve Staples.
Together the band creates a sound they describe as swamp funk. While I won’t argue with the idea of promoting a band based out of south Louisiana and New Orleans using those genre markers, but to my ears these guys play straight up funky rock ‘n’ roll.
They don’t wear their influences on their sleeves, their original songs are too good for that, but the indicators are there. 1970s-era southern rock comes into play, as does the classic rock of the era from Led Zeppelin to the psychedelic sounds of the 1960s courtesy of Staples’ stellar guitar work. He should know, his day job is the owner of International Vintage Guitars in New Orleans, the go-to spot for visiting rock stars from Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top to Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The younger guys in the band bring their own influences, more than one song is evocative of Jack White, as well as the group’s high-energy presentation. At a recent set at the Bayou Boogaloo they had a mosh pit going almost from the get-go. But the moshing only lasted until Staples took off on one of his long guitar excursions and the bass and drums settled into a funky groove.
It’s a dichotomy that is present on the album as well. The thirteen songs range across tempos. The production is strong and unlike so many bands that are unable to translate their live energy to a record, The Iceman Special gets the job done.
Showtime is 10 PM.
