Harry and the Potters take over The Witching Hour... at the witching hour!

Dear listeners,

Finally!! Our special one-hour episode with Harry and the Potters is now available here, and on iTunes!

Season 4 - Episode 8 - Harry and the Potters take over TWH

Backstory: The guys came to Whitman and performed on Saturday, Oct. 29. After the show, we snuck up to the KWCW station and did a special show, 12 - 1 am. They picked the tracks, told some jokes about Walla Walla, took some calls, and generally had a blast.

In fact, they had such fun that we should offer our apologies for the poor audio quality at points—the guys were just super excited and making the levels crazy. I did a bit of editing, but c’est la vie. ENJOY!

Here's a sample of the guys' selections:

• Hot Chocolate
• Fugazi
• Weezer
• Clarence Clemens & the Red Bank Rockers

And Jacob: We're still wondering. Did Bobby ever get his prize?

Wizards in the news

Wowee, lots of press coverage for The Witching Hour this week! We were in our college's newspaper not once, not twice, not thrice, but FOUR TIMES! It's almost like people know who we are, crazy~~

First, we were interviewed in an article about our radio station, KWCW, and its involvement in the Walla Walla community. Second, we were voted the most-listened-to program on KWCW! (Thanks, listeners, for voting!) Third, we were featured as the KWCW show of the week in the A&E section, and mentioned along with HATP in the Pio Picks, a list of must-do events for the upcoming weekend.

Of course, much of this coverage has to do with Saturday's HARRY AND THE POTTERS show, but we'll take what we can get.

So pick up a Whitman Pioneer today on campus, or visit their website to read all about us!

Here are the links:

KWCW Show of the Week

Feature article: KWCW bewitches national audience

PDF version of The Pioneer (pages 4 and 6)

Harry and the Potters @ Whitman

As many of our dear listeners know, we had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Paul and Joe DeGeorge of Harry and the Potters this past June before their Ride The Lightening performance in Portland. All summer we dragged the excitement out as we talked and talked and talked about what amazing guys they are. But seriously. Genuine and absolutely hilarious, the duo had some great things to say. For this week's show, we combined the interview with some of beloved, but lesser played, Harry and the Potters tracks and talked a bit about the origins of the Witching Hour. Really, our existence is all thanks to these two, the accidental founders of the wizard rock genre.

You'd think it really doesn't get any better... until it does! After a bit of Witching Hour magic, Whitman Events Board and our radio station, KWCW 90.5 FM Walla Walla, have secured a SPECIAL WHITMAN SHOW this coming Halloween weekend of Harry and the Potters! Hurrah! More details to come, dear (local) listeners.

So, without further ado, a REAL, actual, not deleted proper podcast!

Season 4 - Episode 4 - Wizard rock origins: Harry and the Potters

(all songs by HATP unless otherwise noted.)

"Harry Potter"

"I Am A Wizard"

"Wizard Chess"

"Song for the Death Eaters"

"Voldemort Can't Stop the Rock"

"This Book is So Awesome" by Ministry of Magic

"Taking You 2 Skool" by Dumbledore

"Haircut"

"The Enchanted Ceiling"

"Stick it to Dolores"

"We Are Wizards" by MC Kreacher

"Maybe Kreacher Will Bring Me A Sandwich"

"Never Going to the Bathroom Again"

"The Blood of a Prince"

"Accio Hagrid"

"The Missing Arm of Victor Krum"

"Save Ginny Weasley"

"Save Ginny Weasley from Dean Thomas"

"Dumbledore's Army" (live)

"The Fourth Triwizard Champion"

"These Days are Dark"

(Both photos by Ben Hovland.)

Birds & boys

This week we're back and chatting all about relationships in the Potterverse. Our inspiration for the theme, as many have guessed, is from the HATP song, "Hermione's Birds and Boys." We talked a bit about the Hermione-Ron-Lavender triangle, the Harry-Ginny-Dean story, Fred-George-Angelina, Lily-James-Snape, Neville and Luna, Bill and Fleur, Draco and Pansy, and more! The love never stops her at The Witching Hour. Although sometimes it's unrequited. And sometimes.... it's un-podcasted. It's all Sara's fault guys!! I accidentally deleted the file. I am the worst. I know. But here's the track list anyways...?

