Wizard Rock People's Choice Awards 2009 Results

Okay, so the WRPCA's have finally been announced at Leaky Con and on Wizrocklopedia.

I will admit to being a little disappointed that most of them were won by the bigger names in the Wrock world, although I suppose that will always be the case. After all, the older established and better known bands like The Remus Lupins and Ministry of Magic will have a much larger fan base than bands like Split Seven Ways, and are therefore going to get more of the votes.

It was also clear that the results were dominated by bands from the US. Hopefully, with the amount of good quality bands that the rest of the world are producing, international bands might have a better showing in future years' awards (with the help of things like the Wizard Rock EP of the Month Club), although the US bands still have a huge advantage in gaining fans with being able to tour the US, which many of the international bands can't afford to do.

There was some good news for the UK Wrock scene, with RiddleTM winning four awards, including best female singer, but this left the talent of such great bands as Peeved, Split Seven Ways and Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office unrewarded.

Anyway, without further ado here are the results of the Wizard Rock People's Choice Awards 2009:

Best Male Vocals: Ministry of Magic

Best Female Vocals: RiddleTM

Best New Artist: Madam Pince and the Librarians

Best Full Length Album: Goodbye Privet Drive by Ministry of Magic

Best EP: A War Amidst Pop Songs by The Mudbloods

Best Album Art: Frankie Franco III for Goodbye Privet Drive by Ministry of Magic

Best Song: Seven Potters by The Remus Lupins

Best Solo Artist: Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls

Best Duo: The Moaning Myrtles

Best Group Effort: Minstry of Magic

Best Band From Beyond The Grave: The Remus Lupins

Best Band Featuring a Magical Creature: The Basilisk in Your Pasta

Best Hufflepuff Band: Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls

Best Gryffindor Band: The Remus Lupins

Best Slytherin Band: Draco and the Malfoys

Best Ravenclaw Band: The Moaning Myrtles

Best Non Hogwarts Band: The Whomping Willows

Best Kept Secret Award: RiddleTM

Best Youth Effort: The Hungarian Horntails

Band of the Year: Ministry of Magic

Best Music Video: Covah Yr Junk by Jace MacDonald

Best Live Act: Ministry of Magic

Band Using the Most Exotic Instrument: The Parselmouth's for the use of Eia's tap shoes

Best Collaboration: Goodbye Privet Drive by Ministry of Magic with Kristina Horner

Best Dance Song: Seven Potters by The Remus Lupins

Best Holiday Song: Nargles in the Misletoe by The Moaning Myrtles

Best Comedy Song: Covah Yr Junk by Big Whompy

Best Folk/Country/Blues Song: A Pensieve Full of Unrequited Love by The Mudbloods

Best Techno/Electronica Song: The Bravest Man I Ever Knew by Ministry of Magic

Best Punk Song: I Believe in Nargles by The Whomping Willows

Best Rap/Hip Hop Song: In Which Moaning Myrtle Moans by The Moaning Myrtles

Best Memorial Song: The Bravest Man I Ever Knew by Ministry of Magic

Best remixed Song: It's Still Snowing, Danny Dementor's remix of Catchlove's It's Snowing

Best Metawizard Song: For Jo by RiddleTM

International Awards: Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls and RiddleTM

Finally, the Lifetime Achievement Award went to The Remus Lupins

It might seem that I was being a bit negative about the awards, but I didn't mean to be. All the artists who won strongly deserved it; after all I own almost all the albums by these bands and would love to see them all live one day (yes, I know, I should have been at Leaky Con where most of them have been playing this weekend!)

I just feel that with the wealth of talent in the Wrock world these days I'm not sure that these awards do justice to the hard work put in by some of the lesser known bands who have produced albums that are at least as good as, if not better than the better known bands. After all if you only have 700 friends on your Myspace, you can't possibly hope to reach the same amount of people as a band with over 20,000 friends on theirs!

Leaky Con!!!

So everyone knows that this weekend is Leakycon, the Leaky Cauldron's Harry Potter Conference being held in Boston.

I am really gutted to not be there. The conference itself looks fun enough, with round tables and workshops by the Pottercast staff and others and a healthy dose of social issues by the Harry Potter Alliance, without taking into account the truly awesome amount of entertainment being laid on. There will be live podcasts, and keynote dinners and, of course, Wizard Rock...lots of Wizard Rock.

This evening kicks off with Evil Night! which features Draco and the Malfoys, The Parselmouths, Justin Finch-Fletchley and the Sugar Quills and Swish and Flick. Tomorrow continues with Rock Night featuring Harry and the Potters, The Whomping Willows, Gred and Forge, and Tonks and the Aurors. Saturday afternoon has Wrock Afternoon - featuring The Remus Lupins, The Moaning Myrtles, The Mudbloods and RiddleTM and then there is the Rocking Charity Ball to end Saturday evening in style.

Add to this The Butterbeer Experience (and friends) one-off staging of her wrock opera - Fountain of Fair Fortune and a performance by the ever-popular Potter Puppet Pals, not to mention after-show parties with performances by people like Romilda Vane and the Chocolate Cauldrons and you get an idea of exactly what I’m missing. It will also be during the conference that the Wizrocklopedia’s Wizard Rock People’s Choice Awards will be announced.

If I wasn’t already aware, excitement by friends who are going and a live concert (which I watched via blog.tv and didn’t finish until 5.30am this morning my time) at the Sidewalk cafe last night featuring Witherwings, Snidget, The Butterbeer Experience, Swish and Flick and The House of Black have helped to really rub in what I’m missing.

