Harry And The Potters

July is clearly the month that Potter mania reigns supreme. With everything from the fifth movie to the new book (COMING OUT TOMORROW) there is no better time to be a wizard-enamored muggle! Case in point, everything even remotely connected with the books is receiving a magical boost in hype.

The music scene is definitely one that seems to be the most interestingly affected. Taking a cursory glance at myspace reveals a plethora bands spouting lyrics about the boy wizard and the magical world at large. Draco and the Malfoys, The Whomping Willows, The Parselmouths, The Moaning Myrtles, The Remus Lupins, The Ministry of Magic - they're all real groups which have all sprung up in the wake of the series' popularity. With genres ranging from techno to rock and 'other' they all share a common comedic core that transforms the tribulations of life as a wizard into songs like "Voldemort can't stop the rock!"


Another factor which connects all of these niche groups is the fact that they're getting A LOT of attention. All of the groups listed above are currently on tour at venues all across the nation.

But who would have these Potter-obsessed groups? Well ... In a classic example of synergy bookstores and libraries are more than willing to grant these bands exposure in exchange for bringing in the rabid Potter crowd! The fans are happy, the bands sell merchandise, and the purveyors of books will hopefully have fans coming in long after the Potter hype has died away.

Harry and the Potters, one of the groups at the forefront of the musical mania, was just at the Harold Washington Library two nights ago with a free concert. Performing on the ninth floor atrium, home to events like Chicago Metro History Fair competition, the re -purposing of this space was not to be missed. The fans came out in full force, completely maxing out the 500 person capacity of the venue.

My friend and I arrived just a half an hour before the performance was about to start and were met with a long line of fans sitting along the wall of the ground floor marble hallway. Apparently tickets were needed for this event and some people had been waiting since the early hours of the morning to reserve a spot! Well ... not having realized this beforehand and sans-tickets we decided to investigate anyways ... lets just say that by a stroke of luck and probably a bit of magic we got our hands on two tickets!

Now able to get past the guards and get our hands stamped for admission (there were awesome Lightning bolt stamps) we rushed in just as the crowd was getting ready to welcome the Potter duo. With handmade wands at the ready, and even giant foam hands the crowd was REALLY into it. The librarians had put out activity packets on each of the chairs, consisting of crossword puzzles, potter tattoos, and even DIY Hogwarts ties that you could color in, but those were put aside as soon as the prompt to rock was put forth!


Who here tonight feels like a muggle?
WHO HERE FEELS LIKE A WIZARD???

The Potter duo, consisting of Paul and Joe DeGeorge, Harry Potters Year 7 and Year 4 respectively, were clearly enjoying themselves on stage, and the crowd reception could not have been better. For all of the high school and college kids in the crowd no one was too self-conscious to participate. Indie kids and 7 year olds alike sang-along to songs like "Hagrid is full of love" and most everyone felt free to indulge their inner book nerd (who wouldn't with lyrics like "This book is so awesome!")

Here's an animated image of everyone getting into a particularly rousing song!

I have no idea who that guy with the glasses and the tattoos is (on the far right),
but he was probably the most into-it of the lot. He was totally rocking out up front.

A better view of the stage and of the entire group.

That has got to be one of the coolest guitar straps!

The two would stop between songs and talk for a bit. The younger brother was definitely excited about all of their songs and would build up the crowd before each one.


See them jump and interact with the crowd for the SPEW song!

Joe right after the show, before the signing session.

Stef and the drummer. I really wish I had caught his name!
He was super nice and even got my friend one of their drum covers for her birthday!

When he said that "it's been through a lot" he wasn't kidding.
Is it me or is that blood on it?!

Getting my Harry and the Potters shirt signed.

This photo came out sort of weird. But it's all good!

All in all it was a night of fun music, Harry Potter, and supremely good luck! Afterwards we couldn't help but go see the fifth movie in theaters again. If you get a chance to see these guys live or any other tribute band I highly recommend it. While the books are really great of their own accord, the feeling of being involved with this magical community is really neat - especially when you can see the sorts of things that come from it.

If you want any more information on the group you can check out their webpage.

Tags: Harry And The Potters, Harold Washington Library, Chicago, Downtown, July 17, Harry Potter, Wizard, Rock, Concert, Band, Paul DeGeorge, Joe DeGeorge, video

Curling is Cool

When you think of winter sports, most often the equipment that comes to mind has something to do with the season: ice skates, snow boards, and all manner of winter gear is usually required to bring the activity to fruition. But I present for your sampling a very different kind of sport, a way of life really, that is so unique and specialized that most people have no idea what it is.

