Blister Rip has been lighting up local venues recently, enchanting fans into an almost mystic state; however, it has been discovered that there might be another force behind the spellbound audiences — the practice of magic.

At a show Wednesday night, Lawn Gnome Publishing was filled to the brim with people spilling out onto the streets around the building, craving for even a glance at Blister Rip’s set.

And this is just one example of many recent packed shows. As the crowd dispersed — all with a tranced, yet satisfied look on their faces with CDs in hand — curiosity begged for explanation. I seemed to be one of the few who wasn’t glassy-eyed and shuffling home with a big grin on my face.

“What is this? Why is this happening?”

The band stopped packing up and looked at me, smiling. There has been speculation for weeks about the band using “alternative measures” to draw crowds to their shows, but they had yet to confirm this to anyone. The band confirmed that they are, indeed, a small coven; only not traditionally so.

No one has ever seen Blister Rip arriving to a show. In fact, several attendees at different shows that were interviewed cannot recall the beginning of any of the gigs.

“This is the eighth Blister Rip show I’ve been to,” Fizzy Liftingdrink said. “To be honest, I can’t remember much but the beautiful vibes that went through that crowd and the harmonies that are still ringing in my ears. I hear they’re playing again tomorrow.”

The reason for the memory loss is a spell placed on the audience before the show to make them forget Blister Rip’s arrival, the band said. The eerie smoke emitted from the stage is not just a fog machine. The band actually flies in to their shows.

“We don’t fly on brooms, though,” lead singer and coven leader Ellis Lengthyshins said. “We fly in on guitars. Brooms are so 1999.”

The group’s dark attire at each performance has consisted of black and more black, clad in Dumbledore-esque clothing. The style seemed to only provide an emphasis to the ominously jazzy tone of the music. It does, of course, have a different purpose.

“Our magic is so strong that it is almost blinding,” bassist Joan Brewhaha said. “So we wear dark colors to counteract the shine.”

According to the group, the band also casts a love spell each time they play, which becomes more intense after each song.

The shine is not from the reflection of the light, but rather from the bright bursts of sorcery that arise from the lyrical incantations. Onlookers become mystified and addicted, the band says. One additional benefit is, for the first time ever at a concert, each person is able to clap along with the beat.

“We use it for our own musical benefit and focus it all on making sexy tunes,” drummer Pants McGee said. “Sometimes to make the best music you have to bare your soul, and what better way than to put it out there to enchant the people around you? It’s like a love potion but better.”

The band described their brew, both in terms of spells and musical sound, to be two parts rock, one part blues, one part soul, the spirit of jazz, eye of newt and powdered dragon claw.

Although using questionable methods, the band’s music and soul enthralls local audiences, and they assure that the spells cause no harm other than occasional coughing fits and healthy addiction.

“It might seem as if we are doing wrong,” Lengthyshins said. “But it’s not a choice. Our magic just kind of comes out. It’s a natural part of who we are, and when our music takes us over, we can’t concentrate on keeping it in.”