Band of the Week: Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls

[December 24-31]
Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls
Sounds Like: Wizard Rock
Drinking Buddies: Talons & Tea Leaves, Catchlove, The Nifflers, The Hermione Crookshanks Experience.
Synopsis: If the Harry Potter books were a musical...
Makes You Want To...: Read!; Sing!; fight Voldemort.
[Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls' Myspace]
[Christian Caldeira's Myspace]




One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls.



That's all folks! Almost done. We're in the last week of 2007. Suffice it to say, it's surely been an interesting year. But, December isn't about to toss the remainder of the year haphazardly aside. Whether you're celebrating Christmas, Boxing Day, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, the Winter Solstice, or any of the myriad of holidays that encroach upon us this month, December is a week of celebration, jubilation, and maybe a tad bit too much drinking and dining before it climaxes on the first. But New Years aside, this is a time to celebrate the year that has passed before us.

Let's not forget to mention the one last band we've saved up for last. Christian Calderia is the dubious solo act that makes up the wrocking Wizard rock band Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls. As usual, Calderia uses his monkier Oliver Boyd to play some sweet Harry Potter inspired tunes with a full and well rounded sound. Taking the best of both the music world, as well as the wizarding world, Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls sings Potter-spiced lyrics that don't drown listeners in Potter trivia.

These songs can stand on their own, encompassing not only a large array of musical styling, but also act as a bridge for the casual Harry Potter reader who is curious about the strange wizard rock sub-culture. That being said, Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls are the clearest anthems to the wizarding world for the real fans. Hitting every note of the story: the DA, Horcruxes, Voldy, Lupin, Malfoy, and the Second Wizarding War, without scaring you by launching out all the details. If wrock was "pop," this would be what you'd listen to on the Wireless... *cough* I mean radio.

Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls have two albums out as of now, Welcome To Wizard Rock and Back For The Fight, both up for sale. The Remembralls are also currently working on an upcoming release, the Breathing Space EP. Furthermore, Oliver Boyd has also teamed up with their cohorts in wrock (who conveniently hail from 30 miles away from me, in Dallas, TX), Catchlove, to form Talon's & Tea Leaves (which is, in essence, The Postal Service of wizard rock). Of course, Oliver Boyd's Muggle outfit, the solo act of Christian Calderia, has an entirely different accoutrement of material. If all of that wasn't enough, might I sincerely suggest wandering over to the OBatR Myspace and listening to "Happy Christmas Day," in the spirit of things?

Happy Christmas Eve everyone; hopefully everyone has some sweet presents under the tree awaiting to be ripped into. Get to sleep before Santa comes!