Now I’m not normally a fan of multiple exclamation marks, but for the sake of The Whomping Willows’ new album, I suppose we can make an exception.

Last year, The Whomping Willows put out an album departing from the traditional wizard rock album that we’re accustomed to seeing. Each song was a different part of the story of how Matt Maggiacomo (as The Whomping Willows) has gotten to where he is today in regards to his music, his relationships, and his journey as a person. After you bare your soul like that to your fans, what else is there to say?

“The battle’s over, now it’s time to PARTY!!!”

The first thing you’ll notice about Wizard Party Forever!!! is that The Whomping Willows has really stripped down the sound to its basic rock ‘n’ roll elements. If you read Muggle Music Monday this week, I talked about the Ramones and how their reaction to the overproduced, overdramatic music of the time was not to take it a step beyond that, but rather, to take a step backwards. Their music became a social commentary about how music had evolved – a good thing, to be sure – but reminded us that rock ‘n’ roll became popular because of certain aspects. Now, as much as I love wizard rock, The Whomping Willows, and Matt as a person, I am not trying to say that WPF will become as important as the Ramones were in the grand scheme of things. But there is something to be said about taking your music to the next level with each album, even if that “level” is a step back, per se.

Something that I love about wizard rock is that, much like fanfiction, it’s an opportunity to fill in the holes we are left with at the end of the series. There’s so much backstory we never heard, along with a 19 year gap between the end of Deathly Hallows and the infamous epilogue. Wizard Party Forever!!! tries to do just that.

WPF goes back to its roots lyrics-wise for a lot of its songs. Sure, if you know the story of wizard rock and The Whomping Willows, you will get some additional insight about Matt and the fandom from this album. But the best part is, you don’t have to have that history to listen to the songs and enjoy them. There is a clear canon-based story in a lot of the songs that is refreshingly simple. The Whomping Willows proves that wizard rock hasn’t run out of things to talk about.

As far as my personal opinion about these songs in general – I tended to like the few meta songs most of all. ‘Fall in Love Tonight’ is specifically about being at a wizard rock show, but I can’t help but love the message and catchiness of it. ‘Sometimes I Feel Ugly’ hasn’t left my head since I first heard it, but it is a song that is much more suited to the Muggle side of things than the wizard rock parts.

I know that reviews were mixed about Demons at the Helm being a wizard rock album. As someone who loved that album start to finish, I didn’t really care about the implications of it being a personal album vs. a wizard rock album. With Wizard Party Forever!!! added into the mix, I really started to think about The Whomping Willows’ discography and what I thought of the evolution. What I realized is that there is a part of me that is disappointed that WPF isn’t just another album like III. This has nothing to do with the musicality of WPF or Demons, which I have obviously enjoyed, but more to do with why I got into wizard rock in the first place. I almost want people to give me strange looks as I scream-sing about Luna, Hermione, Harry, and Ron, while driving down the street. Somehow the lyrics have strayed from being esoteric to the outside world, and I’m not sure I like that change.
(Please note: this is a trend that I have seen throughout the wizard rock community, and I don’t mean to place the blame solely on The Whomping Willows for this. It was simply appropriate to bring it up in regards to this album.)

In its defense, Wizard Party Forever!!! is an album that you could put on at a Muggle gathering and expect many people to enjoy. As a musician, I’m sure that the ultimate compliment is that everyone can enjoy your music. I simply miss the days when I felt that I might be the only one (a selfish and self-important notion, to be sure).

I interviewed Matt about this, and I usually don’t print interviews in the Q&A format. However, I think this may actually work better for these questions, so I’ve put the interview in its entirety below.

Who else was involved with Wizard Party Forever!!! and how?

Jarrod Perkins plays drums on all of the songs that have drums (tracks 1 through 9). Lauren Fairweather plays ukulele on track 10 and singles backing vocals on tracks 2 and 8. Brian Ross plays lead guitar on tracks 1 and 6. A chorus of about 20 wizard rockers and wizard rock fans sings backing vocals on track 10. The chorus includes John and Stacy Pisani, Jake Kalbhenn, Amy Snow, Nina Jankowicz, Tianna Weasley, Mallory Vance, and a slew of other awesome people.

