free_geek

Devin, of the WRock group The Owl Post, has a new project called Be Safe Bella. The project isn’t a WRock group, but it also isn’t a traditional “muggle” rock group either. Instead the project is inspired by the YA book series The Twilight Saga. It is a little early to say exactly where this project is going (the tracks are just demos thrown up to get feedback). I’m guessing though that the idea is to do something like WRock, but with a different series. I’m not sure if any other WRock groups have played around with this idea yet. And obviously she isn’t the first person to mine literary works outside of the Potter series for musical inspiration. I am curious about this development though.

I’ve been wondering now for several months about the future of WRock. The book series is over, and the movies have only 2 more years left. What happens to the scene after that? While WRock does seem to have only just hit its stride now that the series is over, with more bands then ever. It only stands to reason that it has either just now reached its peak, or soon will. With no new source material, unless JK goes back on her word or let’s other writers play in her playground, the fandom will surely begin to contract in size to something that is a bit more manageable from a social standpoint. And that decrease in size of the overall fandom, will likely have an effect on the WRock scene as well.

I doubt WRock will vanish completely. There will likely always be a handful or so groups that occasionally release material and will probably play at conventions and the like. The “scene” though is likely to be a little more fragile. Will the scene continue, or will it dwindle until it is a group of fans following the surviving bands? Not that there is anything wrong with this, but it does change the dynamics some.

Which is why I’m curious about Devin’s new project. There is the seed of an idea here that I think could bear some very interesting fruit. The idea, as I envision it at least, is that the WRock scene blossoms into something much larger and more expansive. Abandoning the limitations of music inspired just by the Potter series, the scene grows to incorporate a wide variety of books and literary series. Bands could exist that focus on a single series, like WRock is currently. Other groups may decide to branch out even further, covering a variety of books and series.

This idea would be a lovely expansion on WRock’s core idea of encouraging people to read, introducing people to new books and authors through songs. When I saw Devin’s announcement about the project one of the first things I did after listening to the music was to go looking for the series on Amazon.

The idea also gives WRock an existence that does not come with a time table. One that embraces its diversity in styles and genres, but also gives it a central theme around which to grow and evolve. It keeps the scene’s quirky sense of purpose and its unique approach to the geek identity, but also gives it room to grow and expand.

I’m not sure where Devin’s new project is going, but hopefully it does go somewhere. And hopefully it does not go there alone.