Sad Kids From Georgia

Imagine The Dear Hunter fronted by Conor Oberst, except Conor Oberst is a 350 pound bearded lumberjack with a southern twang. And his name is Andy. Now you have Manchester Orchestra. The band started five years ago with singer Andy Hull, who spent his final year of high school being home schooled because he felt alienated from his small Christian Georgia high school. While at home, he began writing and started to collect some of his friends to form Manchester Orchestra. Their music often displays that feeling of alienation, in addition to angst, anger, and confusion. The songs, especially on their latest- the 2009 Mean Everything To Nothing, are frantic. They go from a calm-sad, Andy sounding like he is barely hanging on, to high gear rock thrash, with Andy yelling in anger. Mean Everything To Nothing is a two-part album. The first is dedicated to teen angst and the confusion of becoming an adult, the second part dedicated to redemption and self-evaluation. Andy describes the album having the feeling that "things are not ok, I am not ok, and there's a beauty in that -- a calming, a forgiveness." The tracks bleed that feeling in their crunch pedals and sweeping arena rock choruses. The songs are also filled with Southern mannerisms and Andy’s awkward relationship with God, and the familial guilt that comes from that, especially because Andy is the son of a preacher.

They don’t make happy music. Despite that, their live shows are filled with humor and energy. The soft-spoken Andy always cracks awkward jokes in his Georgian accent. The band also has a song about their love for 50 cent. Epic guitar riffs, screaming, God, and 50 Cent. What more could you ask for?

You can catch Manchester Orchestra March 30^th at The Paradise. Doors are at 8 p.m.