I am well aware that I haven't had any content in the past couple days. Too bad so sad. In the name of having some content, I'll repost my old wizard rock (wrock) article from ages ago. First appeared in The Coyote
Yes, Virginia, people write music about Harry Potter. The music they create is called Wizard Rock and the way it is spread is through the internet. (http://groups.myspace.com/wizardrock) [Note: Is this link still live? I'm not too fussed to check it out.]
I'm not sure when I first heard of Harry and the Potters, but I found them and heard them on Myspace.com, you know, the third most visited website. [Note: Is that a true statistic anymore?] HatP are the creators of Wizard Rock and many have followed in their legendary footsteps to write in the voice of J.K. Rowling's wizards, witches, house elves, and whomping willow. I've listened to hours of music and I'm here to give you a quick glance at a few of the bands along with the words of a couple of musicians I've interviewed.
Harry and the Potters The original band had to be about Harry Potter, duh. The music is happy, fast, and catchy. The vocals are passable and I love anything with keyboards. Every song makes me laugh. I enjoy them because the allusions arent always so obvious, such as with the song title "The Human Hosepipe". Sample lyric: I'd rather not talk about your dead ex-boyfriends over coffee," from "The Human Hosepipe."
Draco and the Malfoys These lyrics are written in the voice of Harry Potter's nemesis. I do so love when the songwriter sets up a line that rhymes by ending in ass, but they switch it for another word; in the case of "Potions Yesterday" the word is bum. They sound much like Harry and the Potters, simple pop/rock. Sample lyric:" We were teamed up in dueling class. No one else believed that I would knock you on your bum/ Except for Snape, except for Snape", from "Potions Yesterday".
Ron and the Weasleys Again with the odd name grammar! Ron and the Weasleys feature really simple songs with guitar and voice and little else. The songs have a very cute sound, endearing them to listeners. Sample lyric: "Why'd we have to go and follow the spiders? Couldn't it have been follow the butterflies instead?" from "Why'd We Have to Follow the Spiders?"
The Dark Markers [Note: this guy, James, took the page for The Dark Markers down. Many wept.] Mind you, these are not very good or complex songs, but this band is easily my favorite simply because the songs James Bousfield writes are hysterical. Part of the humor of The Dark Markers is that he sings in a foreboding tone laid over simple keyboard music. Bousfield also enjoys more flexibility with his songs because he sings in the voice of any dark wizard. Sample lyric: "My name is Lucius Malfoy. Does my hair look gay?" from "Here in Azkaban."
The Hermione Crookshanks Experience Hermione is all about the singer/songwriter, indie sound. She comes up with awesome rhymes and clever lyrics. Kristine Thune started The Hermione Crookshanks Experience because of a love of the books and an admiration for Harry and the Potters. "I think one of my main reasons for 'joining the movement' is that there weren't any female wizard rockers. So, instead of waiting for someone else to do it, I picked my favorite character and started writing songs," Kristine said in an interview. There's an added benefit for writing as a character: "I actually think it's easier to sing songs written in Hermione's voice than it is to sing songs written in my voice. Music is a revealing medium, where artists bare their soul for an audience." Sample lyric: "You're the greatest seeker in the world, shouldn't be hard to find a girl," from "Krum's Song".
The Remus Lupins I know that some of you folks reacted with a "Why?" when you first read about Wizard Rock, so I asked Alex Carpenter of The Remus Lupins that very same question. "There is so much going on [in the Harry Potter series], I wanted to delve into that and explore it a little bit. Plus, it's fun," Alex replied. Both Kristine and Alex told me that they relate to the characters they've chosen and see a bit of themselves in Hermione and Lupin, respectively. Alex is easily the most friendly wizard rocker with personalized comments on myspace profiles for new friends. The Remus Lupins sound is acoustic and indie and his lyrics are playful. The sound is definitely not over-styled. Alex is one of my faves. Sample lyric: "Percy Weasley, you're a prick/no one wants you around, you stupid git," from "Burn Your Prefect Badge."
The Whomping Willows Oh yes sirree, the Whomping Willow sings. (So does the giant squid in the Hogwarts lake.) Wizard Rock goes undeniably weird with songs like "Whore for Dumbledore" and "Crawl Through My Treehole", which has an oddly sexy tone that creeped me out at first. Sample lyric: "Crawl through my treehole, baby. You've got me going crazy. Fulfill my nightmare, baby, as I reach into your soul", from "Crawl Through My Treehole"
Dobby and the House Elves The sound of this band is primarily dance and electronica, but there is a song ("The Knight Bus") that consists of rap-like lyrics over a disco beat. The Knight Bus is also educational because I learned the names of many wizard rock bands I didn't know existed during the shout-outs. Sample lyric: "Stan is the man that'll give ya a ticket. Ernie's behind the wheel, can you dig it!" from "The Knight Bus."
What's the appeal of Wizard Rock for listeners? One of my guinea pigs noted that, "It makes you think about the books and then you go, 'awwwww.'" Besides, looking up Wizard Rock bands is a fun procrastination idea. As if you needed any more.
In other news, I think that blogs are more fun when there are multiple contributors, so my sister Rachel and my brother Chris have agreed to guest every now and again.
1 comment:
I knew there was something disturbingly sexual about crawling into the Willow. I knew it. I said it, too, but no-one listened to me. They said I was mad.
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