Last month, we went Into the Pensieve to remember house shows – concerts that people host at their homes. This month, we’re looking back at the second house show hosted at my apartment in Yonkers, NY. If my memory serves me correctly, that show may have been one of the first Witch Rock Series shows. It was November 5, 2009, the day before Wrockstock III.

Why would we host a party the night before a long journey to St. Louis? Well, the answer is simple. When Riddle TM comes to stay at your apartment during a NY layover from England, you put on a show!

John and I had the honor and pleasure of hosting Georgia and Victoria Minnear, plus their sister Olivia Fenion at our home. We wanted to make the most of their short stay in New York.

Based in Oxfordshire, UK, the twin duo Riddle TM rarely came across the pond to perform. Understandably, they would only make a transatlantic trip for big shows, like Wrockstock, and large Harry Potter conferences, like LeakyCon. So to see them perform in a casual, intimate setting was something special.

The whole evening was a delightful treat for those who attended the party, as several area wizard rockers also performed. There was a very rare performance by Liberty Rodriguez, who sang a cappella. Returning to Malfoy Manor, were Celestial Warmbottom (Deanna Benfante) and Fred and George the Band (Devon Bennett). Ashley Hamel, known back then as Ashley Trix from Bella and LeStrangers, performed solo. Another set of twin sisters were on the lineup, Mary and Deirdre Johnson of the Gringotts Grrrls, who were local librarians at the time. Speaking of librarians, Madam Pince and the Librarians (Ariel Factor Birdoff and Kelly Owen) were dressed for the occasion as always.

You may be surprised to know that Swish and Flick did not perform at our own house show. We wanted to conserve our energy for our first ever Wrockstock.

I want to close out this post (before sharing more pictures, of course) by reiterating how special it was to have the Minnear sisters at our home, and to travel with them to Wrockstock. It felt like we were one big family, especially since our actual families were members of our entourage.

I remember how my mom took Georgia, Victoria, and Olivia under her wing, while the Minnear sisters made my daughter, Chloe, feel like part of their family. The Minnear’s returned the gesture by hosting the Pisani family during our visit to the UK a few years later, complete with traditional Christmas dinner.

So when I talk about Wizard Rock and the fandom being my second family, I really mean it. Putting this post together was bittersweet, because it reminded me how much I miss my fandom fam. During this pandemic, I miss them like I miss my biological family.

As soon as we can gather again, you better believe I’m going to host another house show! This time at my new home! Speaking of my new home, next month we’ll be looking back at the making of the Hufflepride video, on location at my house.

Do you have a group of people who you consider your Wizard Rock fam? Drop your special memory of a found-family Wizard Rock moment in the pensive, aka the comments box!