The Hogwarts School of Wizard Rock Comes to Springfield

“We rented a car to come to this show,” explained Allie Neuburger, an English student at George Washington University. Accompanied by her friend Medha Gupta, the two trekked through the suburbs of Northern Virginia to find a small, intimate acoustic rock show in Springfield. What made this show so special?  Harry Potter.

Specifically, Wizard Rock (or Wrock): rock and acoustic rock music inspired by the Harry Potter book and film series and its surrounding fan culture. The concert, held at a small youth group auxillary building at the Sydenstricker United Methodist Church in Springfield, featured performances by Lauren Fairweather and "The Whomping Willows."

The small crowd of self-proclaimed nerds and wizardry fans sang along and danced to the night’s catchy and highly niche acoustic songs. The evening began with an impromptu opening performance by the Burke Patch’s own columnist Grace Kendall, who performs in the wizard rock circuit under the name "Snidget." Playing the ukulele, Kendall crooned songs about the Potter series and other fantasy fiction.

Following Kendall was a solo performance by Lauren Fairweather. Her upbeat songs about Hogwarts and wizardry were catchy and surprisingly insightful. Matt Maggiacomo accompanied her at the end of her set for a few songs then concluded the evening performing solo work under the stage name of The Whomping Willows. Singing from the perspective of a sentient tree at Hogwarts, Maggiacomo sang songs about falling in love with a ghost, forming a new house at the wizard school, and the homoerotic implications between the novel’s rivals Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy.

The evening’s attendees ranged from college students to parents bringing their teenaged children to enjoy the music. Local mother Julie Schwartz brought along her daughter Emily to the show. “I’ve been listening to wizard rock for two years now,” explained Emily. “I first found out about it by searching for Harry Potter videos on YouTube.”

To learn more about Wizard Rock or to find more about the bands and musicians that perform it, you can check out WizardRock.org or the Wizrocklopedia.