Saves the Day (Chris Conley) - This Is Not An Exit

Not the best camera work, but this gives you an idea of what the show was like.

Saves the Day

Roger gave me 2 tickets to the Saves the Day show at The Loft at Earthlink Live. He said that he hadn't been able to sell or give the tickets away, and he knew I liked the band, so he asked if I would like to go. Because the tickets were free, I wasn't really sure if I would go, but at the last minute we decided to go; I'm glad I did.

I read up a little on the band in the hours before the show. Apparently, they have fallen on hard times since the release of their breakout 2003 album In Reverie. All that remains of the band is front man Chris Conley, who is said to have really struggled with his band's short brush with stardom and then fall into relative obscurity. In Reverie is all I knew of the band, but I really enjoyed how the pop-punk sound was offset by darkly sentimental lyrics. These lyrics are perhaps more meaningful after they difficulties that Conley has gone through.

The show was acoustic, which I think was a great way to hear the band. It is essentially the Chris Conley show anyway, so he was only accompanied by one other guy who played guitar/bass and a little percussion. What made the biggest impression on me was the how there was a small, but very dedicated, core of fans at the show. There were maybe 100 people there, and probably 50% of these knew every lyric to every song (See the above video). Also, I liked how Conley encouraged the fans to find their music and download it for free; he said he just wants people to have and enjoy the music. That really makes me want to buy an album and support his band.

Manchester Orchestra Perform 'Wolves At Night' On Letterman

Manchester Orchestra

There is really not a lot I can say about Manchester Orchestra. Just google them if you want to read rave reviews or hear about their celebrated new album.

I was fortunate enough to see them live at the Masquerade in Atlanta back in August and I was blown away. Kevin Jones of The Snake The Cross The Crown (also a great band) is a family friend, and got us on the list for his show, as his band was opening up - along with M.O. - for a band called Me Without You. In between sets, I ran into a guy from my high school who said that he was here to see M.O. because some of the guys in the band had also gone to our school. I figured that this connection was enough for me to want to hang around and check out their first few songs. I was blown away by an incredible and powerful live performance by a group of kids who all looked to be less than 20 years old.

Lead singer Andy Hull has the voice to take M.O. anywhere they want to go. He has a solo project called Right Away, Great Captain!, in which he also displays songwriting and storytelling abilities far beyond his years.

The above video should answer any questions you still might have.

Belle and Sebastian - Dog On Wheels