Hello magical friends, and welcome to episode 141 of WZRD Radio! I’m your hostwitch Bess and if you find a roaming herd of purple pens, could you send them back my way? I’m not sure where they’ve decided to wander. Or, frankly, how.
While I go hunt for my writing utensils, here’s some music to keep you company. First up is Candle Wix and the iconic “Flying Car.”
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That was “Flying Car” from Candle Wix [lyrics], Dwight Evan Young’s “Always” [lyrics], and Ludo Bagman & the Trash with “Wizard Quarantine” [lyrics].
Still no sign of my pens, but I did hear from our Special Correspondent in the Field, DQ, and they’ve got a special report for us!
SCitF DQ: Hello magical friends, I hope you are having a merry, merry month of May, though it has only just began. This is Special Correspondent in the Field DQ with a very important wizard rock announcement. It is time once again to open up submissions for the annual Wizard Rock Sampler. To paraphrase Albus Dumbledore, some of you may not know what the Sampler involves and so I hope that those who do will forgive me for giving a short explanation and allow their attention to wander freely. Once a year we like to invite all members of the wizard rock community to bring us up to speed on what they’ve been up to over the past 365 days, musically speaking of course. And we take all these submissions and compile them into a free volume available to the public, which we call the Wizard Rock Sampler.
And these songs can be any kind of wizard, rock, any length, any genre. It can be a solo artist or a band, even a choir. If you have an original song, a parody of a popular song, or even a cover of a popular wizard rock song, we will take any and all wizard rock submissions. And though we don’t like to stifle other people’s creative process, we do have a few simple rules we ask you to follow. One, make sure that the submission is your own work. Absolutely no generative AI will be accepted. If you need help creating any element of your song, feel free to reach out through the discord or the Wizard Rock Revival Facebook group; the wizard rock community will be more than happy to help you. Two, songs must be recorded or released since the release of the previous Sampler. Number three, previously released tracks are welcome, but it does not need to be exclusive to the Sampler. However, if you recorded and released it specifically for the Sampler, that is also welcome.
Four, songs must be high quality audio recordings. Wav files are preferable. If you can’t save or submit your song as a wav file, let us know and we will be able to convert the file. And finally, one song per band or artist. If you happen to be part of a duo or a choir or a group in addition to your own solo project, it is perfectly acceptable for your voice to appear more than once on the Sampler. Submissions will officially be open as of May 1st, 2026. Submissions will be officially closed as of July 31st, 2026, giving us an opportunity to have our songs mastered before the release on September 1st. A google form will be provided in the Wizard Rock Revival Facebook group and the Wizard Rock Discord server. If you’re hearing this and you don’t have access to either, feel free to either email the podcast or email me, Dream Quaffle, at GHutton10@gmail.com.
I can’t wait to see what this year’s Wizard Rock Sampler has in store. It was such an honor and a joy to be asked to take on this project last year, and if I say so myself, the wizard rock community came through in spectacular fashion as they always do, and I’m confident that we will put together another good one for 2026. This is Special Correspondent in the Field DQ saying thank you in advance to all who participate in making another incredible Wizard Rock Sampler.
Thank you DQ. I’m so excited to see what you all create for this!
How about some inspirational music for you, to kickstart the songwriting process? Here’s Self-Defensive Spellwork and “Darling Girl.”
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That was Self-Defensive Spellwork singing “Darling Girl” [lyrics], Split Seven Ways with “The Very Secret Diary” [lyrics], and the Hinky Punks and their “I Can’t Breathe” [lyrics].
April showers bring May flowers, and May flowers bring a new set of fandom events! Here are just a few of them.
If you’re in Suffolk, VA on May 2nd, check out “Always: A Day of Harry Potter,” which will include specialty cocktails. [link]
May 8th is “Harry Potter Evening” at Brew Books in Swindon, UK with butterbeer and other wizarding treats! [link]
Okay magical friends, I don’t know what this one is on May 22nd in Morgantown, WV, so someone please go to the “Harry Potter Launch Party” and report back. [link]
Harry Potter Drag Bingo is really becoming a thing, with another iteration of it happening May 30th in West Point, PA. [link]
Don’t forget, a new month means a new Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Jam! This month’s theme is the moon, so get stargazing and creating. [link]
And, as Special Correspondent in the Field DQ reported, it’s once again Sampler season in the wrock community. Keep an eye on the wrock group & discord for the form and if you have any questions, send them our way! It’s a very fun, low-pressure way to try out making wizard rockm and remember: all you need is a cookie jar.
All these events, and more, are available on the Pottorhead Calendar page of the WZRD Radio website.
While you check those out, or send a message to your favorite wrocker to invite them to do a house show, here’s our last block of music with Moss Bliss and “A Flower and a Hufflepuff” leading the way.
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And that was “A Flower and a Hufflepuff” from Moss Bliss [lyrics], The Rotfang Conspiracy and their “Betrayed” [lyrics], and Pottorhead with the rollicking “The Best Book” [lyrics].
We’ve come to the end of the episode, which is where I shout out both Nolan and Comet for correctly pinpointing last month’s theme as the 2019 Sampler. Nice work!
If you heard your new favorite song, go to the transcript at WZRDRadioPod.com, follow the link, and buy yourself a copy. You’ll get a great new addition to your music collection and a wizard rocker will know they’ve got a fan. And you know what I always say: without our wizard rockers, we wouldn’t be here.
You can support WZRD and the Community Wrock Fund by joining the Patreon at Patreon.com/WZRDRadioPod. There are two, five, and ten dollar tiers that all get the same perks, including early episodes and bonus content, and support the Fund in helping our wizard rockers get their music out there.
You can still guess this episode’s theme on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok at WZRDRadioPod. You can also get in touch by commenting on the transcript or emailing me at WZRDRadioPod@gmail.com.
Until next time, magical friends: I demand you leave at once, sir!
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