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Wizard Rock Primer, Part 2

Jul. 13th, 2009 at 6:36 PM

Continued from Wizard Rock Primer, Part 1!

The Parselmouths

Band Members: Kristina Horner (vocals), Eia Waltzer (vocals, taps)
(formerly) Brittney Vahlberg (vocals, guitar)
Website: http://www.myspace.com/theparselmouths

Discography:
Sssss (2006)
Illegal Love Potion (EP) (2007)
Broken Hearted Slytherins (2008)
Pretty in Pink (And Green) (2008)
Spattergroit (2009)

The Parselmouths are utterly adorable. Their songs are fairly girlie ("Freaking Ask Me to the Yule Ball") and concerned with being privileged Slytherins ("Preresquites"). Their music is fairly poppy and inspired by 80s music in the vein of Toni Basil and Debbie Gibson.

For their 2008 album Pretty in Pink (And Green), Brittney and Kristina were joined by Eia, a Gryffindor, adding a new dynamic to the band. Brittney has since had to quit the band, but Kristina has been filling out the band with help from Alex Day (Chameleon Circuit).

Song Samples:
Love Song for Professor Lupin (Illegal Love Potions EP)
Despite being a Gryffindor, these Slytherin girls can't deny that Professor Lupin was their hottest Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

Love Song for Professor Lupin - The Parselmouths

Freaking Ask Me to the Yule Ball (Pretty in Pink (And Green))
A hilarious song that even Muggles can relate to, "Freaking Ask Me to the Yule Ball" is about making the best of things once it becomes clear no one's going to ask you to the school dance.

Freaking Ask Me To The Yule Ball - The Parselmouths

Live: The Parselmouths are vivacious in their live shows, showing poise and a good sense of humor. Expressive and hilarious, their shows are entertaining and enjoyable.

The Moaning Myrtles

Band Members: Lauren (vocals, guitar, bass) and Nina (vocals, piano, guitar)
Website: http://www.myspace.com/themoaningmyrtles

Discography:
Toilet Humor (2007)
Port-A-Potty (EP) (2008)
What About Myrtle (2008)

The Moaning Myrtles are a piano-based wizard rock band formed in 2006. They sing mostly from the perspective of the ghost that haunts Hogwarts' toilets, Moaning Myrtle. Their songs are mostly humorous and focus on Myrtle's main interests: boys ("Cedric"), her death ("And Then I Died"), and being angry at people who make fun of her ("In Which Moaning Myrtle Moans").

Song Samples:
Hermione (Wizards and Muggles for Social Justice)
Available on the compilation Wizards and Muggles for Social Justice, "Hermione" is Myrtle's revenge for Hermione laughing at her at the Death Day Party.

Hermione - The Moaning Myrtles

Prefects Are Hot (Toilet Humor)
Poor Myrtle is trapped as a hormonal teenager forever. Who can blame her for noticing that prefects are hot (or that bubbles are fun when they melt away).

Prefects Are Hot - The Moaning Myrtles

In Which Moaning Myrtle Moans (What About Myrtle?)
A very different sound from their other work, this techno- and hip-hop-based song is about the ways in which Myrtle moans.

In Which Moaning Myrtle Moans - The Moaning Myrtles

Live: I actually haven't seen The Moaning Myrtles live, but from all the videos I've watched, they have excellent crowd banter and are horribly amusing.

Ministry of Magic

Band Members: Jason Munday (vocals, lyricist, songwriter, music production), Luke Conrad (vocals, lyricist, songwriter, music production), Aaron Nordyke (vocals, lyricist), Ryan Seiler (vocals, lyricist, songwriter), and Mark 'VoldeMark' Jennings (vocals, lyricist)
Website: http://www.myspace.com/ministryofmagicmusic

Discography:
The Triwizard LP (2007)
Goodbye Privet Drive (2008)
Acoustiatus (2008)
Onward and Upward (2009)

With their synthesized music, raw singing talent, and some of the best lyrics, Ministry of Magic is easily one of the very best wizard rock bands. Snape is their collective favorite character and as such is the subject of many of their songs ("Snape Vs. Snape," "Lightning Struck Tower"), but MoM covers a wide range of other topics such as Ron and Hermione's on going romance ("Accio Love") and the Ministry itself ("The Ministry of Magic").

