Condenser Mic #2: Harry and the Potters

Condenser Mic is a new feature on Worcester Magazine’s arts and entertainment blog where local musicians submit a song of theirs along with a condensed (hence the name) 100 word piece detailing their music.  To get your music profiled on Condenser Mic, email Jeremy.Shulkin@gmail.com with a write up and a link to your music.

Harry and the Potters originally formed in Paul and Joe DeGeorges’ backyard in Norwood, MA , but Joe currently resides in Worcester, entering his senior year at Clark University.  Considered the leaders of  the Wizard Rock genre –music inspired by the Harry Potter series of books and movies– the band has amassed a large following all over the country and have even toured the UK.  They’ve received press from USA Today, and to coincide with the latest Harry Potter movie, Time Magazine recently ran a article on them as well.  Their yearly Yule Ball at the Middle East consistently sells out the venue.  Here’s what Joe has to say about their song “Expulsion During Disapparation“.  

This song was written for an EP as part of the wizard rock EP of the month club (http://wizardrockclub.org/). My brother and I recorded it in the basement of the house we grew up in the Spring of 2008. I have always been fascinated by throwing up and stories of people throwing up. When I read the seventh Harry Potter book I came across this scene where Harry Potter and his punk-ass cronies try to steal the identity of a Ministry of Magic employee. In the process they make him so sick that he vomits and does some magic to make himself dissappear back to his wife. JK Rowling writes in detail of the disembodied chunks of vomit flying through the air that linger after the sick man’s body disappears. A woman after my own heart. Anyway that seemed to be the most appropriate event in all of the final installment of HP for me to write a song about.

Condenser Mic #1: Hat On, Drinking Wine

Condenser Mic is a new feature on Worcester Magazine’s arts and entertainment blog where local musicians submit a song of theirs along with a condensed (hence the name) 100 word piece detailing their music.  To get your music profiled on Condenser Mic, email Jeremy (Jeremy.Shulkin@gmail.com) with a write up and a link to your music.  A loud shout-out to local artist Bridget Kane for her awesome design.

Today’s band is Hat On, Drinking Wine, who have recently finished their first album and will throw a release party this Friday night at Nick’s.  Look for a full-length article on them in next week’s Worcester Magazine.  Here’s guitarist/singer Matt Robert on their song “Smoke Rings.”  

“Smoke Rings” was written in 2008 as an adaptation of a short story I wrote several years ago, about being trapped and depressed in an empty city during the summer. Ed helped me with the lyrics and that altered the meaning somewhat. I wrote the music on an acoustic and it had a quiet Dylan flavor going (I thought it sounded like a ’60s pop tune), but turned into something else – first when Jarrett added drums (which happened in the studio) and later, when Roger Lavallee suggested I lay a raw rhythm guitar part. The last touch was when Jim added some throaty B3 with some effects on it, and Ed layered a cool vocal harmony.

Listen to “Smoke Rings” and some great live versions of their songs on their myspace page.  Make sure you get to Nick’s on Friday night for their release.  The show starts at 7:00 with a couple openers, and as always at Nick’s, there’s no cover.