Pitchfork: Harry and the Potters Tour Libraries, Like Always

Harry and the Potters Tour Libraries, Like Always

Though their band name, their endless tours of public libraries, and their lists of curiously juvenile reading suggestions reek of gimmicks, Harry and the Potters don't play that; unless, of course, you consider the advocacy of literacy a gimmick. And what kind of heartless person would accuse anyone of piggybacking off the pages of others?

Ahem. So Harry and the Potters are touring libraries, again, which in no way is related to this summer's release of Harry Potter and the Tupperware Full of Powerswords or whatever. In fact, the gents have gone so far as to offer up their 100% Rowling-free picks for your 2007 summer reading pleasure, including Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, and Lois Lowry's The Giver.

No word on whether these nudgings are meant for the Berenstain set, though a note on their website suggests that Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close will "punch you in the face," which seems a bit young adult/S.E. Hinton to us. What's more, the Potters promise an official band toothbrush to anyone who comes to a gig with a book report on one of their recs in hand.

You can catch the Potters bookworming around most of the summer at your local library.

Reading is FUNdamental:

06-01 New York City, NY - Knitting Factory
06-03 Rockville, MD - Rockville Town Center
06-04 Raleigh, NC - Raleigh Public Library
06-05 Atlanta, GA - First Existentialist Congregation
06-06 Gadsden, AL - Gadsden Public Library
06-07 Nashville, TN - University School
06-08 Madison, MS - Madison Square Center for the Arts
06-09 Covington, LA - St. Tammany Parish Library (Covington Branch)
06-10 Memphis TN - Memphis Public Library
06-11 Fayetteville, AR - Fayetteville Public Library
06-13 Norman, OK - Sooner Theater
06-14 Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios
06-15 Houston, TX - Fitzgerald's
06-16 Austin, TX - Ruta Maya
06-17 Dallas, TX - Dallas Public Library - J. Erik Jonsson Library
06-19 Albuquerque, NM - South Broadway Cultural Center
06-21 Tucson, AZ - Pima County Public Library - Joel D. Valdez Main Library
06-22 Phoenix, AZ - The Trunk Space (two shows)
06-23 Las Vegas, NV - Las Vegas-Clarke County Library (Sunrise Branch, two shows)
06-24 Anaheim, CA - Anaheim Public Library (East Anaheim branch)
06-25 San Diego, CA - El Cajon Library
06-26 Los Angeles, CA - Los Angeles Public Library (Central Library)
06-27 Mission Viejo, CA - Mission Viejo Library
06-29 San Francisco, CA - Slim's
07-01 Sacramento, CA - Sacramento Public Library - Central Library
07-02 Palo Alto, CA - Palo Alto Main Library
07-03 Fremont, CA - Fremont Main Library
07-04 Eugene, OR - Maitreya Ecovillage
07-06 Anacortes, WA - Department of Safety
07-07 Vancouver, British Columbia - Vancouver Public Library
07-08 Kirkland, WA - Kirkland Performance Center
07-09 Spokane, WA - Caterina All Ages
07-10 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
07-11 Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Armory
07-12 Olympia WA - Olympia Timeberland Library
07-13 Seattle, WA - Seattle Public Library
07-16 Minneapolis, MN - Pershing Park
07-17 Chicago, IL - Chicago Public Library (Harold Washington Library Center)
07-18 Philadelphia, PA - Starlight Ballroom
07-19 Astoria, NY - Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden
07-20 Cambridge, MA - Harvard Square
07-24 Buffalo, NY - Buffalo Public Library (Central Library)
07-25 Cleveland, OH - Cleveland Public Library (Lakeshore Facility)
07-26 Charleston, WV - Kanawah County Main Library
07-27 Columbus, OH - TBA
07-28 Louisville, KY - Clifton Center
07-29 Indianapolis, IN - Big Car Gallery
07-30 St. Louis, MO - St. Louis Public Library (Main Library)
07-31 Ann Arbor, MI - Ann Arbor District Library (Downtown Library)
08-01 London, Ontario - London Public Library
08-02 Toronto, Ontario - Prophecy 2007
08-04 Toronto, Ontario - TBA
08-05 Grand Rapids, MI - the DAAC
08-07 Johnston, IA - Johnston Public Library
08-08 Sioux Falls, SD, Sertoma Park Shelter
08-09 Omaha, NE - Omaha Public Library
08-10 Denver, CO - Denver Public Library (Central Library)
08-11 Salt Lake City, UT - Salt Lake City Public Library
08-12 Boise, ID - TBA
08-13 Cheyenne, WY - Laramie County Library
08-14 Boulder, CO - Boulder Public Library (Main Branch)
08-15 Kansas City, MO - Kansas City Public Library
08-17 Springfield, MO - Springfield Public Library
08-19 Pittsburgh, PA - Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh