R13: For those of us that don't know you, how would you introduce the band in a couple of sentences?
MO: Melodic and dynamic rock and roll so magical your face will fall off and become a toad prince.
R13: You've only been to the UK a couple of times and are only just starting to be talked about over here, what kind of fanbase do you have in the US in comparison?
MO: After playing a lot this year and having the chance to open some great tours we are starting to see a decent crowd in most cities that we have visited. In the cities we haven't played before we seem to have a few people there that are already fans. We are always a little blown away that they know who we are without having been forced to sit through our set to see the band they wanted to see.
R13: You played at Reading and Leeds Festivals, which are our two biggest rock festivals, how was that experience, did you make any new fans?
MO: It was a great experience. The festivals are so huge but so well run. A lot of festivals in the States seem to have a whole lot of people come just for the partying but there seemed to be a whole lot of people at Reading and Leeds who just really wanted to see and hear good music. Barely anyone that saw our shows knew who we were but the tents were still pretty full. The crowds there just seem really ready to hear new music and give it a chance. I think we made a few new fans, and even if we didn't we got to play a great festival and see some great shows.
R13: Did you get a chance to see the sets of any other bands there?
MO: We all wandered around and caught some other band's sets. I saw The Pipettes, Jimmy Eat World, The Gossip, Interpol, Plain White T's , The subways. I think the highlight of the weekend was watching Brand New and Kings of Leon. It is always encouraging seeing really good bands get the attention and success they deserve.
R13: What's been the best reception you've had at a festival so far?
MO: I think our set at Leeds got a really good reception. We had a great reception at Bonnaroo as well. We played a tiny little tent out in the field by the main stage and our gear kept breaking and my drumset kept falling apart and there were miserable sunburnt people in the back of the tent just there for the shade, but the 30 or 40 people up by the stage singing along really meant a lot to us.
R13: Are you looking forward to the challenge of playing some smaller venues when you come back over here, or are you glad to be playing larger halls in the US now?
MO: We are really at home playing small venue because that is what we have been doing the last 2 years with exception of a few opening tours. We really feed off of the intimacy of being so close together with each other and especially with the crowd. We enjoy playing the big shows with the lights and great sound and a huge crowd but there is really something special about sweating your ass off in a tiny room with a pieced together P.A. and the crowd being right in front of you close enough to touch.
R13: What are some of the inspirations behind your album, ' I'm Like A Virgin Losing A Child'?
MO: I think there are a million different things that came together to inspire this record. Obviously a lot of the themes on the record are about life and death, faith, spirituality, morality. Just normal everyday human thoughts and struggles. I think the songs are all very personal in various ways without being directly about a certain situation that someone went through.
R13: You're all quite young, has it been difficult to make the decision to dedicate yourselves to the group rather than doing all the things your peers were doing?
MO: We have all been playing music since we were very young in different forms. Some of the band has been playing in bands together for years. I think we all knew pretty early on that playing music was one of the gifts we were blessed with and that it was what we felt we were supposed to pursue. We all have had the support of our families from the beginning and that makes it a lot easier to take the leap of deciding to do whatever it takes to make this work. Of course there are times where we wish we had a normal schedule and could do certain things we can't but we know that we are very blessed to be able to do what we are doing and make it a career.
R13: Where did the name "Manchester Orchestra" come from?
MO: I think it came to Andy in one of his dreams about losing his teeth.
R13: Tell us something interesting or unbelievable about the band.
MO: If you play our record backwards it syncs up with the first episode of Lost.
R13: What would you like to come to people's minds when they think of Manchester Orchestra?
MO: Hopefully our band and not a British Orchestra.
R13: Thanks for your time and good luck with the tour and album