dimanche 4 Nov 2012, 23h05m
To explain the project, I'm simply going to attempt to speak about every wizard rock band possible, specifying on whether or not the band has released any CDs/EPs that I don't know about. Wizard rock has been popular (in an underground sense) since around 2005 to 2006, and since it's six years later, there's a lot of potential for CD's that have been released as a free download being completely lost to newer fans of the genre. That's what I'll be doing, and the first band I'm focusing on is 142 Staircases.
142 Staircases is a band, and by band, I mean a solitary female, Christine Roberts, who uses both pianos and guitars to make her music. I don’t know too much about the history of the band, but I’ll say what I can. (Any site I cite will be listed in link form at the bottom of this post).
142 Staircases joined MySpace toward the end of 2007. Her earliest music is difficult to locate (as I’m still prodding around the internet looking around), though at one point in time she recorded the 2:17 song “Secret Kisses.” I first heard this song via downloading the Wizard Rock Starter Pack. Though the quality is relatively low, there is a potential that can easily be heard in Christine’s voice.
Aside from that, she has a YouTube profile, in which she’s uploaded over 25 videos, but only about five songs, one of them the instrumental piano version of the aforementioned “Secret Kisses”. Just listening to it even without lyrics, one can tell that the song has a truly beautiful melody.
With that in mind, her YouTube profile boasts a song in progress, titled “Ginny’s ???” which actually sounds pretty good, but I don’t believe she ever added to it and/or re-recorded it, sadly. More of her songs on YouTube include “Potions Essay Due” (which, while short, is terribly catchy and well-done), “Silhouette”, and “Yesterday”, which span from November 2008 to February 2009. Though I have mixed feelings over “Silhouette,” “Yesterday” is another very enjoyable song about the beginnings of James and Lily’s relationship.
She hasn't uploaded a video since March, 2010, though YouTube is not the only way an artist can keep in touch with her fan base. Christine uses both Twitter and tumblr, though her twitter account (@142Staircases, if interested) is used as her regular account (meaning she talks to personal friends and posts normal stuff, not just 142 Staircase-related). She uses it often, so if you wanted to strike up a conversation with her and see how her musical endeavors are going, then you probably could, though of course it can’t be guaranteed she’d reply. Her tumblr, however, is more relevant and interesting.
On October 1st, 2011, she posted a song with lyrics titled “Horcrux Hunt: Part 1″ Completely different from her other songs, this is pure rap, and more so, it’s very, very good (both in lyrics and vocal delivery). The first two lines are as followed: “Sold on split soul safety, stole six secret symbol boxes / Unapologetic relics: lawless, thoughtless, noxious.” Not only is the initial alliteration professionally done, she sings it extremely quickly, and sometimes it’s hard to pick out each separate word. The song is amazing, in short, and again, so different from her previous works. Now, this is Part 1, according to Christine, but as of this day (over a year later), no word on Part 2. This song can be listened to on her MySpace page (and in fact, it’s the only song on her MySpace page, which is odd – it’s as if she’s trying to wipe away her older songs), her tumblr page, and her BandCamp page (and can also be bought from said Bandcamp page for $1, so if you want to support her…)
Her tumblr also says something that is of more interest to me, and that is a mention of an untitled EP, which had it's pre-order delayed as it wasn’t finished (as stated on the first of December, 2011). Much like Part 2 of Horcrux Hunt, there’s been no updated word on this 142 Staircases EP, and in fact the news that it had to be delayed is the newest thing on her tumblr, which is sort of ominous.
If anyone wanted to find out every song by an artist, they need only either go around the entire internet and search, or go to last.fm, and check the band’s profile. I did so, and ran into something interesting. I am very active on last.fm, and I’ve played 142 Staircases’ song “Secret Kisses” 26 times. Along with that track being listed, “Horcrux Hunt: Part 1″ can actually be played via last.fm, meaning that if you search up 142 Staircases on the last.fm radio, “Horcrux Hunt: Part 1″ will come up. I just did so, actually, so this is still in effect. That’s not what’s interesting, though. Both “Horcrux Hunt: Part 1″ and “Secret Kisses” are listed, but there’s one more song listed, that being a song called “You Amaze Me,” prompting me to do some more searching, allowing me to run into something both interesting and sad.
In May, 2008, AtriumCast (which is apparently one of the various Harry Potter podcasts online) interviewed 142 Staircases, bringing to light another fact. First off, Christine is in another, non-solo wizard rock band, that being Chocolate in the Library (which I’ll talk about at length once I get there in a future blog). In that specific episode of AtriumCast (being Ep. 111), five songs were played, and those were “Hogwarts Letter”, “Turn Around”, “Staircases Song”, “You Amaze Me”, and “And I’m Sorry.” Now, I have no way of telling which of these songs are by the artist 142 Staircases and which ones are by Chocolate in the Library (as it could be either one), but I think it’s safe to say that “You Amaze Me” is at least a song by 142 Staircases. I can’t find anything else, however, about any of the five songs listed, and the link given to listen to the episode is a dead link, meaning I’m not sure the episode can be accessed anymore.
On the specific song "You Amaze Me" on a side-note, I discovered that it is listed as track 14 on the compilation album Letters from Hogwarts. Now, the listing is from May 2008, and I'm not sure if the album ever actually came out (I assume it has, and it's just impossible to find any additional information), but it goes to further the proof that "You Amaze Me" is a song by 142 Staircases and not Chocolate in the Library. She put another song on another compilation, that being the song "Don't Walk All Over Me", which is one of the tracks on the album Wrock Against Bullying. Now, I'm sure that album came out, though I can't really find proof, aside from the track listing. Of course, I don't know a thing about the song, but I can only assume it's anti-bullying in some way (the title implies as much).
With that, I think it wraps up what I can find out about 142 Staircases, leading me to say this: If anyone else runs into any of the songs I couldn’t locate (be it lyrics or the actual song itself), either a shady download or an old, live video, please link me to it in a comment, because I’d love to see it. The links I mentioned are all listed below, so you can confirm what I have stated for yourself. With all of that said, I hope everyone is doing well, and I hope you enjoyed my first exploration into a wizard rock band, that being 142 Staircases.
Links:
Wizard Rock Starter Pack – Free to Download - http://archive.org/details/WizardRockStarterPack_336
Instrumental version of “Secret Kisses” – Starts at 1:50 in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hScg8UKZwjk
Song in Progress – “Ginny’s ???” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3DjzNFK59E
“Potions Essay Due” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p5GfGwDOzg
“Silhouette” and “Yesterday” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRxCjqDUjh4
142 Staircases twitter - https://twitter.com/142Staircases
142 Staircases tumblr - http://142staircases.tumblr.com
142 Staircases MySpace - http://us.myspace.com/142staircases
142 Staircases Bandcamp - http://142staircases.bandcamp.com/
142 Staircases last.fm - http://www.last.fm/music/142+Staircases
AtriumCast interview - http://acwrspp.blogspot.com/2008/05/ep111-wrocksome-interview-with-142.html
Wrock Against Bullying - http://www.myspace.com/wizardrockagainstbullying/blog
Letters from Hogwarts - http://www.myspace.com/tonksandtheaurors/blog/392527678