Being a “band geek” has rarely ever won a high school student cool points. One would expect that a “Catholic high school band geek” might fare even worse—yet one marching band of young badasses in Atlanta is bucking the trend.

Let me note here that I personally reaped the rewards/suffered the consequences of a Catholic grade school education myself—and I’m still a “geek,” and consider the word a term of endearment—lest anyone think I’m being unfair to Catholics or geeks or whatever. Continuing…

Saint Pius X’s Marching Golden Lions are winning the Internet this week with their renditions of DEVO, Gary Numan, Berlin and other new wave bands’ hits.
 

The Marching Golden Lions
 
The Marching Golden Lions seem to be having fun with their arrangements of ‘80s new wave standards which can be seen in the video clips below.

We’re not sure how much influence band director Chad Paetznick had over the choice of songs performed by the band, but even if it was all his idea that’d still make him one of the coolest Catholic high school marching band directors ever. If the students picked the songs, then we’ll just say that they have excellent taste in golden oldies.

Paetznick’s still gotta win some kind of “coolest band director” award though: according to Saint Pius X’s school newspaper, he took the band to the Third Man Records studio to record their drum cadence and fight song with Jack White while they were in Nashville for the Vanderbilt Marching Invitational. Not every high school marching band in the world gets to record with Jack White.

You’ll want to check out all three clips here. These kids rule.
 
Here’s the Saint Pius X Marching Golden Lions performing DEVO’s “Girl U Want.” Dig the dude walking by who gets really into it at 0:37 and check out the breakdown at 1:30:

 
Here the Marching Golden Lions perform Gary Numan’s “Down in the Park” and Berlin’s “The Metro”:

 
And here they are doing a medley of The Human League, Men Without Hats, Talking Heads, Eurythmics, and Flock of Seagulls:

Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Kickass kids cover Led Zeppelin songs on xylophones!