What is your faveorit song to play live?

I like playing “the Weapon” live. When you have theright audience, the song is a total party. Balloonsare flying everywhere. Everyone is hugging eachother. I feel like Love has triumphed over Evil whenwe are done.

Are you guys coming back to the Bay Area anytime soon?

We’re pretty near sighted as far as our future plansgo, so we don’t have any definite plans yet. But wehad an amazing time playing the last time we were inthe area and totally want to come back to melt evenmore faces off.

We’ve heard people talk about “secret political tendencies” behind your HP songs- any truth behind that?

One of our songs is called Cornelius Fudge is an Ass.During the Summer of 2005 when we were touring the RedStates, we likened the President of the United Statesto Cornelius Fudge in that they were both ignoringserious reports regarding the safety of their nationsand blaming the wrong people for their problems. Butthat’s pretty much our only straightforwardlypolitical song. The rest of the songs really foster apunk rock ideology, which is, I suppose, subversivelypolitical.

What other books and authors do you enjoy to read,and do you have any book recommendations for ourreaders and your fellow Harry Potter fans?

Well I already mentioned Dave Eggers.If you like Harry Potter, than you’ll love “His DarkMaterials” by Phillip Pullman.We like reading Kurt Vonnegut’s books a lot.

Do you have any other bands or music projects other than Harry and the Potters?

I’ve been playing in Ed in the Refridgerators for sixyears. Lately we’ve developed a fascination with thePapacy and written several songs regarding our newfancy.

What about shows you have played- any awesome show stories you want to share?

This summer, we had a homecoming show in the town wegrew up in to end our summer tour. We got our friendsDraco and the Malfoys to open for us. They had a rockballad about Pansy Parkinson, a song directed at Harrythat went “My dad is rich and your dad is dead!” Theywere awesome, but we had to boo them for the wholeshow. At the end of the show, when we sang “TheWeapon we have is Love!” they hoisted me up on theirshoulders and carried me through the audience. Thenthe theater exploded because it was too awesome.

Tell us about who birthed H and the P’s. Which one of you guys is held accountable for the band?

Paul came up with the goofy band name and originallywanted it to be Harry, Ron and Hermione in the band.At an Ed in the Refridgerators show I wasplaying, someone screamed at me “I love you HarryPotter!” After the show, Paul said that if I everwanted to steal his goofy idea I could. My brotherand I always wanted to be in a band together, so wefigured we could make it work if we had TWO HarryPotters in the band instead of one.

Explain the “Harry, 4th year/ Harry, 7th year” thing- and who are the Potters?

Through the magic of time travel, Harry from HogwartsYear 4 and Harry from Hogwarts Year 7 are able tostart a band and practice in the Room of Requirement.They exist simultaneously when they are on stage, andare really the same person, just from different pointsin time. There won’t be any sort of time paradox andthe fabric of the Universe won’t unravel, because theUniverse bends its laws for the cause of Rock Music.Who are the Potters you ask? Why, the audience is thepotters! When you go to a Harry and the Potters showit’s not about the band that you are seeing. It isabout you! It is about having a good time. This bandbelongs to you, Potters!

What age did you guys start playing music? How did you decide what to play?

I started piano lessons in grade school because myolder siblings took them and I thought they were cool. I think Paul started because my parents made him.

What kind of equipment do you guys play on, and what do you use to record your albums?

Piano. Organ. Guitar. Our friend Ernie plays drumswith us on the albums and when we play around Boston.We’ve recorded both of our albums in our parents’living room/shed on a digital twelve track. We’re notreally gear people. If you’ve listened to our albums,you can tell we’re not stuffy about sonic quality.We’re really more concerned about portraying ideas andemotions. That’s what music should be about.

Any advice for bands out there, trying to make it big out of their living room?

Write songs about books! Be part of theReading-Rocking-Revolution!

How long do you plan on staying Harry and the Potters? Is it just until Harry graduates, or are you in this for the long run?

We already started booking the Harry and the Potters2053 tour. We still need to rent the IV bag and thewheelchair though.

How would you guys feel about being classified as emo? Is there a genre for H and the P’s?

Harry and the Potters are WIZARD ROCK! I suppose onesub genre may be Emo Wizard Rock, and if that’s thecase, then maybe some of our music qualifies. Harrywas pretty emotional in the 5th book.

Favorite album of all time, and why?

The Flaming Lips – The Soft Bulletin. It’s an albumabout life.

What would your boggart turn into?

The personification of “The Man.”