Peg Kerr's Journal

I've created a wizard rock set list which adheres pretty closely to the plot of the seven books, book by book. I chose a variety of artists I particularly like, that have done a good job of dramatically presenting various scenes or just the feeling the books evoke, through their lyrics and music.

( Here's how I'd tell the story of Harry Potter through Wizard Rock songs )

Your suggestions, additions, deletions? I'm probably relying most heavily on Riddle™ and Ministry of Magic, with a goodly dose of Harry and the Potters, Draco and the Malfoys, the Parselmouths, the Weasel King, the Remus Lupins, the Whomping Willows, and Oliver Boyd & the Remembralls.

If you're starting to have a hankering for wizard rock holiday music, you're in luck: Jingle Spells 3 is now available from the Leaky Cauldron. You can order the physical CD (limited print run of 1500, so order now) which will ship in early December, OR you can order the tracks for download, either immediately from Leaky or in a week or so from iTunes. Leaky's also offering a deal where you can download all three albums for a reduced price. All profits are being donated to the Harry Potter Alliance.

We have very much enjoyed the two previous albums. About half the bands on this year's disk are among the groups I consider just about the strongest and best in wizard rock: Ministry of Magic, Gred and Forge, Romilda Vane and the Chocolate Cauldrons, Riddle^TM, Tonks and the Aurors, etc.

( What I did today to make the world a better place )

I haven't been following wizard rock since before the retreat, so I went this morning to check to see if any of my favorite bands had new songs.

( New free download from The Weasel King )

( RiddleTM has a new song out--alas, not downloadable, but still worth a listen )

( For a rather different sound, more electronic/dance, check out Luna's Ceiling )

( A lot of the bands had a lot of fun with April Fool's Day yesterday )

As always, for my own curiosity, please comment if you listen and like.

I mentioned that Riddle^TM's CD "Secrets of the Darkest Arts" is now out. I received my copy and listened to it yesterday. I was driving when the last cut, "Chapter 34" came up, and by the end I was crying so hard I almost drove off the damn road. Gorgeous and heartbreaking.

You can order it at their MySpace page linked above. I'm glad I did.

Riddle^TM has a new song out, "Petunia," available for free download here.

They say their new album will be out soon, and I'll definitely be picking it up.

As always, for my own curiosity, comment if you listen and like.

There was a Wizard Rock gathering at Birmingham, U.K. last weekend, too, Potter Rocks. Here's a performance by Riddle^TM, a pair of identical twin songwriters. They say they'll soon have an EP for sale on line, containing this song:

Look at Me:

Hey, Snape fans, go to the Riddle^TM MySpace page and listen to "Look at Me." (Spoilers for HP7, obviously.) Not downloadable, alas. I'll keep an eye on this page, and if/when they start selling their music, I'll try to pick this one up.

Riddle(TM) apparently consists of a pair of identical twins, budding songwriters who are beginning to perform professionally. They have another MySpace page for their non-Harry Potter music, and their compositions are really beautiful. Listen to "Don't Cry" and "Come and Go." Lovely voices, set to keyboard. They write and produce all their own songs. Apparently, they are recording an album, and I'll bet it'll be worth buying when it comes out. Worth a listen.

Anyway, if you listen to "Look at Me," comment to let me know what you think.