Season 4 - Episode 3 - Birds & boys (no podcast)

"XOXO Gossip Witch" by the First Task is Dragons
"Portkey to Your Heart" by Into the Pensieve
"Smoochy Smoochy Pukey Pukey" by Harry and the Potters
"Won Won" by Gred and Forge
"Ode to Lav Lav" by Roonil Wazlib
"Hermione's Birds and Boys" by Harry and the Potters
"Hey Hey Ron" by the Hermione Crookshanks Experience
"Accio Love" by Ministry of Magic
"Krum" by Justin Finch-Fletchley
"Pansy (You Are the Girl of My Dreams)" by Draco and the Malfoys
"Pansy, Please?" by Hawthorn & Holly
"Potions, Dancing, Hexing & Romancing" by Justin Finch-Fletchley
"Save Ginny Weasley from Dean Thomas" by Harry and the Potters
"Oh, Ginny!" by Oliver Boyd & the Rememberalls
"Love, Ginny" by Obliviate!
"Bill's Hot Girlfriend" by Gred and Forge
"No Matter How Far (I'll Always Love You)" by Talons & Tea Leaves
"Lily" by Ministry of Magic
"A Pensieve Full of Unrequited Love" by the Mudbloods
"Werwolf Love" by Tonks and the Aurors
"Love Song for Professor Lupin" by the Parselmouths
"In Which Draco and Harry Secretly Want to Make Out" by the Whomping Willows
"Dumbledore's Gay (and that's OK)" by Justin Finch-Fletchley
"Come on Angelina" by Gred and Forge
"Ollie Won't You" by Wrackspurt!
"Phoenix Tears" by Harry and the Potters

And, since you couldn't hear the announcement on air...

HARRY AND THE POTTERS ARE COMING TO WALLA WALLA! They will be performing at Coffeehouse at Whitman on October 29 at 9 pm. Halloween weekend, yes! Tune in Monday October 3 for a HATP-themed show, where we'll be playing clips from this summer's interview.

Wizhop, wizblues, wizard punk and more: TWH summer mixtape, vol. 2

This month's mixtape is all about re-thinking wizard rock. The movie may be out but this is not the end! We've got some great wiz hop (formerly referred to as wrap—we picked this new and improved term up from Joe DeGeorge) as well as new wrock wrenditions, some recent releases and updates on old favorites by the likes of Draco and the Malfoys and Harry and the Potters.

You can download the mixtape here.

Enjoy the tracks!

"House Elf 4 Life" by MC Kreacher
"Broomsticks and Apparations" by Fawkes
"B.Y.O.W" by Danny Dementor
"Like a Horcrux" (artist unknown)
"We R Lightning Scars" by Alex Carpenter feat. Kri$tina
"Occlumency Lessons" by the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office
"Alohomora" by Pogo
"Party All Night" by the Whomping Willows
"Pixie Funk" by the Blibbering Humdingers
"The Firebolt (2010 version)" by Harry and the Potters
"My Dad is Rich" by Draco and the Malfoys
"The Art of Parseltongue" by Hawthorne and Holly
"Worth Fighting For" by the Butterbeer Experience
"Angsty Wizard Summer" by Bella's Love
"Hallows" by Andy with an M
"Hallelujah (The Boy Who Lived)" by Talons & Tea Leaves

If you know what's good for you

... then check out this article about the power and future of wizard rock, dear readers. Saw it via Harry and the Potters' summer tour tumblr.

Excerpt:

Harry and the Potters jump between all these levels, singing about events and emotions, but also releasing their own albums and booking their own tours while organizing human rights projects through the charity they co-founded, Harry Potter Alliance. This connection to human rights is common. I listened, for example, to an entire compilation of Wizard Rock bands like Roonil Wazlib and the Whomping Willows singing about independent media. Their Voldemort is Rupert Murdoch. In fact, I’m pretty sure they’re just singing about Rupert Murdoch. Why, then, don’t they just sing about those things? Why marginalize yourself within a fan community? For one thing, marginalization isn’t a side effect, it’s the point. The Rupert Murdoch references aren’t just trading fictional evil for real evil: The books themselves contain a strong DIY message — when Harry is persecuted by a corrupt government, his friends turn to an independent zine and pirate radio to exonerate him. The community around Wizard Rock rewards the same spirit in their bands.

