Wizard rock (or Wrock) is an evolving type of

novelty Novelty (derived from Latin word ''novus'' for "new") is the quality of being new, or following from that, of being striking, original or unusual. Novelty may be the shared experience of a new cultural phenomenon or the subjective perception of an ...

rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

and

filk music Filk music is a musical culture, genre, and community tied to Science fiction fandom, science fiction, fantasy, and horror fandom and a type of fan labor. The genre has existed since the early 1950s and been played primarily since the mid-197 ...

themed around the ''

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

'' franchise. The music was largely prevalent in the United States in the early 2000s. Wizard rock initially started in

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

with

Harry and the Potters Harry and the Potters are an American rock band known for spawning the genre of wizard rock. Founded in Norwood, Massachusetts, Norwood, Massachusetts, in 2002, the group is primarily composed of brothers Joe and Paul DeGeorge, both of whom ...

, though it has grown internationally.

Characteristics

Leading bands in this genre include

and Draco and the Malfoys. Although most listeners of the genre are fans of ''Harry Potter'', some bands have attracted listeners outside of the books' fanbase. Wizard rock songs are often written from the point of view of a particular character in the books, usually the character who features in the band's name. In contrast to mainstream bands that have some songs incorporating literary references among a wider repertoire of music (notably

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

to ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...

''), wizard rock bands take their inspiration entirely from the ''Harry Potter'' universe. When performing live, wizard rock bands often

cosplay Cosplay, a blend word of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and Fashion accessory, fashion accessories to represent a specific Character (arts), character. Cosplayers often i ...

, or dress as, characters from the novels. Some bands perform at fan conventions.

History

The earliest Harry Potter-themed song is conventionally traced to 2000 when the Los Angeles-based

pop-punk Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...

band Switchblade Kittens released an "Ode to Harry" from the perspective of Ginny Weasley.

originated the Harry Potter-themed band, which became the genesis of a

fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of Fan (person), fans characterized by a feeling of camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significan ...

-centered genre of music called wizard rock.Thomas (2018), pages 30-35. As Harry and the Potters increased in popularity, other wizard rock bands emerged. Brian Ross and Bradley Mehlenbacher originally conceived Draco and the Malfoys as a parody of Harry and the Potters performing at a local house party. In April 2005, Matt Maggiacomo invited Harry and the Potters to play at an all-Harry Potter show at his Rhode Island home. That night, Maggiacomo made his debut as ''The Whomping Willows'', and his friends, Mehlenbacher and his brother, Brian Ross, played for the first time as ''Draco and the Malfoys''.Harry Potter 'Wrockers' Conjure Musical Magic
/ref>Thomas (2018), pages 35-40. There were also festivals focused on the genre such as Wrockstock, which was first held in 2007 in the United States"Wrockstock Festival Dates Announced"
''

WIRED Wired may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Wired'' (Jeff Beck album), 1976 * ''Wired'' (Hugh Cornwell album), 1993 * ''Wired'' (Mallory Knox album), 2017 * "Wired", a song by Prism from their album '' Beat Street'' * "Wired ...

'', 8/11/2009. and ended in 2013 after six editions. In 2015, Mexican band Velvet Darkness released the song "Death Eaters" as part of their debut EP ''Delusion''. It was later re-recorded in 2018 as a bonus track for their debut LP ''Nothing but Glory'', and a music video for the song was released in 2019 with a live recording of it. "Death Eaters" has led the band to play at several ''Harry Potter''-themed events, playing both their songs and heavy metal covers of the movies' soundtracks. As of 2021, there remains a small but active wizard rock scene. Notable events include the Wrock from Home and O.W.L. Fest online music festivals; the annual Wizard Rock Sampler compilation series; and websites such as Wizrocklopedia and the Facebook group "Wizard Rock Revival" see much activity, with dozens of active musical acts and thousands of fans.

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...

currently features many wizard rock releases from past and current bands.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* *

External links

Fanlore.org page about wizard rock

Your Wizard Rock Resource, a comprehensive database of bands and lyrics
{{nerd music American styles of music Rock music genres Fantasy music Musical subcultures 2000s in music 21st-century music genres Harry Potter fandom