The Iceman Special with Special Guest Mike Dillon

According to thefunkyuncle.live:

A live Iceman show is a visceral affair. It’s music to dance to, a sonic blanket to get lost in. The songs are not heavy on lyrics, and the grooves within each song often morph from one genre to the next—rock, funk, reggae, ska, metal, disco and zydeco. Yeah, that’s right, zydeco. It’s one of the secrets of the band’s unique sound, and it’s driven by the drummer, Hunter Romero. Like his band mates, Hunter comes from a musical family, and he grew up playing in zydeco bands in southwest Louisiana. According to lead guitarist Steve Staples, those swamp grooves are often buried beneath the Iceman Special’s musical collages. “If you listen closely to what we do, there’s a zydeco feel hidden in there. I’m way more aware of that than I was before. I just knew that I liked it. But there’s a lot of that in what we do.” That beat is most obvious and consistent in the song “Zydeco Radio,” from the band’s first studio album. Lead singer Will Murry delivers a simple, repetitive melody with his distinctive voice, which like the music, is genre-defying.

Mike Dillon

While he may be best known for his eclectic, energetic and enigmatic work with his own solo bands and supergroups like Garage A Trois and Nolatet, Dillon has also backed up the likes of Ani DiFranco and is currently in the midst of a spring and summer of touring with singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones. Just before heading to Japan for a run of shows with Jones, Dillon recaps his impossibly busy Jazz Fest, talks about his musical history with fellow weirdo Les Claypool, expresses his love for the unique qualities of New Orleans, explains why he’s all about “playing for the music” no matter who you’re with and hints at what sort of music he has in store for the world later this year and next (including some more Elliott Smith marimba covers).