Five Minutes With: The Whomping Willows!
How did you first get involved in Wizard Rock?
Originally it was just a joke -- I booked Harry and the Potters to play a show at my house in the spring of 2005, and my friends Bradley and Brian decided to spoof them and open as Draco and the Malfoys. I decided to get in on the joke and open as The Whomping Willows. At the time I never expected my band to become a serious project with actual fans and shows and whatnot. That didn't really start happening until several months later, when the Potters invited me to submit a song to their Magical Christmas of Magic compilation.
What's your favourite song that you've recorded so far, and why?
In Which Draco and Harry Secretly Want To Make Out. I think it's partially because it's my most popular song and it's amazing to hear people singing along when I play it at shows. I never thought I'd be in a place where that sort of thing would happen. Also, it makes a positive statement about acceptance, and encourages people to deal with an issue that might make them feel uncomfortable.
Most inspirational song you've heard?
Hippogriffs Deserve To Die by Draco and the Malfoys. (winks)
Do you think Wizard Rock and the Harry Potter books really affect people?
Well, wizard rock is kind of a byproduct of how the books affect people. I know literally hundreds of people whose lives have been changed by Harry Potter, and I've had many people tell me that wizard rock has changed their lives. Messages of love, compassion and acceptance are extremely valuable, especially to young people who are just figuring out what life is all about.
How has Wizard Rock affected your life?
It's made me a happier person, and it's allowed me to dedicate my life to my greatest passion, music.
What's one thing in the books, be it a character or a scene, that you really want to write a song about?
Right now I'm plotting an epic instrumental song called The Battle of Hogwarts. I usually don't write instrumentals so I'm pretty excited about it.
If you had to pick just one, what's your reason for getting up in the morning?
My friends. I love them so much and I'm so lucky to have them.
Favourite Harry Potter character (besides the Whomping Willow...)?
Snape! And Hermione.
A gay Dumbledore is...
Dumbledore! Finding out that he's gay changes absolutely nothing about who he is as a character. We simply know a little bit more about why his conflict with Grindelwald was so tumultuous.
If, for some barbaric reason, you could never pick up a guitar or sing again, you would...?
I would keep working with the wizard rock community, educating young people about how to create, record, release and promote their music, and I'd keep showing up at wizard rock concerts anyway.
Out of all of your performances, do any stick out in particular?
Prophecy and Wrockstock were the most intense and enjoyable musical experiences of my life. The wizard rock community is really tight-knit, but we're spread out all over the world. When we all come together at conferences like that, we celebrate as much as humanly possible and it always provides for an amazing experience.
You're involved in Cheap Rent, right? How did that come about?
Yes indeedy! Cheap Rent originally started out as a series of house party shows at my old apartment in Woonsocket RI. It's expanded into more of a record label situation since I released the first Whomping Willows CD under that label name. While the notion of a wizard rock record label is sort of contradictory in my mind, I wanted to find a way to help younger musicians pursue their own wizard rock bands and remain self-reliant in the face of any corporate labels that might try to take advantage of a booming scene. So, that's what Cheap Rent does -- we simply help wizard rockers with whatever information they need to make music and play shows.
Finally, if you were a Bertie Botts Every Flavour Bean, what flavour would you be?
Hmmmmmm...... sushi?