Harry Potter Enters Pop-Music World with New Wizard Rock Music Genre

After making terms like "Hogwarts" and "muggle" household words through her celebrated Harry Potter fiction, J.K. Rowling and her band of magical heroes naturally expanded to the movie screen. But the Potter series' fans are not about to let the magic stop there. Like a flash of light from the end of Harry's wand, Wizard Rock, a musical genre based on Rowling's characters, has dazzled music and Potter fans across the globe.

J.K. Rowling can be credited with the establishment of the first Wizard Rock Band, The Weird Sisters, a fictional music group that plays at the Hogwarts Yule Ball in the fourth book. The band also appears in the movie, featuring artists from the bands Radiohead, Pulp, All Seeing I, and Add N to (X). Outside of the fictional world, the new genre of rock and roll was the brainchild of brothers Paul and Joe DeGeorge, Potter fans who found themselves in a tight spot during the summer of 2002-they had invited people to a backyard band show, and all the bands canceled!

So, the duo sat down and wrote seven songs about the Potter world. They had fun, and their audience's reaction to the music was favorable, so a new group was formed--Harry and the Potters. The duo, which sings as Harry Potter year four and Harry potter year seven, continued to perform Potter inspired music, and their summer 2005 tour kicked off the Wizard Rock, or Wrock, movement, according to popular wizard rock website wizrocklopedia.org.

Linda, a South Carolina resident, uses the popular social website Myspace to keep track of her favorite Wizard Rock bands. She said Harry and the Potters, as well as her love for the books, got her interested in the genre.

"Well, I love Harry Potter. I started reading it because my friends said it was really good, and after that, I just got hooked. I've seen all the movies and read the books several times now. Then one day someone told me about Harry and the Potters, and I went to check them out, and thought they were really amusing. After that, I just started looking around their Myspace, and I discovered all these other bands as well," Linda said via Myspace message.

What started as back yard fun has now grown into an international movement, boasting multiple bands, concerts, tours and even the first annual Wizard Rock People's Choice Awards, which were held in January and February of this year, boasting categories ranging from traditional best male and female vocals, to more Potteresque, like best music produced from beyond the grave.

"I like the genre mainly because it sort of makes you feel like there are other people who share similar interests with you. There's a huge community of Harry Potter fans all over the country, and we're all tied together because we all love Harry Potter, and Wizard Rock is a huge part of that," Linda said.

Bands usually dress like characters from the novels during performances; and they draw their names from characters or events in the book, such as A Lightening Bolt Scar, Neville and the Longbottoms, The Whomping Willows, and sing about similar subject matter. For instance, The Mudbloods' song "Voldemort: A Love Song" from their Album "Out of the Forbidden Forest," is written from Potter's nemisis' point of view, and asks listeners to decide whether he is truly evil, or just following his own convictions.

Georgia, who plays the piano, guitar, and sings background vocals for the new British band RiddleTM, an allusion to Voldemort's real name, Tom Riddle, said the group writes songs about all aspects of Harry Potter, though other bands, like Harry and the Potters, write music only from their name sake's point of view.

"I love this genre," said Georgia. "It's not so much about how good people are at playing, or the quality of recording, but about the lyrics, and it is another way of fans to show how much they love the books!" Georgia Said.

She also said that people who are not Potter fans would probably like the music, but not understand it, adding that RiddleTM also plays songs that are not about Harry Potter.

Websites like wizardrocklopedia.org and wizardrock.org help band members and fans to stay connected and share news about what is taking place in the world of wizard rock, in addition to the large wizard rock community on Myspace, where fans and bands can go online to listen to the genre's music.

"I think the most important part of the HP fandom are the websites, as they connect the fans from all over the world," Georgia said.

Fans and musicians also travel by the hundreds to see Wizard Rock musicians at various venues, many of which are libraries.