August 12, 2009

Potter Rocks

A new kind of music is taking Harry Potter places J.K. Rowling never did. By Lev Grossman for TIME

By Lev Grossman for TIME

You've probably read the books. You've probably seen the movies. But have you heard the music? The latest Harry Potter news is that bands have been forming to play what is called "wizard rock" or sometimes just "wrock."

KELLEY MCCALL—AP The Moaning Myrtles perform their songs in Missouri.

The new kind of music began when Joe DeGeorge and his brother Paul decided that the characters from Harry Potter would make a great band. Ron on guitar, Hermione on bass, Hagrid on drums (of course!) and Harry singing up front would make for an excellent group. In one day, the brothers wrote, rehearsed and performed six songs about life at Hogwarts, the boarding school that Harry and friends went to. After the first performance, Paul decided that "we're Harry and the Potters."

Wizard rock is pretty much what it sounds like: rock 'n' roll inspired by—and set in—2the world of Harry Potter. The DeGeorges started a trend. Today, there are dozens of wizard-rock bands: the Whomping Willows, the Remus Lupins and the Moaning Myrtles to name a few. Rockers dress like Hogwarts students and play at conventions and festivals."

Potter Themes Set to Music

People who like Harry Potter think wizard rock music is totally awesome. The songs can be funny, but the music is not a joke. It's serious—and serious business. Just ask the DeGeorge brothers. They've played more than 500 shows in 49 states (all but Hawaii). They dress in Hogwarts house colors, and their hit songs are inspired by characters from the books: "Save Ginny Weasley" and "Voldemort Can't Stop the Rock!" The themes of their music are the same as the themes of Rowling's books: love and friendship, upset and struggle. "We think, What does Harry Potter go through?" Paul says. "When Harry discovers this awesome potions book with all these secrets in it, and he's totally pumped. You write a song about that."

KELLEY MCCALL—AP Fans dance to wizard rock at a performance.

Wizard rock is just one more spinoff in the Harry Potter craze. Two years after J. K. Rowling published her last book in the series, Potter popularity continues to grow. There are Potter conventions and Potter clubs that try to get kids and grown-ups to help fight hunger, for example. And the fact that they may do it while humming "Wizard Chess" or "Platform 9" and makes those meetings fun.

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