Eye on Attraction will perform original 20-minute epic Harry Potter song at Stage West in Scranton on Dec. 28
With “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” in theaters now and Harry Potter fandom still going strong 21 years after the character’s literary debut (spawning new events like Wizardfest), Scranton progressive/alternative rock band Eye on Attraction is digging up a nearly 20-minute “wizard rock” song they wrote years ago and playing it live in its entirety at Stage West in Scranton on Friday, Dec. 28.
Advertised as “one night only,” this will be the first – and possibly only – full performance of “Magic Is Might” since they debuted it at the now-defunct New Visions Studio & Gallery in Scranton in 2011 to celebrate the theatrical release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2,” the end of the original Potter series. This will also be the first time they perform the song, which “chronicles the long, tumultuous relationship between Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald,” with current vocalist Jen Fracas, who re-recorded the track with the band for “a very limited pressing of the EP” that will be available for sale that night, according to the band.
EoA will also be playing selections from 2012 full-length album “The Factory” and 2014 EP “Staircases,” as well as material from their anticipated two-part album “The Method” and “The Madness,” both due out in early 2019.
Scranton indie rock group Esta Coda, fresh from the release of their new EP “King Bitter,” and Wilkes-Barre folk rockers The Charming Beards will open the 21+ show.
Doors at Stage West (301 N. Main Ave., Scranton) open at 8 p.m., and the concert begins at 9 p.m. Tickets are $7 at the door. For more details, see the Facebook event page.
While creating and playing a song as epic as “Magic Is Might” would be a challenge for the average band, it’s old hat for Eye on Attraction, who are known for their intricate and progressive concept rock that’s still catchy and lively, particularly in a live setting.
Formed in 2010, the young band has changed singers several times over the years, but the core trio of drummer Andrew Merkle, guitarist Mike Trischetta, and bassist Joe Quincy has remained dedicated to the project, taking a break from live shows after touring with Adelitas Way in 2016 but continuing to work on new music privately. They burst back onto the scene last year with an impressive new single called “Pleasantville” and a big comeback show with Fracas on vocals.
Signing with bookers M7 Agency (Smile Empty Soul, Ghostface Killah, Corey Glover, Austin John Winkler) and recent tours supporting national acts like All That Remains and The Veer Union have only bolstered their already sizable following, and back in Scranton, they took home Artist of the Year and Drummer of the Year in the 2018 Steamtown Music Awards before announcing their “most ambitious project ever.”
With the help of crowdfunding platform Indiegogo, the group completed “The Method” and “The Madness,” two albums recorded independently and at Side B Studios in Wapwallopen, crafting songs that span many different genres while retaining the high concepts, progressive edge, and pop sensibilities they’ve become known for, taking notes from Coheed and Cambria and The Dear Hunter as much as Paramore and The Pretty Reckless.
“We have spent almost a decade working toward the goals that very few seem to want to talk openly about. Like our heroes in bands like Rush, Muse, and Queen, we want to make our music our way, and we want to spread it all over the world,” EoA wrote on the Indiegogo page that raised just over $14,000.
“We have progressed far enough into the industry where it’s time to decide whether or not to sign away our creative freedom. We would rather die than be anything other than who we are. With your help, you can say, ‘I knew them when.'”
Expect big things from this band next year, but before then, you can catch them in a little club in Scranton producing a very big sound – complete with a little magic.
See NEPA Scene’s photos of EoA performing with Esta Coda and Katie Evans at O’Leary’s Pub in Scranton last year here.
