In a week’s time, the city of Vienna, Virginia will be overrun wizard rockers and fans alike. The city is playing host to Sonorous – Virginia’s first wizard rock festival – organized by Matt Bufford and Grace Kendall.
Matt attended the New York City Wizard Rock Festival (NYCWRF) in 2008, loved the format, and decided to organize his own event. He had planned to move to the DC area in the fall of 2009, and thought that the area would be a great place to host a wizard rock event. Matt turned to Grace Kendall (of Snidget) for help in organizing the event. Grace had attempted to put together a Wizard Rock even in West Virginia the previous year, so she was excited for the opportunity to work with Matt on this project.
Sonorus is being held at Jammin’ Java, a venue that includes a professional stage and sound system, while still retaining an intimacy perfect for Wizard Rock shows. Matt says that Jammin’ Java “is an institution in the DC area, and we are still amazed that we have the opportunity to host Sonorus there.” Jammin’ Java also serves food, and has a full bar, which will be available to Sonorus attendees. The event will start at 11:30am, with performances lasting until 7:45pm. Never fear, though! There are lots of places to hang out after the show, and you can be sure that there will be partying long after the last band leaves the stage.
When choosing bands to perform at the event, Matt and Grace tried to create as diverse a group as possible, to make the event truly unique. They wanted to showcase long-time fan favorites, like The Whomping Willows, newer headliners, like Swish and Flick, and up-and-coming but less exposed bands, such as Standing In Line. In addition to East Coast-based touring bands, Grace and Matt also wanted to showcase some local talent, so they invited The Dumbledore’s Army Band to play, and Grace will be taking the stage as Snidget. With this wide range of bands, Sonorus is sure to please everyone in attendance.
Matt and Grace are aware that Wizard Rock can sometimes be an expensive habit, and that not every fan can afford to go to a con to see their favorite Wizard Rock band. Matt says that he wanted Sonorous “to show wrock fans that you can have a great time, see a TON of bands, and get the feel of a con without having to pay con prices.” Graces says that one of their main priorities was to keep to cost low so that people could afford to travel to the event, and also to ensure that any profit made goes directly back to the bands. With tickets priced at just $20, I’d say they definitely accomplished that goal.
One of the other goals behind the event is to help establish a Wizard Rock scene in the Virginia/DC area. Grace says that “Occasionally touring bands will stop by the area and a nice crowd will show up, but we don’t have anything like the cohesive communities that NC and NY have.” Matt echoes this opinion: “I really want to show that the DC area has something special to offer for wizard rock. Getting here is much more convenient than people might realize. It’s served well by bus, train, and air, and it’s a natural meeting place for a lot of other big Potter areas like NYC, Philly, North Carolina, and Pittsburgh.” Grace is hoping that Sonorus will be a step towards solidifying a community of local fans, as well and bringing in people from other areas of the country who may never have considered the area as a hub for Wizard Rock.
While there is no established theme for the event, Matt says that costumes are encouraged, “but the key is sing along, hear old favorites, makes some new favorites, meet new people, and just have a good time.”
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