The Iceman Special

New Orleans quartet — Dayglo jumpsuits, Fête du Void hosts

The Iceman Special is a New Orleans four-piece playing what they call “haunting indie rock”: dirty funk and delicate groove laced with disco and rock ’n’ roll, powered by dual guitars, synth samples, and a rhythm section built to move a room. Guitarist Steve Staples, drummer Hunter Romero, bassist Charlie Murry, and vocalist-guitarist Will Murry perform in dayglo jumpsuits, host their own Fête du Void festival, and have carried their swamp-funk spectacle from the Jazz Fest main stage to Suwannee Hulaween.

Never heard The Iceman Special before?

🎵 Signature Song

“Pressure Pleasure” (2023)

⚜️ Known For

Dayglo jumpsuits & Fête du Void

🎺 Plays

Funk · disco · psych rock

“The Iceman Special is a living, breathing ghost story.”

— The band’s Bandcamp bio

Why We Love The Iceman Special

Few bands in New Orleans commit to the bit like the Iceman Special. The dayglo jumpsuits, the laser lights, the laser focus on the groove — it’s all in service of one of the sweatiest, most joyful live shows in the city. Beneath the spectacle are real songs: Charlie Murry’s lyrics, the Murry brothers’ hooks, and Steve Staples’ scorching lead guitar, all of it cut with a swamp-bred psychedelia that could only come from Louisiana. And with Fête du Void, they’ve built a genuine community around the weird — the surest sign of a band in it for the long, strange haul.

Biography

Swamp Funk in Dayglo

The quartet — Will Murry on vocals and guitar, Steve Staples on lead guitar, Charlie Murry on bass, and Hunter Romero on drums — brings serious pedigree to the party. Staples is a local legend who owned International Vintage Guitars for years; Romero hails from the family of Cajun rocker Roddie Romero. All lyrics are by Charlie; all music is by all four guys. Their sound stacks screeching-yet-smooth guitars, wandering-yet-punchy bass lines, electronic synth samples, and driving drums into danceable jams with plenty of edge and substance.

The records keep coming: the Deux EP (2018), Dr. Dude’s Masquerade Parade (2019), and Circular Purple Circus (2020) gave way to Zycordia (2023) — produced and mixed by Jack Miele at Studio in the Country in Bogalusa and JMP Studios in New Orleans, with guests Mike Dillon on percussion and vibraphone and Joe Krown on organ — and the 19-track live album Return of the Wizard (2025).

“Dirty funk meets delicate groove… They’ve been performing around the city for years. And they blow us away every time.”

— Riverbeats, New Orleans

Live is where the Iceman legend lives. The band hosts its own annual camping festival, Fête du Void — recent lineups have featured the Lost Bayou Ramblers and Saxkixave — and has taken the spectacle to the Jazz Fest main stage, Suwannee Hulaween, and Electric Forest. They headlined Tipitina’s for the first time on July 15, 2023, complete with a brand-new laser light show. When this music hits the airwaves, you might not know what to do right away — but you’ll figure it out soon enough.