Hello friends,

Paul DeGeorge writing to you today.  Thank you for taking the time to read the Wizard Rock EP of the Month Newsletter: Volume 4.  

Current subscribers should note that the 3rd mailing of EPs had been delayed by a few weeks.  This is mostly due to busy times at the pressing plant as well as some delays in getting artwork settled.  If all goes well from here on out, Matt should have the CDs in-hand by October 17th and will start shipping them out probably around October 20th.  Sorry for the delay.  These CDs are worth the wait!

In the meantime, those looking for a taste of what's to come in the 3rd shipment can head over to the following myspace pages to hear songs from the upcoming releases:

Harry and the Potters - listen for "Expulsion During Disapparation"
the Nifflers - featuring 3 songs from their upcoming EP!
Big Whompy - check out "Whompy Iz A Gangsta"

And for those who haven't yet subscribed to the club, this gives you two more weeks to do so.  If you subscribe now, you'll be getting shipped 9 CDs towards the end of the month, which include not only the 3 bands listed above, but also releases from the Mudbloods, Gred and Forge, the Hermione-Crookshanks Experience, Catchlove, Justin Finch-Fletchley and the Sugar Quills and the Gryffindor Common Room Rejects!  

There are still a handful of subscriptions left, so subscribe now!


Remember: all proceeds from the Wizard Rock EP Club subscriptions go to support First Book and the Harry Potter Alliance!

I'll take a moment now to tell you about the upcoming EP from Harry and the Potters (July 2008).  This is the first album where Joe and I recorded everything ourselves.  If you've followed our band over the years, you know that our drum stool has been a revolving door of characters.  I just tried to listing it out and, to my best recollection, we've had at least 12 different people playing drums for us during the past 6 years.  This EP marks the first time that Joe and I have gotten behind the kit.  This is maybe the most "punk rock" stuff we have recorded yet, because it literally captures us picking up an instrument and playing and learning it for the first time.  I'm not saying it's a pretty experience, but these songs definitely capture the sort of primal urgency that can be missing from so many recordings.  We recorded it over 2 days in our parents basement on a Tascam cassette 4-track without any overdubs (except of one rippin' guitar solo).  You can hear one song on our Myspace right now and we look forward to sharing the rest with you soon!0

And now, let's hear from some of the other bands!

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The Basilisk in Your Pasta (October 2008) writes in from France to say:

So far, we only have three songs fully recorded, but next week we'll record the rest of them, for your listening pleasure :)  Our summer's been pretty awesome and it ended on a perfect note when we went to spend a week in the countryside where we celebrated our one year anniversary... We even baked a cake and everything! :) We ended up practicing our songs, thinking about new ones, etc. We can't wait to record our songs and the hear all the other EPs from the other bands.  We're really glad to be a part of this and hope you'll enjoy our EP! (you can hear "Bad Guy" and Potterwatch" on our myspace page). Thanks to all of you who suscribed! We love you!

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Of his forthcoming EP, the Giant Squidstravaganza (December 2008) writes:

BEWARE OF SCIENTISTS, THOSE BASTARDS!!!!!!!

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Amber from the Gryffindor Common Room Rejects (February 2008) writes:

The summer was incredible amounts of major awesome. Shawn and I got to meet and see a bunch of the bands from the EP of the Month Club, which was so great. I'm so proud of every single one of the bands that are a part of this project. What I've heard so far is, without a doubt, the best there is when it comes to WizRock and I'm waiting on the edge of my seat for the next installment of EPs (which I keep in my car and listen to constantly). That being said, The Wizard Rock EP of the Month Club was the catalyst for GCR.Squared to become a better band. Being a part of this club gave us a reason to pump up our volume and add a guitar, because before this we were the wall-flowers of Wizard Rock. Shawn and I are immensely grateful to Paul and Matt, both of whom we love and adore, for giving us this opportunity, for sharing our music with such dedicated wizard rock fans, and for having faith in us.

