Wizard Rock?
The other day, a friend of mine was sifting through the contents of my iPod. Now, I know my taste in music is kind of out there, so I am fairly used to hearing comments like, “I’ve never even heard of these bands before,” or “this is too indie for me” and so on. However, my friend this time actually made the effort of playing and listening to the songs. She came across a mellow acoustic song that she really liked. She started inquiring about it. I told her the song was called "End of an Era" by Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls. Having read all the Harry Potter books, she instantly recognized the pseudo-word: “You mean, like Neville’s remembrall? There’s an actual band named after Neville’s remembrall?!”
Allow me to explain:
Potter-mania is a growing fan community brought together by the international runaway success of the Harry Potter (HP) chain, authored by the renowned J.K. Rowling. HP fandom works range from various types of media, including fan fiction, fan art, and a distinctly unique genre of music – Wizard Rock (WRock).
WRock began as a musical movement in 2002, consisting of more than 500 bands made up of musicians playing songs about the world of HP. WRock music is a complete derivative of the wizard’s universe painted by Rowling’s books. The lyrics are most often very simplistic, with hints of sorcerous humour, and an abundance of magical references. A number of these bands are scattered but can easily
be found in the World Wide Web. MySpace, in particular, has at least fifty active WRock bands with music available for streaming. The WRock MySpace group has a directory of all these bands. With about three thousand followers, the on-line group serves as “the epicenter of the WRock fandom.” These bands not only play for fun, but also to promote literacy. Many of them perform in bookstores, schools, and frequently, libraries.
Coincidentally, our very own Toronto Public Library is holding yet another WRock concert this month! (The previous one was held earlier this year on March 18.)
The upcoming line-up includes the following:
The Remus Lupins
Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls
The Whomping Willows
The Mudbloods
Get ready to be rocked, Potter fans! Saturday, July 26 is going to be magical.
What’s more, the concert is FREE! Make sure to grab a ticket (or two) before it’s too late!
Free tickets (2 per person) can be picked up at the following library locations:
Agincourt Northern District
Albion North York Central
Barbara Frum Pape/Danforth
Brentwood Parkdale
Don Mills Richview
Fairview Sanderson
Gerrard/Ashdale S. Walter Stewart
Malvern
For more information, call 416-395-5784.
The concert is going to be held at North York Central Library, Auditorium, 5120 Yonge Street – North of Sheppard on Saturday, July 26, 2008, 3–5 p.m. Doors Open at 2:45 p.m.
Carmel, 17
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