What were your goals for Wizard Party Forever!!!?

A few months ago, I was talking to Bradley Malfoy about Weezer. I am a HUGE fan of their first two albums, but I pretty much dislike everything they’ve released since Pinkerton. Bradley is more tolerant of their middle and late career and he spent an evening trying to convince me that their newest album is awesome. I told him later that night that my goal for the new Whomping Willows record was to make “a good Weezer album.” So, basically just a great-sounding, guitar-heavy, straight-up rock n’ roll record.
I also wanted to return to canon as much as possible, and maybe reconnect with any fans who might’ve been turned off by Demons at the Helm. Finally, I wanted to put out a party album for the summer — but I still wanted it to have a lot of substance and I wanted the music to be top-notch. I knew it would be difficult to top Demons at the Helm, but I think I succeeded. This is the best record I’ve put out with any band, wizard or muggle.

After Demons at the Helm, which was an entire metawizardrock album, do you think this is more accessible to people who are more casual fans?

Totally. It’s about 60% to 75% canon, depending on your perspective, and most of the songs are really upbeat and positive. The music itself is very catchy and well-produced. This is probably the most accessible album I’ve ever produced — and I mean that in the best way possible.

Demons at the Helm was an incredibly personal album – do you think Wizard Party Forever!!! gives as much insight about Matt Maggiacomo as DatH did?

Yeah, it does. Some folks might not see that right away, but Wizard Party Forever!!! is as much as personal statement as Demons was. Appropriately enough, Bradley was the first person to point that out, after he heard me perform ‘Fall In Love Tonight’ and ‘Courting A Ghost’.
It’s personal in a different way. Demons is personal in that I basically just shared EVERYTHING about my personal experience over the past few years — the good, the bad, the detestable, and the
redeeming. WPF shares my history and development as a musician and songwriter, which (to me) is just as important as anything else. My original songwriting influences are brought to the table and fleshed out in a way they’ve never been before. Beyond that, I share a lot about my personal perspective and general attitude that I usually keep hidden.

Since you found love in wizard rock, do you feel like ‘Fall in Love Tonight’ is sage relationship advice from you to the fandom?

Yeah! ‘Fall In Love Tonight’ is all about getting over social phobia and putting your best foot forward. It doesn’t even necessarily have to be about a boy finding love with a girl. Wizard rock has a legacy of bringing people together and creating lasting friendships. This song is about taking that first step to get to know someone you find interesting.

‘Courting a Ghost’ is obviously about your relationship with Lauren. Is it strange to have your relationship be such a big part of your music when most people know who Lauren is as well?

Well. ‘Courting A Ghost’ is obviously about my relationship with Lauren, but it’s also an extension of the persona I’ve created for the Whomping Willow. His long-standing crush on Hermione was resolved with ‘My Own Kind’, his side-crush with Luna didn’t work out, and he could never quite pin down Remus, so he finally turned to Myrtle, someone who could truly understand his feelings of isolation.
And that’s really why I started dating Lauren — so I could wrap up the saga of Whompy’s love life. Just kidding. OR AM I???

‘Wizard Babies’ – Social commentary on JKR’s decision to have all her characters live the typical life of marriage, jobs, and children, or just a fun song about procreation?

Honestly? It’s just a fun song about procreation. My hope is that wizard rock bands and fans will eventually spawn a new and vast generation of nerds, and I’m hoping ‘Fall In Love Tonight’ and ‘Wizard Babies’ serve as a sort of musical aphrodisiac to kick-start that process.

I think the world could use as many nerds as it can get.

If you agree, head over to The Whomping Willows’ website to order your copy of Wizard Party Forever!!! today! It will be available on iTunes starting May 28th.
Album artwork by Katie Uchimaru and the album was mastered by Dan Brennan.