Uh, what?

CURLING, the game --

With brooms, stones, concentric rings, skips, leads, and thirds the very image cast off by the obscure sport of curling is tantamount to that of a hip underground culture. The select few privileged enough to enter the world of this elusive sport are exposed to a set of rules and terminology that few can even begin to unravel. But for those of us forever fascinated with this secret society of ice athletes, Wikipedia provides the first step towards understanding.

Played on a long curling sheet of ice, the curling arena is prepared by spraying water droplets over it's surface and marking the concentric circles which constitute the "house" at it's far end. It is on this treacherous terrain that two teams of four, equipped with teflon coated shoes and curling brooms, face off in the ultimate game. The goal of curling is essentially to throw (slide) a rock (curling stone topped with an eye on the hog (special handle)) such that after ten ends (sixteen alternating rock throws) the team with the greatest number of rocks in proximity to the center of the house wins!


... But with all of the terminology inherent to the game, even I had trouble following this. You might have more luck understanding what is going on by playing some virtual curling for yourself and just reading through the simplified directions, or checking out my awesome high school computer art video game concept - CURL OUT ... or you could always follow my handy curling language guide, just fleetingly ripped from Wikipedia

Curling, the terminology --

Hack - a device embedded in the ice, used to provide traction to the curler making a shot

Skip - the captain of the team who is charged with determining strategy, a post held by such curling greats as Markku Uusipaavalniemi, U-15 himself!

Hogline - the line at which the stone must be released by the player for it to be considered in play, otherwise the rock is removed from play (hogged!)

Hurry (hard) (!) - to sweep the ice with such vigor as to affect the trajectory of the stone and make it's path both straighter and generally farther

Swingy Ice - ice on which stones curl more than usual

Ok, I hope that's enough to get you a bit more exposed to the strange language and practice of Curling. Sure, you may ask yourself: how many of these terms did I just make up because you wouldn't be able to tell the difference? Well ... that would mean putting to question my credibility as a blogger! And I would indeed be hurt enough by that doubt to retaliate by turn a wobbler on you at a Roaring Game fun speil! ... orangutan

Alright, so here's the good part

Curling, the weirdness --

So, that wasn't weird enough for you?
Well then, this video is what you have been missing in life!

Seriously, there's something to be had for Swedish metal in unison with Olympic Women's Curling! Especially as it would have never occurred to me that Acuvue-branded ice queens would transition so well into the dimly lit and fog shrouded world of metal.

Even if you discovered about three sentences into this post that you didn't care for Curling, surely this touches some deeply ingrained desire within you for such purely amazing ice mayhem - so listen to your swingy heart, set that curling rock star loose!

Tags: Curling, sport, rules, terminology, glossary, Hammerfall, Hearts on Fire, music video, Curl-Out, virtual curling

This is Halloween

Ah, yes - it's finally Halloween - that amazing end of October event which always brings back fond memories of running down the block with a zealous greed for sugar, causing havoc for my parents all night long until finally settling down to sort out mounds of sweets in front of the television (while watching the latest Simpsons Treehouse of Horror). Now that I'm in college there is definitely an element of nostalgia when considering that its way more difficult to to justify trick-or-treating, but the internet is always there to help bring about the right mindset. Thats why in looking about the internets I've managed to find some rather interesting spooky tid-bits.

(source, Flickr Vintage Halloween Pool)

First off, it goes without saying that watching the Nightmare Before Christmas is the quintessential Halloween experience - not only is it a great movie for any time of the year but playing it to excess on Halloween can totally be justified. A great video was posted up on YouTube of the latest iteration of the 'This is Halloween' tune done by Marilyn Manson for the 3D release of this cult classic. While it preserves the original nature of the song, introducing the Manson flavor really does add that extra freaky factor to it. Of course, checking out the Panic! At The Disco cover of the song (mp3) as well as the original Danny Elfman score (mp3) will have you feeling that Halloween spirit in no time.

Moving on from the stop motion animated goodness of Nightmare, I found 3D animation short in the same sort of neat Halloween vein. Created by Digital Kitchen this quick animation draws you in to a Halloween Dream with a really catchy soundtrack. Apparently its been utilized as part of Screenvision's Halloween-themed movie preshow, dubbed SCREAMvision so you might've seen it in theaters - Not bad.

