Sitting in a Brooklyn coffee shop, Paul DeGeorge of Harry and the Potters is remarkably unlike his magical, hyper, onstage persona, which has struck a chord—cast a spell, even—on adult and adolescent fans alike. “[The band] was just a silly little idea I had,” DeGeorge said. “What if we wrote songs about these books kids were so nuts about? Could we maybe play rock shows in libraries? ... It was a side project that became a main project for a while. It’s been great fun.”
The band, whose music is aimed mostly at children and young adults, consists of Paul and his brother Joe. They began performing together six years ago—when Joe was 14 and Paul was just out of college—in the Boston suburbs, writing songs in their basement about Harry Potter. Soon, they had won the hearts of ardent Boston book lovers with their energetic shows at local libraries. DeGeorge feels strongly about playing libraries: “All you need is the sound system and the band—they’ve got the space, it’s an all-ages show ... You don’t need to deal with the booking agents, and they’re able to reach a much larger demographic.” Though the brothers are almost 10 years apart, their quirky charm fills a gap for fans, children, and parents. “That was the idea—that we would play to young kids, but keep it clever so that old folks are engaged too,” said DeGeorge.
Their DIY anti-folk songs about the books, the characters, and rock ‘n’ roll filled a niche for many young fans in the early 2000s, when the Harry Potter community lived solely on Web sites, such as MuggleNet and the Leaky Cauldron, and fan-fiction exchanges through LiveJournal. While the band has a diverse fan base now, DeGeorge still asserted, “As far as our most enthusiastic fans, they’re still the kids who are online commiserating.”
For many young Harry Potter fans, Harry and the Potters is the greatest thing going: two nerdy boys in gray sweaters and glasses—and they’re indie enough to be somewhat cool. “Our evolution has kind of followed Harry as he grows up,” DeGeorge said. “Not intentionally, but we’ve figured out what we’re doing too along the way.”
Despite the fact that many of their fans are growing older, the band’s popularity has skyrocketed. Still unsigned (due in part to potential legal issues), the band launched its music solely through the Internet and word-of-mouth promotion. They also toured constantly, as the younger Potter (Joe) took a year off from school. “We were on the road about five months out of the year ... we played almost 120 shows each year,” he said.
“We have no interest in signing,” said DeGeorge. “We’re fully capable of releasing our own records. I think labels serve some purposes, but for us as a band ... we don’t need that association ... We’ve made our own fans through unconventional channels.” These channels, added DeGeorge, include “touring like crazy for three straight years and playing in weird venues and getting the word out through a real grassroots way, rather than putting ads in Punk Planet magazine.”
The brothers were harbingers of a new genre, “wizard rock.” Now there are dozens of “wizard rock” bands, all with more bizarre names than the next—Dumbledore’s Armpit, The Whomping Willows, and the supposed Harry and the Potters rival, Draco and the Malfoys. Wizard rock, which consists of mostly unsigned bands, is the kind of DIY movement DeGeorge sought when beginning his own band. Without a label, these bands make music for the sake of it, which DeGeorge considers “punk rock in its own way.” To elucidate—as Harry and the Potters sound more Springsteen than Sex Pistols—he said, “I would say we’re a punk rock band because anything goes. That’s what punk rock means to me, at least ... doing it by yourself by your own rules.”
The band also supports an organization called “The Harry Potter Alliance,” which DeGeorge co-founded. Through this organization, they have raised over $13,000 for literacy projects and social change. “We’ve always viewed Harry and the Potters as a social-outreach program in a way, getting kids into reading ... it’s like indie rock community service.”
To this end, they sponsor a “Wizard Rock EP of the Month Club,” inspired by the original Sub-Pop EP of the month club. For $60 per year, fans receive four mailings of unreleased songs, with all the proceeds going to charity. First Book and the Harry Potter Alliance, both aimed at young fans, were the beneficiaries last year. This year, their tour will include a “Wizard Rock the Vote” as many Harry Potter fans come of voting age. Instead of giving toothbrushes for book reports (an earlier tour theme), there will be voter registration tables at every concert.
What better concert to begin the spring—after a brief stay in Alaska this March—than a gig at the New York Public Library on May 10? (To quote DeGeorge, “The one with the lions from Ghost Busters!”)
Because not even Voldemort is too cool for Harry and the Potters, this little DIY band will strap on their Nimbus 2000s for a few more tours before calling it quits. Until then, Muggles can enjoy their indie rock magic and continue to rock out—with their wands out.