Song Samples:
Escape From Azkaban (Triwizard LP)
One of their more emotionally charged song, "Escape From Azkaban" is about the thoughts and feelings of Sirius when he learns that Wormtail is at Hogwarts.

Escape From Azkaban - Ministry Of Magic

The Bravest Man I Ever Knew (Goodbye Privet Drive)
With lines based around the dialogue found in the Deathly Hallows epilogue, this song about Snape details some of the ways in which Snape was the bravest man Harry ever knew.

The Bravest Man I Ever Knew - Ministry Of Magic

Here In Your Car
A parody of the Hello Goodbye song "Here (In Your Arms)," "Here In Your Car" is about the strength of friendship between Ron and Harry.
"Here In Your Car" has not been released on an album, but is available as a free download from the MoM MySpace page.

Here In Your Car (Hellogoodbye Parody) - Ministry of Magic

Live: The Ministry of Magic is amazing live! They get the crowd jumping, everyone shouting along to their lyrics, and they are amazing singers. I was surprised that they lost none of their polish in a live show (in a live show jumping around, being silly, and shouting). If you have a MoM show near you: GO.

Gred and Forge

Band Members: Jarrod Perkins (guitar, vocals)
Website: http://www.myspace.com/gredandforgerock

Discography:
We Had Class (2008)
Half the Band I Used to Be (2008)
What Witches Want (EP) (2008)
Pitches, Witches, and Riches (2009)

Gred and Forge is the brainchild of Jarrod Perkins, an indie rocker from North Carolina. The music of Gred and Forge is perfectly aligned with the sensibilities of the Weasley twins from songs reminiscent of the Beastie Boys ("Pitches, Witches, and Riches") to jokes about their Wizard Wheezes ("Our Fireworks Say Poo"). With polished music and hilarious lyrics, Gred and Forge is one of the best wrock bands out there.

Song Samples:
Ginny Gets Around (Half the Band I Used to Be)
"Ginny Gets Around" laments the fact that Fred and George's little sister is "the easiest girl in school."

Ginny Gets Around - Gred And Forge

Pitches, Witches, and Riches (Pitches, Witches, and Riches)
This Beastie Boys-esque song is about Fred and George's success as Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, explaining that they "started gettin' rich / we're not makin' peanuts / and we had to get another vault at Gringotts!"

Pitches, Witches, and Riches - Gred And Forge

Brotherly Love (Siriusly Smiling)
A hilarious song about Weasleycest; it was this song that made me first realize the wonderful sense of humor this band has.
Siriusly Smiling is a compilation album. All proceeds go to support the National Foundation for Facial Reconstruction

Brotherly Love - Gred and Forge

Live: Gred and Forge is the other band in this list I haven't seen live, but from YouTube videos, it looks like he knows how to rock out.

Many of these bands also have songs available on compilations such as Wizards and Muggles Rock for Social Justice, Jingle Spells, Jingle Spells 2, Siriusly Smiling, and Rocking Out Against Voldemedia.

Downloadable Content
You've heard the music and now you want some Wizard Rock of your very own! The good news is that many bands are available on iTunes so you can quickly receive digital copies of music from your favorite band. However if you need something now, now, now, in this section you'll find a compiled list of all the free wizard rock I know about. These are all links to albums and songs posted by the bands or the organizations putting out the albums.

Please feel free to leave links to other selections of free wizard rock, but do not leave links to personal webstorage or to albums that have not been made available for free.

Wizrocklopedia has made available a downloadable Wrock Starter Pack that contains over 70 songs from over 30 bands. In addition to the variety, there many live performances from the 2006 Boston Yule Ball

The Wizard Rock EP of the Month Club has a sample song from each album, that can be downloaded. Wizard Rock EPs of the Month can only be purchased by subscribing to the Club ($60 for 2009) or by purchasing the album direct from the artist at a show.

The compilation Rocking Out Against Voldemedia was released by the HP Alliance to fight for what Harry, the Order of the Phoenix, and Potterwatch did not have: the right to a free press. This compilation features songs from Catchlove, The Remus Lupins, DJ Luna Lovegood, Gred and Forge, Harry and the Potters, and more!