Wizard Rock Concert (Yes, for real)

I was pretty radio silent this past weekend. Want to know why? I was "Wizard" rocking. (Well, to be quite honest, I also had my in-laws for a visit so I was busy cleaning, too.) I bet you're wondering what this new phenomenon is and how you too can play a part in it, right? I'm about to tell you...

I first heard about all this through a colleague of mine at the Mount Kisco Library here in NY. She regularly has Harry Potter tribute bands (I guess I could call them that?) come play at her library and has seen some real interest in these events. I was skeptical at first (and still a bit now) but she's found some real talent! Last Friday night, I went to check them out for myself.

There is a whole freakin' community of wizard rock bands that populate Myspace - heck, they even have their own community blog/wiki deal going. So naturally, to be a true fan, you MUST check these out. The people I especially looked up were the ones I was going to see on Friday night. Here is the lineup (and their links). Go and listen (but please come back!).

Draco and the Malfoys
The Whomping Willows
The Parselmouths
The Hungarian Horntails
The Cedric Digorys / The Greybacks

Okay, so let me preface by saying that the concert was both hilarious and tedious! The whole time I was there, I really had to pee, but there weren't any accessible bathrooms (as far as I knew) around. The concert was scheduled for 5:00 but didn't get started till 5:30 and then it ran till freakin' 8:00! That's right, sports fans, I held it for 3 hours. (That is probably a world record.) As much as I enjoyed the diversity of having so many groups, I wished they had shorter sets! I wasn't expecting to hear entire repertoires.

But as for the musicians themselves, I had three faves. Draco and the Malfoys were really good - he (Draco) has these crazy eyes and really funny lyrics. He even did "99 Death Eaters" (tune of "99 Red Balloons"). Here are some of the hilarious lyrics from "My Dad is Rich..."
"My dad's always there -To open all my doors -You have to call a patronus just to catch a glimpse of yours - My mom says she loves me - When she tucks me into bed - How's your mommy doing in the Mirror of Erised? My dad is rich - And your dad is dead." THAT is some funny stuff!

Another of my favorites was the Whomping Willows. He sounded so much like the Violent Femmes or something. He was completely hilarious. Do you want to hear him? Watch this video - he is singing "I'm Made of Wands."

And finally, (I know this has been the longest post ever! another record!) the last group that I really liked was the Parselmouths. Click here to see a bizarro video of them singing "It's not that Bad." They were too cute. But not as cute as the Hungarian Horntails who were like in the third grade or something! (Yes, for real - these were some kids with no inhibitions.) Well, so there you have it. Wizard Rock Rules.