Harry and the Potters and the goblets of beer

PB&J meet PBR. This summer Boston’s Harry and the Potters plan to abandon their beloved children’s libraries in favor of a (slightly) more adult, bar-bound indie rock festival - a DIY Lollapalooza if you will, but one with 10-year-olds dancing next to college kids.
Teaming with like-minded bands Uncle Monsterface and Math the Band, the Potters have created the Unlimited Enthusiasm Expo ’08 (also known as Camp Jump & Yell for Boys and Girls and Wizards). It kicks off Wednesday at the Middle East in Cambridge.
The trio of brothers Joe and Paul DeGeorge and Ernie Kim have already played libraries, bookstores and fan conventions in 49 states and half a dozen countries, but this will be the Potters’ first national tour of rock clubs. To celebrate the occasion the bands promise antics and entertainment galore: elaborate video projections, inflatable monkeys, campfires, circus tents and, shades of Kevin Garnett, PB&Js.



“We wanted a chance to do something a little more extravagant,” said Paul DeGeorge on his way to band practice. “We’re a weird type of band. We sing songs about books. That never seemed to stop anybody from coming to see us, so why not try something like this?
“But this isn’t just about our creative vision,” DeGeorge continued. “We’ve solicited volunteers to help out with every stop because we want fans to bring their creativity to the shows, too. For instance, I know that someone is making and bringing their own homemade photo booth to shoot pictures of fans and e-mail them out after the show.” Formed in 2002, Harry and the Potters write songs exclusively from the young wizard’s point of view. Providence’s Math the Band’s equally dorky rock tackles topics from the water cycle to the importance of staying in shape. And the trio often does aerobics during songs. Locals Uncle Monsterface, well, that band’s frontman and half its members are sock puppets.
And somehow the audience is expected to add art to the show, too.
“We want to challenge what a rock show can be with this tour,” said DeGeorge.
Last week, the groups announced the tour at a press conference at Watertown’s Cunniff Elementary School attended by aspiring K-5 journalists. While there were many tough questions - “Have you ever played in India?,” “Have you ever played in Russia?” (no and no) - the most apropos was “Can kids come to your shows?”
Absolutely. But while the tour only stops at all-ages venues and has moved up door times to accommodate bedtimes, how many parents want their tykes bouncing around with rambunctious teens and beer-drinking college kids?
DeGeorge is optimistic.
“We know most of our fans are around their early 20s but we really want this to be for everyone,” he said.
In other words, PB&J and PBR go together like, well, peanut butter and jelly.
Harry and the Potters, with Uncle Monsterface and Math the Band, at the Middle East, Cambridge, Wednesday, 6. p.m. Tickets: $10-12; 617-864-EAST.