The Witzard

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Play That Funky Music, White Boy: Wampire - "Wizard Staff" (Polydor)




Wampire are a newly augmented Indie Rock band hailing from "Hipsterville, USA" Portland, Oregon; founding members Eric Phipps and Rocky Tinder have been actively performing together since about 2001 playing dance-friendly Electronic music at local house parties. While it doesn't exactly specifically mention musicians names or which instruments have been added, a recent Stereogum post notes that " Wampire are a quintet now — a "real band," if you will." Although WAMPIRE's Facebook page seems to have been recently updated to feature their mysterious new band mates' names: Cole Browning, Owen Thompson, and Thomas Hoganson... but still lacks respective instrument specifications. Judging by "Wizard Staff," the lead single from their forthcoming second album Bazaar, Wampire are seemingly taking their fledgling music career(s) a little more seriously than the former half jokey Horror-Punk roll-out behind Curiosity (2013), too. Fellow Portland multi-instrumentalist and Unknown Mortal Orchestra bassist Jacob Portrait produced Bazaar, as well as Curiosity, which based off album teaser "Wizard Staff," is likely poised to be a Hall & Oates-style "White Boy Funk" sax and horn-laden romper. Wampire are soon headed out on a brief 11-date US tour along with English Psych-Rock band Temple ahead of the October 7th release of Bazaar on Polydor, which is now conveniently available for pre-order in a number of various formats.