There are only a few days left until....
So I have received a few messages recently from people saying, "Aleks, convince me. Tell me why Harry and the Potters are worth my valuable valuable time..."
Argument #1: see photo above
Argument #2: They have their own
Potter Mobile for Pete's sake!
Still need persuading? I love this bit from an article printed about them in the Louisville Cardinal:
Present was a wide variety of people, ranging in age from two to 60, and they all seemed to be enjoying the music. That, according to Joe, is the whole point.
"We get a pretty good spread," Joe said. "High school girls, hipsters, all sorts. We're able to expose all these different types of people to something new. My favorite shows are the ones that bring people together. Once we played in this art-house/garage place. There were mothers bringing their little kids to see the show, and there were all these dirty art people around ... it was great."
Bringing wizard rock to the masses is not the boys' only endeavor, nor is it their obsession.
"We both play music that's not Harry Potter-related; this is like a weird little thing that just kind of took off," Paul said. "It's not something we completely identify ourselves with. It's misleading; people think we're like the biggest fans. I wouldn't call it a tribute band; it's more of a performance art project where we see what kind of crazy thing we can do next. Like, we played in a doughnut shop once, and the stage was eight feet high. It was on top of the restrooms. You climbed a ladder to get up there, and when you got there, there was an organ. And a P.A. system."
Aren't you just a
little curious about what might happen at this show?
And audiences can make a good show great - the more fun people there this Saturday, the better a show it will be. (And who is more fun than you?)
So here are a few more tracks so you can be further prepared (plus I've re-linked all the ones in my
earlier post - sing along to all the hits on Saturday!):
The Foil (Malfoy). Some literary witticism from our favourite wizard rockers...
The Godfather. Harry Potter tries to write a Pixies song.
Stick It to Delores. Nafeesa's favourite HATP track, I do believe.
Cornelius Fudge is an Ass. Speaking of Nafeesa, HATP's other big fan is being kept down by the Safeway man and still has to work on Saturday - coincidence then that substituting "Nafeesa's boss is an ass" fits so well?....
These Days are Dark. The final track off their first album. "And the world is beautiful, just look around at all your friends"....these boys have soul, people.
So, to sum up: THIS SATURDAY. 1PM. VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY, CENTRAL BRANCH SOUTH PLAZA. DON'T MISS IT.
Voldemort Can't Stop The Rock!
Once there were two brothers who both loved the indie rock. Each played in their own band...
"Joe was planning to have a rock show in the shed in the backyard. People had been invited. But then all the bands cancelled. So that morning, the time was finally appropriate to bust out an idea that had been incubating in Paul's head for some time: Harry and the Potters. That morning, over the course of an hour, Paul and Joe wrote 7 songs. Then, they went out to the shed and practiced them for half an hour. And then, later in the day, they performed them for about 6 people. It was awesome. The place went nuts. Nowadays, they don't just play in sheds, they also play in libraries, bookstores, basements, art galleries, theatres, hot dog jamorees (true story!), and living rooms."
And the whole thing keeps catching like wildfire, gathering this random mix of fans from kids to teenage girls to indie rock scensters to parents. They've recorded two albums in their parents' living room, they silkscreen their own merch (like the wicked HATP t-shirt I often sport), and they organize their own totally haphazard tours. These boys are DIY fabulousness at its finest and although I am not a big Harry Potter fan, I am a huge Harry and the Potters fan. They're fun, they're funny... And now they're coming to Vancouver. We should all go to this show. HATP are playing at 1pm on Saturday July 23rd outside the Central Branch of VPL. We are their only Canadian date on this "tour", so let's make it count, people. "But Aleks, I'm not going to go to a show at which I know none of the songs...who are these Harry and the Potter freaks, anyway?"Remedy: Look around their website, full of amusing stuff and some songs as well. Plus, below are some of my favourites for your downloading pleasure...Download:Gryffindor Rocks A charming ode to Harry's house at Hogwarts. Off their debut album.
Save Ginny Weasley Their 'calling card', spawning a wave of "Save Ginny" t-shirts on the internet. Voldemort Can't Stop the Rock The opening title track off their sophmore album.
The Human Hosepipe Conor Oberst has nothing on an emo Harry Potter...
The Weapon This glorious closer was obviously written to be performed live - just another reason I am so excited to see this show!!
So, to sum up: It'll either be totally kick-ass or totally ridiculous - either way, it should be memorable! Hope many of you are intrigued and come out.
What more can I say? More photos of Harry and the Potters are here.