Seeing as this has really become more of an animated tribute to Halloween, why add another throwback to stop-motion animation? The magic of Halloween themed peeps comes across in this random, yet amazing, quick flick. I really have to try me some of those zombified peeps.

If your desire for Halloween saturated goodness hasn't been satiated yet, check out X-Entertainment Blog, a great place for blurbs on 80s toys, random advertising, and of course, at this time of the year, the home of the Halloween Countdown!

And remember, don't be a Hallowe'en grinch(ette) when the tick-or-treaters come by or else the Freaky Flying-Pumpkin Commandeering Witch will come for you and all of that hoarded candy you thought you could keep for yourself.

Tags: Halloween, Vintage, Nightmare Before Christmas, Marilyn Manson, Panic! At The Disco, Danny Elfman, Halloween Dream, Stop Motion Animation, Peeps, X-Entertainment Blog

Edu-tastic Video Compilation

Even now, after having graduated from high school, I have to admit - it really is difficult for me to separate myself from the educational fun-ride that was k-12. Everywhere I look, it seems, I find benchmarks of my educational upbringing, from French dictionaries gathering dust on my bookshelf to one random elementary school spelling book that I should've definitely returned about nine years ago. It's been fun to rummage through old grade reports, laughing at awkward class photos, and sympathizing with elementary school teachers who racked their brains to try and impart some form of factual information to us.



Seriously though, an 'A' for all those spelling mistakes and random capitalizations? I would've deported myself outright for pledging 'alligance' to a 'republik' run by a lesser 'god' than He who directs the thoughts and actions of his progeny George W. Bush




Yet the internet has been the ultimate harbinger of memories connected to those nostalgic years - with the ability to simply Google old PBS educational shows I've been able to find countless reminders of the clever ways in which adults choose to inundate children with massive amounts of facts. And while giant purple dinosaurs perhaps are better suited for giving children an irrational phobia, one reoccurring technique has definitely stuck out for it's practicality - songs.

Since the dawn of time, it seems, as long as there have been core factual concepts (mathematics, science, history, language) people have always attempted to commit their base principles to memory through simple and repetitive forms. Things like mnemonic devices (SOH CAH TOA, Roy G. Biv, My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas*), rhymes, sayings, and songs have attempted to make the chore of pure repetition more mentally expedient. Sure, simply memorizing things through rote repetition is a staple hallmark of childhood (from reciting prayers or the pledge) -- yet songs have always added that extra bit of excitement that could trick entice a hyperactive child into doing some inadvertent learning.

But returning to the point, I don't think any sort of nostalgic post about the magic of song in education could be complete without a rundown of the very songs which permeate my subconscious mind, making me a slave to catchy jingles and quickly recited bits of information. Below is a compilation of the videos which I consider to have the most creative and powerful use of song to achieve that perfect jingle to fact ratio.

Ah, the Animaniacs - with their take on the nations of the world who could go wrong? Although, they did misspell Israel as 'Isreal' -- but I'll give Yakko a break, for a singing whatever-the-hell-it-is that's still pretty good.

School House Rock made my One Saturday Mornings notable (next to Doug, Recess, and Pepper Ann) -- and as far as this integration of the bill-making process to song I'd say it definitely has raised my political efficacy ... what person doesn't still secretly wish that the next bill passed could befriend them and after breaking out into song do a Kool-Aid man sort of "oh-yeah!" cheer?

Sesame Street always had tons of innovative clips presenting letters, colors, and numbers - so what better way to convey the concept of '6' than with a psychedelic pinball machine countdown?

Ok, this isn't necessarily an aide for conventional knowledge - but it sure did work for brainwashing me into being aware of the dangers that evil villains pose to the environment. But man, captain planet was a tad creepy himself, at least the cute South American boy with the pet monkey made up for it. We're the planeteers, you can be one too - cause saving our planet is the thing to do!