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Fun times ahead:

In late October, the Whomping Willows will be heading out on tour with EP club colleague Justin Finch-Fletchley and the Sugar Quills.   They will be turing this tour into a HP Alliance chapter that focuses on poverty on a domestic and international level.  This tour will be raising money for disaster relief in Haiti.  See the Whomping Willows Myspace page for tour dates and details!

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Once again, let me remind you all that the Wizard Rock EP Club is the ONLY place where you can get these CDs, so subscribe now because spaces are limited!



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In other news, the Wizard Rock EP Club seeks interns!  

Are you a wizard?  Do you want to work with us to raise money for awesome charities and non-profits?  We're seeking very, very, very responsible people to help with CD MAILINGS, PUBLICITY, and GRAPHIC DESIGN.  If any of those areas seem to excite you then please email us at wizardrockEPclub at gmail dot com.  These internships are unpaid and are relatively small, but very important, commitments.  Expect a couple hours/week of work at most.  We don't really need resumes or any official application, but do please send us something that indicates to us that you are a responsible/intelligent/trustworthy individual with a passion for ______.   Impress us!


Thanks for being a part of this,
P. T. DeGeorge
Harry and the Potters

WE HAVE TWO NEW SONGS UP FROM OUR NEW CD (which you should buy)!!

They're called "Letters" and "Not a Chance".

And the song you can download is "Let's Be Friends" which is our collab song with Lauren Freaking Fairweather. You didn't know that was her middle name? Well, it is.

So...have fun with that.

Peace, Harry Potter, Love, Harry Potter, and all that jazz,
Shawn and Amber.

I pretty much mess everything up. Sorry, guys. We have new songs from our CD up on our page ( I know this was already in a blog, but I deleted it ]= my bad.)

ALSO! Here's some VERY exciting news. PREORDERS ARE AVAILABLE! Yay!

The button thing is being dumb and not working here, but you can buy the CD RIGHT NOW on our profile. I'm really excitied about all of this.

Shawn is my hero because she set everything fo rhte preorders up and she basically rocks.

--amber, a reject.

PS! If you Pre-Order our CD, than you GET A SPECIAL PRIZE with you CD. Ooooo, doesn't that sound awesome?

New Song! It's called "The Phat Lady"....I'll assume you'll know what it's about.

Hey guys,

Paul DeGeorge (aka Harry Year 7) here to introduce you to Volume 2 of our awesome EP Club Newsletter.  I thought I would use this opportunity to give you a little insight on what's involved in running the EP Club.  Today, we're talking about packaging!!!!

If you've already joined the EP Club, then you've seen the first three releases from 2008 and you know how awesome they look, sound, and feel.  This year, in honor of the Whomping Willow's participation, we've printed the jackets on 100% PCW recycled cardboard stock.  The incredible design work you've seen on the sleeves was done by my dear friend and one of my favorite artists, Marty Allen.  Marty plays in the band Uncle Monsterface and also produces and sells sock puppet portraits.  Marty collects all the artwork from each band, as well as tracklists and liner information, and then seamlessly integrates them into the overall design aesthetic that he's crafted for this year's CD covers and discfaces.  When that's done, we send them off to Bellwether Manufacturing, our CD manufacturer.  They make sure everything is cool, send us some PDF proofs and then we tell them that everything is cool and they make the CDs.

We had a little hiccup in the process of manufacturing the 4th, 5th and 6th CDs.  When we got the quotes back from Bellwether, we discovered that their CD jacket printer (a separate, contracted company from Canada) had raised their prices for printing on the cardboard sleeves.  And this wasn't just a slight increase, they more than doubled the prices.  This really freaked me out because at the new price level, it was going to cost us $6000 more than we anticipated to continue printing on these awesome cardboard sleeves.

Fortunately, the folks at Bellwether Manufacturing were super helpful.  I've been working with them for 6 or 7 years now and they are great people who take a lot of pride in what they do and really care about making sure every project comes out right.  The EP Club is a something they are really excited about, and so when the price increase came in, they were just as concerned as we were.  They really went to bat for us with their jacket printer and were able to lock-in a much smaller price increase which will enable us to continue to print on the cardboard sleeves for the duration of the project.  Their efforts saved us nearly $5000, so I'd like to use this opportunity to thank Michael McPeek and Kristin Londergan, of Bellwether Manufacturing.   They are truly some of the unsung heros of this project. 

