The pioneers of wizard rock return with a double LP chronicling the all-too-relevant events
of the seventh Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
"The Potters specialize in lo-fi indie rock, sung from the perspective of the protagonist, played by both [Paul] DeGeorge and his brother Joe. Musically, they take cues from the nerdy meanderings of They Might Be Giants and Magnetic Fields, adding on silly lyrics sourced from the books’ plot lines."
" ...a gimmick, a daydream, and a beautiful geeky power-fantasy all wrapped in one... they wrote music about what they adored, they had no fear, and along the way they fostered a beautiful thing." -VICE's Noisey
Wizard rock pioneers Harry and the Potters (Paul and Joe DeGeorge), have officially released their first full-length album since 2006: Lumos. Using the magic of rock and roll, Lumos chronicles the events of the seventh and final Harry Potter book where J.K. Rowling’s teen wizard and his friends are on the run from a xenophobic, authoritarian regime and must work diligently to take down a dark wizard who capitalizes on fear and emboldens supremacist wizards. In other words, the subject matter of Lumos is extremely relevant. Harry and the Potters also just kicked off their first national tour of libraries since 2011 in support of the new album. Lumos was first announced to Harry and the Potters' fans with a Kickstarter campaign on April 23rd, doubling its funding goal within 24 hours of launch.
Lumos is an album for this political moment. For the parents raising a younger generation reading these books for the first time, it’s an opportunity to connect the dots: the systems facilitating oppression in the wizard world – state-run media, children being separated from their mixed-blood parents, surveillance systems, and pureblood supremacy – strongly echo the daily reality of creeping neo-fascism. For the generation of Harry Potter fans that has grown up into a world where cartoonish villains occupy the halls of power, it’s a reminder that there is a pathway forward. Now is the time for Dumbledore’s Army, for the Order of the Phoenix. We are being called upon to become the heroes that this moment necessitates.
Paul DeGeorge tells Rolling Stone, “we’re hoping that parents and their young kids might see us play at the library, hear a song explicitly critiquing pureblood supremacy and then later have a real discussion about white supremacy and how it manifests in their own lives.”
These are wizard fight songs, but there are also songs about riding dragons, magic pictures of cats, and using cool spells while camping. There is even a platonic friendship power ballad duet with Kimya Dawson, who makes a special guest appearance as Hermione Granger. Truly there is something here for the whole family – especially if the whole family is invested in defeating Voldemort.
Tracklist:
1. Lumos
2. You’re Not the Wizard
3. Good Riddance (Privet Drive)
4. The Trace
5. On the Importance of Media Literacy Under Authoritarian Rule
6. Hermione’s Army
7. What Happened to the Cat?
8. The Banality of Evil (Song for Albert Runcorn)
9. Gone Campin’
10. Where’s Ron? (featuring Kimya Dawson as Hermione Granger)
11. No Pureblood Supremacy
12. Voldemort in Your Head
13. The Sword, The Cup, and the Dragon
14. The Cloak
15. The Stone
16. The Wand
June 21 - Gloucester, MA - Sawyer Free Library June 22 - Buffalo, NY - Buffalo and Erie County Public Library June 23 - London, ON - The Rec Room June 24 - Toronto, ON - The Rec Room June 26 - Ann Arbor, MI - Ann Arbor District Downtown Library
June 27 - Evansville, IN - Barnes and Noble June 28 - Athens, OH - Athens Public Library June 29 - Louisville, KY - Louisville Free Public Library June 30 - Chicago, IL - Beat Kitchen July 1 - DeForest, WI - DeForest Area Public Library July 2 - Dubuque, IA - Eagle Point Park (rain location: Carnegie-Stout Public Library) July 3 - Minneapolis, MN - Cedar Cultural Center July 4 - Rapid City, SD - Memorial Park Bandshell July 5 - Steamboat Springs, CO - Strings Music Festival July 6 - Boulder, CO - Band Shell in Central Park July 7 - Denver, CO - Mercury Cafe July 8 - Provo, UT - Provo Library at Academy Square July 9 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court