The Shackeltons is a band on a mission.
Before playing at 10 tonight at Bar Bleu, 112 S. Garner St., the band will decorate the stage with Christmas lights and fresh flowers. They will wear Army jackets because, as guitarist Dan Schuchman said, "it's a battle."
"Optimism has been destroyed," Schuchman said.
"The music we create is all about rebuilding the hope and compassion back into our audience."
Roustabout! promoter Jesse Ruegg said the Chambersburg band, which has been together for three years, is an unlikely surprise.
"I've been to Chambersburg," Ruegg said. "I didn't even know they had a music scene. It's interesting that a band that good can come from small-town Pennsylvania."
Ruegg said the Shackeltons' music reminded him of "post-punk kind of stuff," but given the band's collective influences, it is harder to pin down than that. Each band member has distinct tastes, ranging from '80s punk to math rock to modern indie to soul and surf.
"It's very eclectic," said drummer Sean Hallock, who joined the band when he was only 14. "Whenever people ask me, I just say rock."
Eric Fisak, the band's other guitarist, said the diverse influences gave the band a unique sound.
"We kind of get together, each do our own thing," Fisak said. "If we all do 10 different things and find one gem, we run with it. Rhythmically and harmonically, we play what works."
Singer Mark Redding had a more abstract description.
"It gives you the feeling of being at a wedding or a funeral or a romantic proposal or an 'I did something wrong and I'm sorry' type of setting," he said.
Schuchman said the band's goal was simply to be productive artistically.
"We just want to make the best music we can," he said. "We want to make good music that's appreciated."
The Shackeltons have shared the stage in the past with Our Lady Peace, but playing with such a big band has not intimidated the band members.
"We might not be paid as much as Our Lady Peace," Redding said, referring to the fact that the Shackeltons were only paid in food and gas money as opposed to the tens of thousands of dollars the headliner got. "But you might like our music just as much."