In the next edition, I'll give you an update on the new Harry and the Potters EP.  Joe and I recorded it a couple weeks ago in the basement and we're really pumped about it.  We can't wait to share more with you.

There are still loads of subscriptions left so subscribe now!


From The Basilisk In Your Pasta:

So far it has been really great to build this project together, because as a gigantic band we all have ideas for songs and it's fun to experience different styles. As this EP will be our first release, we have decided not to go for a specific theme or genre, we are just going to record any song that is ready. The EP will then be a kind of compilation of all the member's songs- because there are some that we wrote all together, and others that were invented by only 2 or 3 members of the band. For example, Nelly wrote "Bad Guy" on her own, and then Glutte added some chords to it. Also, we include a lot of our friends into the band, whether it's for writing lyrics, playing guitar or singing- because the whole thing about our band is to share the fun with as many people as possible. Lately, we haven't been able to see each other a lot to rehearse, but hopefully when everyone is on vacation we will write some more kickass songs! That's it for the update, we'll keep you posted :) Oh and Lou just called me to say that we received the EPs, I can't wait to listen to them!


From The Nifflers:

Update time baby boo!

Our recording from the EP of the month club has gone so well over these past few months. Our tracks our better than we could have ever hoped for and we think you'll think the same when you hear the EP. If you haven't noticed yet our page has a brand spanking new version of the smash hit song "Sweater For Christmas."It was just uploaded last week-ish. I'm in love with this new version, it's too sweet. The new electric parts, Christian from Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls put in, is sooooooo good. So if you have the time please feel free to check it out along with our other new songs if you have not heard them yet. There is still one more song coming that is being brought back from the grave of Nifflers songs, and it is going to kick mega butt. I'm not just blowing smoke either. That song is in the works and should hopefully be finished by the end of the month.

Both the Nifflers want to thank our amazing buddy Christian, from Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls, for helping us record and mix our songs. Without him we wouldn't be able to give the subscribers the best. You can check him out at www.myspace.com/oliverboydandtheremembralls.


Finally, here's an awesome video of Matt and Justin packaging CD mailings! Woo!



www.wizardrockclub.com



DO IT!

EP Club Newsletter 1 – May 13, 2008

Hello friends,

This is the first installment of the EP of the Month
Club's official newsletter! Every two weeks or so,
we'll be updating you with the club's latest
happenings, including glimpses into each participating
band's experience recording and ultimately receiving
their new EPs. We'll also include anecdotes from Paul
and Matt about the complicated process of running a
charitable CD subscription service. This first issue
includes updates from The Whomping Willows, The
Gryffindor Common Room Rejects, and The Giant
Squidstravaganza! In addition, we have a review of
Justin Finch-Fletchley's EP, courtesy of fellow Club
participant Gred and Forge!

When you're finished reading this awesome piece of
literature, please hop on over to http://www.wizardrockclub.com

the EP of the Month Club website and consider subscribing to the Club!


From The Whomping Willows:

Hi everyone!

My EP is due to the manufacturer in about a month, and
I've yet to actually begin recording it. This is
because I've been working on a million other things
over the past month, and I haven't had any time to
spare. But I have been writing lyrics for my
Treestylin' EP, some of which I've sampled on my
youtube channel (youtube.com/thewhompingwillows).
Currently I'm working on lyrics for "Cover Your Junk,"
a song about how one should be careful when taking a
bath at Hogwarts, because Moaning Myrtle might be
hanging around trying to sneak glimpses of one's
private parts. Oh yes, I was very pleased when I heard
that this would not be considered inappropriate for
the EP Club.

In mid-April I spent roughly 22 hours packaging and
sending out the first shipment of EPs. It was quite a
process. I just kept thinking about how awesome the
CDs were and how much people were going to enjoy them.
From what I've heard, we have a bunch of very happy
customers so far. I am really looking forward to the
next round of CDs!