In retrospect I really wish I had just borrowed the money and gone. I know that I'm missing something truly momentous and listening to it on Pottercast or whatever just doesn't make up for it. Although in one way not being there is a good thing. With so many brilliant bands releasing new albums this weekend, along with t shirts and other HP goodies I’d probably need as much in spending money as it would have cost to get there!

Wizard Rock People's Choice Awards

I’m a little late in reporting this, but the final Wizard Rock People’s Choice Awards nominations are up on Wizrocklopedia. Voting is open until May 15th so get on over there if you haven't already. I was please at how many of my original nominations ended up on there – and dismayed at how much good stuff I’d completely missed thinking about. As ever the final choices were hard to make, but I’ve managed to cast my vote, although I desperately wish there had been four places for international band and more for best kept secret.

The Wizard Rock People’s Choice Awards

Wizrocklopedia recently announced that it is accepting nominations for the 2008 Wizard Rock People’s Choice Awards.

The nomination form needs to be completed by 11:59 PM EST on Thursday, April 30th (sorry not much time left I know). The final voting will begin on Monday, May 4th and should close on Friday, May 15th. It is anticipated that the winners will be announced on Thursday, May 20th at about midnight EST.

I will admit that I spent a very long time trying to decide on my nominations for the awards. Some of the categories I found impossible to fill in and some had so many candidates that I was torn as for who to choose, especially as I wanted to give everyone a fair hearing. I spent two whole days listening to nothing but Wrock in hopes that it would help – it didn’t. However, finally last night I submitted my nominations and below is my list of nominations. I’d just like to add that just because I didn’t vote for a band in any category doesn’t mean I don’t think they’re not brilliant – just that my heart told me to go with someone else.

Best Male Vocals: The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office and The Mudbloods

Best Female Vocals: Split Seven Ways and The Butterbeer Experience

Best New Artist: Lost Diadems and Snake Like Snape

Best Full Length Album: Goodbye Privet Drive by Ministry of Magic and Nevermind the Furthermore by The Remus Lupins

Best EP: Valedictions by Split Seven Ways and A War Amidst Pop Songs by The Mudbloods

Best Album Art: Valedictions by Split Seven Ways and Goodbye Privet Drive by Ministry of Magic/Frak

Best Song: Crimson Beloved by The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office and A Pensieve Full of Unrequited Love by The Mudbloods

Best Solo Artist: Split Seven Ways and Marked As His Equal

Best Duo: RiddleTM and Draco and the Malfoys

Best Group Effort: The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office and Hawthorn and Holly

Best Band From Beyond The Grave: The Moaning Myrtles and Creevey Crisis

Best Band Featuring a Magical Creature: Witherwings and Buckbeak’s Flight

Best Hufflepuff Band: The Butterbeer Experience

Best Gryffindor Band: Gryffindor Common Room Rejects and Romilda Vane and the Chocolate Cauldrons

Best Slytherin Band: Draco and the Malfoys (obviously) and Split Seven Ways - there were really too many to choose from for this category!

Best Ravenclaw Band: Roger Davies

Best Non Hogwarts Band: The Whomping Willows and The Nifflers

Best Kept Secret Award: The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office and Split Seven Ways - this was a HUGE problem as there were so many people I wanted to nominate like Peeved, Nagini etc.

Best Youth Effort: The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office and Sirriusly Hazza P

Band of the Year: Split Seven Ways and RiddleTM - the hardest category for sure!

Best Music Video: Amortentia by Split Seven Ways and Save Ginny Weasley? by Peeved

Band Using the Most Exotic Instrument: The Blibbering Humdingers using a medieval krumhorn (thanks to their blog for informing me of this fact) and Split Seven Ways for the violin

Best Collaboration: The Burrow by The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office and RiddleTM and Death Eater Tango by The Butterbeer Experience and Mark from Ministry of Magic

Best Dance Song: Occlumency Lessons by The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office and The Bravest Man I Ever Knew by Ministry of Magic

Best Holiday Song: Draco's Christmas Wish by RiddleTM and Candle in the Window by Tonks and the Aurors

Best Comedy Song: The Year Harry Went Emo by Peeved and The Mandrake’s Lament by The Butterbeer Experience

Best Techno/Electronica Song: Occlumency Lessons by The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office and I Should by Malfoy Manor

Best Memorial Song: Ode To Those Who Died by The Butterbeer Experience and The Veil by RiddleTM

Best remixed Song: Ode to Voldemort by RiddleTM remixed by Peeved and Potions Yesterday by Draco and the Malfoys remixed by Ministry of Magic

Best Metawizard Song: Transparent by The Moaning Myrtles and This Is Never Going To End by The Parselmouths

International Awards: Split Seven Ways and RiddleTM - this was such a hard one too – I wanted to nominate every band I’ve heard!

Okay, so I said that I tried to be fair, and I really did but there does seem to be rather a large number of nominations for The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, Split Seven Ways and RiddleTM. I’m not ashamed of this. I think they are truly excellent bands who deserve the recognition that they might not receive being ‘international’ bands rather than the rather better known US bands like Harry and the Potters et al.

So those were my choices – good or bad, biased or not. It really was hard to cut down the nominations to two in each category and it will be interesting to see if any of them make it to the final nominations.

Roll on May 4th!