July 12 - Missoula, MT - Missoula Public Library July 13 - Calgary, AB - The Rec Room July 14 - Edmonton, AB - The Rec Room July 16 - Vancouver, BC - Vancouver Public Library July 17 - Anacortes, WA - Causland Park July 18 - Olympia, WA - Olympia Timberland Library July 19 - Seattle, WA - Seattle Public Library July 20 - Portland, OR - St. Johns Library July 20 - Portland, OR - Gresham Library July 21 - Eugene, OR - Downtown Eugene Public Library July 23 - Santa Clara, CA - Northside Branch Library July 24 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill July 25 - Oakland, CA - Oakland Public Library Main Branch
July 26 - San Luis Obispo - San Luis Obispo Library July 27 - Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Public Library
July 28 - La Jolla, CA - The Ché Café
July 29 - Bakersfield, CA - Beale Memorial Library July 30 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour July 31 - Huntington Beach, CA - Huntington Beach Public Library August 1 - Las Vegas, NV - Clark County Library August 2 - Phoenix, AZ - Burton Barr Central Library August 3 - Tucson, AZ - Flowing Wells Branch Library August 4 - El Paso, TX - El Paso Public Library August 5 - San Antonio, TX - The Magik Theater August 6 - Houston, TX - Houston Public Library - Barbara Bush Literacy Plaza August 7 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Public Library - Main Library August 8 - Ridgeland, MS - Ridgeland Public Library August 9 - Dallas, TX - LeakyCon August 12 - Austin, TX - Mohawk August 14 - Shawnee, KS - Monticello Library August 15 - Tulsa, OK - Tulsa City County Library - Hardesty Regional Library August 16 - Springfield, MO - The Library Center
August 17 - Nashville, TN - Basement East August 18 - Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Public Library
August 19 - Raleigh, NC - Cameron Village Regional Library - 6pm - FREE August 20 - Washington, DC - Woodridge Library August 21 - Lewes, DE - Lewes Public Library August 22 - Brooklyn, NY - Knitting Factory
August 23 - New Bedford, MA - Downtown near the Library - 7pm - FREE August 24 - Boston, MA - Boston Public Library (Dartmouth Street Steps)
About Harry and the Potters:
(c) Kim Newmoney
Harry and the Potters are the first wizard rock band. They play songs exclusively about the Harry Potter books. The band consists of brothers Joe and Paul DeGeorge. They grew up in a suburban Boston house that has a cupboard under the stairs. Since 2002, Harry and the Potters have performed over 800 shows in libraries, rock clubs, art spaces, bookstores, basements, and all ages venues all over the world. Their high-energy live show has become legendary. Pitchfork placed the band in their Best Live Shows of 2005 list noting, "the greatest rock and roll tour of the year took place this past summer in public libraries across America… The Decemberists wish they could lit-rock like this.”
Inspired by equal parts Fugazi and They Might Be Giants, Bruce Springsteen and Negativland, the band continues to occupy a bizarre niche that brings their DIY punk ethos to the fandom of a mainstream cultural phenomena. Their commitment to playing all ages shows has meant extensive touring in unconventional spaces like libraries (where a large number of teens and pre-teens undoubtedly saw their first concert ever). As fandom and convention culture has gone mainstream – and in the process become increasingly corporatized – over the past decade, it feels refreshing to see a free Harry and the Potters show at the local library.
The band helped co-found the pioneering fan activist organization The Harry Potter Alliance and were profiled in the 2008 documentary We Are Wizards. With their annual Yule Balls (2005-present) and the Wizard Rock EP Club (which released albums from over 30 different wizard rock bands between 2007-2009), the band has raised over $100,000 for the Harry Potter Alliance and other literature-related charities.
In 2019, they will release Lumos, their first full-length album in over a decade, and will embark on an extensive summer tour of libraries across the United States.
Instagram: @harryandthepotters
Twitter: @hatp
For all media requests, contact Heidi Vanderlee - hv@sharkpartymedia.com