From the Desk of a Gryffindor Reject:

On Friday something too amazing for words arrived in
my mailbox. I held three of the most beautiful EPs I'd
ever seen in my hands. In early February GCR.Squared
had the incredible pleasure to perform alongside both
Justin and Jace, so I was really excited to hear their
EPs. I popped the songs unto my iTunes and they've
been on repeat ever since.

I've been singing "We're the Students at Hogwarts" all
day. All of Catchlove's songs are just such good
quality and so amazing. "Legacy of a Fallen Wizard" is
the catchiest song I've ever heard. Justin
Finch-Fletchley and the Sugar Quills never cease to
amaze me. It's hard to put into words just how awesome
he is. Whenever anyone one mentions a certain
Bulgarian seeker, I have the uncontrollable urge to
say, "Krum! Oh, Vicktor Krum! Oh, Vicktor Krum! Oh, we
love you, Vicktor Krum!"

I took the copy of GCR.Squared's EP and pretty much
showed it to anyone at school who would look because
it was just that pretty. My teachers all approve of
Marty's design. I signed on to MySpace, and we had new
comments. Everyone likes that feeling, and it doesn't
happen often for us because we're not very popular (We
try, but alas...). So I check the comments, and we had
something like four or five comments all telling us
how much they liked our EP and how "The Moon and
Stars" was completely awesome. It was a really cool
feeling. And then we had an entire PAGE of friend
requests. It was an amazing feeling. (Given, a page is
ten, but it was still really cool.)

-Amber, Gryffindor Common Room Rejects


Update from the Giant Squidstravaganza:

I had originally intended to release a quadruple vinyl
version of my EP, but Harry Potter said it would be
too expensive and we wouldn't make enough money for
the charity.  I'm not sure that's a good enough reason
to stifle my creativity, but whatever.  I'm thinking
of including a cooking segment, so if anyone has any
good recipes for toast, email me at
giantsquidrocks@yahoo.com and I'll try them out and if
I like them, maybe I'll put them on my album.


A Review of Justin Finch-Fletchley's "Hufflepizza" EP
Written by Jarrod of Gred and Forge

"JFF's cd is like inserting a party into your stereo.
But better."

www.wizardrockclub.com

This blog is coming to you in four parts.

Part one: CD?
Yes! Shawn and I are working diligently on a new CD which will be titled "62442". It's going to be completely epic and the first CD we've ever released to the public. We were actually planning for a significant release date, but we've run into money issues which is preventing us from getting the CD made in a timly manner. We'll try our best, though, and keep looking out for the soon-to-come release date (as well as previews of our new songs). This full length album will have all of your absolute favorites, like "Red and Gold" and  "Kiss Me Again" alongside some new ones we've been working on, like "Wotcher" and the four epic songs that compose the Dumbledore Sequence. So, be excited, and be prepared. It's coming at you faster than you think.

Part two: Venues
A while back, we were asked to perform at the Florida SuperCon. We gladly accepted, and everything has been arranged. We'll be performing alongside Witherwings and Marked as His Equal (and I think Fred form Fred Lives will be helping Mandala out, too). As you can guess, we're really excited for this. We're going to meet so many amazing people (including one of the Weasley Twins, Dora Tonks, Seamus Finnigan, and Krum). This is going to be completely amazing, and if you're not there, then you better be at Wrockstock, cos there is NO other excuse for not coming to this thing. Also, we'll be selling our EP from the Wizard Rock EP of the Month Club, which you'll only ever be able to hear if you come to a live show, or subscribe at www.wizardrockclubcom  PS the Wizardrockumentary will make it's South East premiere at this show, so- wow, can't wait to see that.

Part three: Interviews
I know that a lot of other Wizard Rock bands have been in newspapers and articles and things like that. Well, aside from a few brief mentions in online articles (because we have a kick ass name), the Gryffindor Common Room Rejects have been flying under the radar. Until now! I was interviewed just yesterday and then today another email came in, asking for an interview and… A PHOTO SHOOT! We're so famous! Ahaha, they're just local papers, but it's really exciting anyway, and it's all because of you guys.  Thank you so much!

