Draco and the Malfoys is “the original evil wizard rock band”. They are the current musical project of brothers Brian Ross and Bradley Mehlenbacher. Bradley (Draco, year 15) and Brian (Draco, year 17) hail from
Rhode Island. Most of The Malfoys’ gigs are at libraries, schools, book stores, clubs, etc. in the United States and Canada.
The Malfoys write their songs from the perspective of Draco Malfoy, the slimy, pampered, self-adoring Slytherin arch rival of Harry Potter in J.K. Rowling's literary series. The self-proclaimed mission of Draco and the Malfoys is “to work to celebrate reading and literature through rock and roll music”.
The Malfoys were created (much like their counterparts, Harry and the Potters) in a moment of sudden opportunity. In 2005, Harry and the Potters couldn’t make it on time to one of their shows, so Brian and Bradley decided to step up as replacements. They scrambled to write songs about Hogwarts' most conspicuous student, Harry Potter, from the evil perspective. They informed Harry and the Potters of their ambitions and were quickly booked to open for The Potters at their upcoming show at the Norwood Theatre in Massachusetts. The crowd of over 200 people welcomed them with an uproar of cheers. In Brian’s words:
“After we were done, we put our stuff away, hung out with Paul and Joe backstage until they were ready to go on, and then went out front to find some seats. Well, when we went out to sit down, the place just burst into this crazy cheering, so much so that I thought Harry and the Potters just came out on stage. But they were showing us their appreciation, which was basically the moment we both knew this could work, if Paul and Joe were okay with us riding their wave.“
The Malfoys completed their self-titled debut album in time to release it at their next gig, which was at
The Yule Ball, a wizard rock-fest.
Brian and Bradley have been making music together since Bradley’s fateful 12th birthday, when he was given his first drum set. They’ve shared various musical projects, Draco and the Malfoys being the most recent and best known. Bradley has also worked as the studio and touring drummer for Gordon Gano of Violent Femmes, as well as Harry and the Potters and many other bands. The Violent Femmes’ influence is very apparent in Bradley and Brian’s stage performance as they bang out their music on drums and guitars with a sort of dorky, chaotic, angry glee.
I saw The Malfoys open (as they often do) for Harry and the Potters at the Salt Lake City, Utah show on August 11, 2007. Their music is more lyrically developed, whereas Harry and the Potters has a more interactive style with the crowd. A fun twist in the show was when Bradley (Draco, Year 5), followed Harry and the Potters out on stage, wearing a Gryffindor tie, and was introduced as "guest drummer, Bill Weasley". The crowd laughed and cheered. "Bill" even came to Ron Weasley's defense during the Potters' song "The Weasel" which pokes fun of Ron a little bit.
Parents were scattered amongst the crowd, accompanying their youngsters and teenagers. A look of concern came over their faces when The Malfoys opened the show by chanting "PARTY. LIKE. YOU'RE EVIL!" They relaxed as the show went on though, as the crowd joined in on songs such as "Voldemort is Awesome" "The Power of Love" and "Pansy (You Are the Girl of My Dreams)".
Draco and the Malfoys also performs with Matt Maggiacomo of the one-man band The Whomping Willows.
My favorite Draco and the Malfoys song (yes, I have one...) is “My Dad Is Rich”, which opens with these lines:
My dad's always there
To open all my doors
You have to call a patronus just to catch a glimpse of yours
My mom says she loves me
When she tucks me into bed
How's your mommy doing in The Mirror of Erised?
All you witches, wizards, muggles and squibs out there: check out Draco and the Malfoys.
They’ll rock your world and leave you laughing…
Discography:
Draco and the Malfoys, 2005
Featured on Harry and the Potters' A Magical Christmas of Magic.
Party Like You're Evil!, June 2007
Sources:
evilwizardrock.com
wizardrock.org
happy personal experience