While I couldn't find an embed-able version of this next one, the Periodic Table of the Elements song by Tom Lehrer has been a standard for Chemistry teachers across the nation since 1955. If you've never encountered this song in class then you've missed a chemistry hot-topic that's almost as fascinating as the idea of the mole (Avogadro's number, equal to 6.022 x 10²³ atoms or molecules). You can however find a flash version of an animation done to the song at privatehand.com/flash/elements.html

And a treat, perfect for Pi Day! An amazing parody of all of the above, with the perfect dose of humor tossed in -- no Steve, not Pie, Pi (and in case you were hungry for that pi goodness, or just insane, you can find pi calculated to a million digits at piday.org)

* Note: seeing as Pluto has been demoted to the status of a dwarf plant (or trans-Neptunian object) alongside Ceres and 2003 UB313 as of August 24, 2006 ... I guess elementary school kids can go with something like My Very Educated Mother Just Said Uh-oh No Pluto (here's a visual).

Technorati Tags: Video, Music Video, Educational Television, YouTube, PBS, memorization, Animaniacs, Nations, School House Rock, Bill, Sesame Street, Captain Planet, Tom Lehrer, Periodic Table of the Elements, Pi Day

Music: The Spinto Band

The Spinto Band is an immensely catchy indie power pop band that I happened upon quite a while ago. It's songs - as brilliant and captivating as ever - have continued to pique my interest with each passing through my indie play lists. With imaginative lyrics matched by assorted vocals (at times powerful, at times wavering) and an upbeat pop-rock feel, the powerful sounds of this East Coast band will definitely stick with you. The layers of sound, woven through with unique instrumental elements (like kazoos featured in the song Brown Boxes), ultimately create the perfect mesh in a series of musical masterpieces. Each song in their repertoire remains distinctly different -- yet, if one song should be crowned their piece d'oeuvre, their latest single release Oh Mandy would take the honor.

While songs like Crack The Whip and Did I Tell You? from their album Nice and Nicely Done have emphasized their definite rock out quality, Oh Mandy has become the breakaway hit of the album. With a ghostly ambiance to the vocals and guitar, yet the propulsion of a strong beat and the band's pop roots, this song has captured a synthesis of sounds unlike anything I've heard before - undoubtedly lending to it's staying power on my mind and play lists.

The music video for Mandy is equally as haunting, employing stop motion animation combined with photograph cutouts for some really neat animation work.

You can check them out at spintoband.com or spintonic.net

Spinto Band - Oh Mandy (mp3)
Spinto Band - Brown Boxes (mp3)
Spinto Band - Crack The Whip (mp3)
Spinto Band - Look At The Floor (mp3)
Spinto Band - Baby Nerd (Part 1) (mp3)
Spinto Band - Tractor (mp3)

Songs available are from their album Nice and Nicely Done



Technorati Tags: Music, mp3, Music Video, The Spinto Band, YouTube, Indie, Pop Rock, Power Pop, Oh Mandy, Brown Boxes, Crack The Whip, Look at the Floor, Baby Nerd, Tractor

Mr. T 's Sound Advice

When doing anything in life, whether creating a blog for the first time or simply picking out what to wear -- it seems that the sound and universal advice of Mr. T has always aided me in pursuing the right direction. It's not just his bling, or amazing quips that attract me to this wise man's expertise, it's the unshaken faith in his own personality that makes his message all the more real and factual. That's why it seems only natural to kick off this blog with a post about Mr. T's self-assured guidelines for forming your own amazing persona. You've got to "be somebody" but additionally, know how to pull off the Mr. T style. Cause if you ain't a body, you're gonna be someone's fool, and we all know Mr. T's personal outlook on fools all too well.



If a music video and Mr. T rapping can't convince you to formulate a personality ... I'm afraid nothing can. So, what're you waiting for, give into the catchy 80s rhythm, video montage-style, and be somebody! Just listen to those inspiring lyrics:

If anybody tries to call you square - jus' look 'em in the eye - tell 'em you don' care
If you don't wanna be a crazy foo' - you'd better study real hard an' stay in schoo'

Now everybody know Mr. T don't lie, and it ain't no fun jus' scrapin' by ...
So if you wanna be cool - jus' like me - you'd better try real hard to be somebody!





There are no truer words around: Everybody gotta wear clothes, an' if you don't you'll get arrested. So listen to Mr. T and maybe, just maybe, you'll be as stylin' as him someday.

You don't have to give in to the fashionistas, but, just keep your eye out for the Jeff, there's no doubt that he's the "hippest cat in town" seeing as he's pulled off break dancing in a flannel shirt and red suspenders, but somehow, I just don't trust him.

Tags: Video, YouTube, 80s, Mr. T, Styling, Be Somebody, lyrics