Part Four: HELP!! CALLING ALL WIZARDS!
We want shirts so badly it hurts (that's a rhyme, haha, yay!) I've made this completely awesome, amazing design but it's costly to put on shirts. If anyone can tell me a really cheap way to get these shirts made, I would be eternally grateful. The Red ones are better, but they're also more expensive. So, if anyone whose done this before, like other wrock bands, please explain the process. So, if you'd buy a shirt that looks like this, please leave a comment. It's absolutely important that I know how many people would possibly buy these shirts before I invest my time and money into them.

Before you decide, let me tell you THE coolest thing about these shirts… You see that ribbon of music? If you were to play it on a piano, it would be the beginning to Red and Gold, our first ever song. How awesome is that? (ps, that took FOREVER to do, just so you all know)

Wow, guys. I've been meaning to post a new blog for about three months. This Blog comes in 3 Parts (I've been watching to much VlogBrothers!!)

Part 1: Songs.
There are some new songs on our page. "The Moon and Stars" is basically a Remus/Sirius fanservice because they don't get enough love. This song is part of our exclusive EP for the Wizard Rock EP of the Month Club. If you haven't already subscribed, THEN DO SO NOW!! Our other song "Neville Pwns" was written entirely by Shawn, who is amazing. I think the song is catchy and clever and speaks a message. This is way she's my best friend ever. I'll have the lyrics up shortly, okay, guys?
ALSO! After about a million years of just listening to it be completely offbeat, we've edited "Gryffindor Common Room Rejects", our self titled song, and trust me- it's worht listening to again. It's sooo much better now. It's nice and on beat and there isn't any long or awkward pauses. =] Yay!

Part 2: Venues.
Shawn and I love performing. Unfortunatley we hardly ever get to because most of the shows that we might be able to perform in are in Orlando, a full three hour drive. And most of them are on sundays and we have school early on weekdays. This makes us really sad. So, on behalf of the band, I'm inviting you to book us for venues anywhere within a three hour drive. We're willing to go up to Orlando if the show date doesn't conflict with our school schedules! If you want us to play, then make sure email us at gcr.squared@yahoo.com

Part 3: Collabs.
That's right. GCR.Squared has a lot of collabs in the works. the most notible and one of the only ones we can really mention right now is our collab with Chasing Quaffles. It's called Hogwarts Sisters and some other really amazing bands are all gonna particpate, it's gonna be great. As far as our other collabs go, it too early to announce anything, but expect juicy details in our next blog =]

Part 4: Vlogging.
Shawn and I are both avid video makers, but few of our videos ever get actually posted. To give us motivation and incentive to start posting videos, we've started a vlog project. It was inspired by the incredibly popular VlogBrothers and the just plain incredible Fiveawesomegirls. We're having trouble coming up with name for ourselves, and the rules of our game are still very loose. I just wanted you all to have a heads up, so... yeah. More information, soon!

Gryffindor Love,
The Rejects.

Wow! Less than twenty-four hours till Deathly Hallows release. We are so excited, that you can't even compare. Well, if you're reading this, then you're probably a Harry Potter fan, so you most likely can.

With Harry's story coming to a close, the only thing we regret is not becoming a WRock band sooner. I really don't know what else to type. It's surreal, all of it ending. We're gonna miss Harry, Ron, Hermione, and every other characters that have touched us emotionally. And even though the story is ending, and we're going to be missing it, we'll always have the books to open up and expirience again.

It's been a really fun ride and we're glad that we were a part of the anticipation, the fandom, and the wizarding expirience itself. Because future generations are going to be able to read about the boy-who-lived, but they won't get to live it like we did. We feel priveleged to be a part of it all, especially the Wizard Rocking. It wasn't just j.k. rowling who made it possible, it was the fans. And we love you guys.

We also love J.K. Rowling LOADS too though. She was a huge part of it, after all.

Enjoy book 7, and WROCK ON.

 

<3 Shawn and Amber of The Gryffindor Common Room Rejects (gcr.squared)