Have Yourself a Harry Little Christmas... in June

Happy anniversary of the end of the Second Wizarding War! Well, not quite. That day was May 2, 1998 and this podcast is coming out in June. Blame DJ Sara——Mehera and Claire recorded the show on May 2 but it is only now being released. Perhaps it is for the best. You might be a bit more emotional right now if it truly were the 13th anniversary of the death of so many of our favorite HP characters. Although, as Mehera notes, it's only six more years till the epilogue occurs... if you do the math, some of our new favorites (*cough*ALBUSSEVERUS*cough*) have already been born. But I digress.

This week is our bi-annual holiday show, featuring songs from charity wrock compilation albums. There are some really great songs packed in here, so don't miss out!

Season 3 - Episode 11 - A Very Harry Christmas

"Drop the Needle, It's Christmas" by Dumbledore
"It's Not Christmas" by the Moaning Myrtles
"Have Yourself a Harry Little Christmas" by Gred and Forge
"Light the Castle Up" by the Remus Lupins
"House Elf Party" by the Blibbering Humdingers
"My Wish List" by MC Kreacher
"Christmas Shopping for Dobby" by Harry and the Potters
"All I Want for Christmas" by Draco and the Malfoys
"An Epic Christmas Tale, Chapter 3: We Lift Each Other Up" by the Mudbloods
"Decorate Me" by the Whomping Willows
"Yuletide Anthem" by Kwikspell
"Money for Christmas" by the Gringotts Goblin Choir
"Hogwarts Lullaby" by the Veelas
"The 12 Days of Wizard Christmas" by Gred and Forge
"Nothing to Fear" by Ministry of Magic
"Seasonal Depression" by the Whomping Willows
"The Sweater Song" by the Hermione Crookshanks Experience
"Wizard Chess" by Harry and the Potters
"Christmas with the Weasleys" by the Remus Lupins
"The Cold, Wild Yonder" by Oliver Boyd and the Rememberalls
"Celebrate the Day" RiddleTM
"It's Snowing" by Catchlove
"Spread the Pureblood Cheer" by the Purebloods
"Voldemort's Secret Santa" by Seen and Unforseen
"When Bellatrix Came Over for Christmas/What?!" by Harry and the Potters
"Help Me, Hagrid" by Justin Finch-Fletchley and the Sugar Quills
"Magical Christmas" by House of Black
"X-mas Rules, Voldemort Drools" by Harry and the Potters
"Happy Christmas Day" by Oliver Boyd and the Rememberalls

Happee Birthdae TWH blog!

The Witching Hour's blog is one year old today! Just like Harry when ol' Voldie killed his parents! Okay, perhaps not an appropriate simile. But you get the picture—our little radio show has grown so fast. It seems only yesterday that The Witching Hour was only a dream, and here we are about to interview Harry and the Potters, the founders of the genre for which we exist to promote.

A million heartfelt thanks to everyone who's read the blog, listened to the podcast, supported us and encouraged us.

xoxo

Sara, Mehera & Claire

Interview of the century

Hey dear listeners, remember that time we told you Harry and the Potters were coming to Portland?

WELL GUESS WHAT!

THEY AGREED TO BE INTERVIEWED FOR THE SHOW!

Harry and the Potters is the greatest band of all time.

If you have any questions for them, please send them along to thewitchinghour.kwcw@gmail.com or post them on our Facebook group! You've only got about a week and a half to do so.... so get on it!

Harry and the Potters: SUMMER TOUR!

Courtesy of Harry and the Potters.

Good news, dear listeners!

Harry and the Potters are going on a summer tour! At times they will be joined with their friends Justin Finch-Fletchley, the Whomping Willows, and Lauren Fairweather, as well as others along the way. Mehera, Sara and Claire will be attending their June 21 show at Backspace in Portland, and Mehera will be at the Seattle Public Library show on June 24, too. Join us and RIDE THE LIGHTNING!!!!!!

For exact details, dates and tickets, visit their website.