Last month, I had the chance to see Harry and the Potters play at the Main Street Museum in White River Junction, Vt. Yeah, they rocked.

Fronted by Harry Year 4 (Joe DeGeorge) and Harry Year 7 (Paul DeGeorge), Harry and the Potters play a blend of garage rock and indie-pop melodies. Their DIY attitude and enthusiasm is infectious and will have you hopping to such songs as “Voldemort Can’t Stop the Rock,” “We Gotta Save Ginny Weasley,” and “Stick It To Delores.” They also played their love ballad, “My Wizard Scar Still Burns For You,” but don’t reach for that lighter, ’cause that’s a muggle thing to do.

After the show, I chatted with the boys for bit and bought for a friend a black t-shirt with the words “My Guitar is a Horcrux” silkscreened in silver, like the stuff Dumbledore uses in his Pensive.*

Harry and the Potters have a couple of albums out, with a new one to be released within the next couple of months. Personally, they are so much better live and I prefer the Internet Archive recordings of their California shows, specifically, their show at the Westside Jewish Community Center. But I recommend getting their albums, especially their self-titled release and “Voldemort Can’t Stop the Rock!” The artwork is great and the CDs are inexpensive, even for a cheapskate like me.

As of this post, the Potters are preparing for their 2006 Summer Reading and Rocking tour. Check their website for concert dates. And while you’re at the Potters’ website, also check out their tour diary. It’s very well written and hilarious. Favorite section:

Yes, Minneapolis is a real rock city for sure, so they were ready when the Potters rolled into town. Prince gave us a good tour of the Park. He was making crazy claims about being the half-blood Prince, but I really think it was just a ploy for him to regain some relevance. Everyone knows Prince is a pure-blooded rocker.

Rock on, Harry Potter.

* – If you don’t know what a Horcrux, a Pensive, or who Dumbledore is, start reading the books already.

Just when you thought that Christmas songs in department stores were irritating, check out these Chinese New Year’s songs – all in perfect English, but extremely odd. I recorded from a hokey departmenty store near my apartment on my Zen Micro, so don’t complain about the quality.

The New Year’s Almost Here!
The meaning of Chinese New Year’s is to go shopping until you are physically in pain. Also, if you’re a guy, you have to go get a perm.

May All Your Businesses Prosper and Improve
My “favorite” of the bunch, this is a song about wishing good tidings for the new year. These tidings in question seem to be about keeping your cash flow open like a goatse.

Oh We’re Going to See Our Parents
My mom would love this song. Better give your parents some R.E.S.P.E.C.T., as this song reminds you some 4000492 times.

Live Each Day Like New Year’s Day
Not really brainwashy like the others, it’s just plain tacky, like a fuschia Ford Probe. I know what I’m talking about- one of my friends used to have one. It’s fucking tacky.

EDIT: Noticed from a Boing Boing post that the holiday should be Lunar New Year instead of Chinese New Year – sorry ’bout that. However, the songs seem refer to the Chinese way of celebrating it (well, we do the same stuff here in Taiwan too), with one of the songs I couldn’t record talking about playing Mahjong. Hence, the post title; please don’t take offense. If you still do take offense, shove off.

FYI, I think the songs came from Hong Kong due to the “Gong Xi Fa Choy” in “Oh We’re Going To See Our Parents” – sounds like Cantonese to me.