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 Conor Oberst is the king of collaborators, bouncing from one project to another in his Omaha, Nebraska-based musical commune, but his main project is Bright Eyes, a rotating group of musicians behind Oberst’s eclectic and inspired pop that is part folk, part country-rock and part electronic rock. In the communal spirit, he also co-founded Saddle Creek Records in the '90s and his own label, Team Love, in 2003.
Oberst grew up in a musical family and began playing guitar at the age of 10. He developed a collaborative approach to making music early on and, by his teens, was playing in numerous bands, including Commander Venus, Park Ave., Desaparecidos and an early version of the Faint. Along with creative partner Mike Mogis, Oberst released a remarkable series of Bright Eyes albums and EPs in the late-'90s, and the collective, Oberst in particular, became critics’ darlings. He finally achieved mainstream acceptance with the release of Bright Eyes’ well-received 2005 double-album — one disc the more acoustic I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning contrasting the electronic Digital Ash in a Digital Urn. It’s not a stretch to say that Oberst has played an important role the growth of contemporary indie rock in the last decade, and how to make and distribute it. As a songwriter most often compared to Dylan, he’s set the bar extremely high for those who follow him.
In 2007, Bright Eyes released the highly acclaimed Cassadega, after which Oberst slipped away to Mexico to work on a new solo album. Recorded in a lo-fi environment with a cast of musicians that came to be known as the Mystic Valley Band, the self-titled Conor Oberst was released in 2008.
Provenance: Omaha, Nebraska
Latest Release: Conor Oberst (2008)
© 2008 Nigel Music Media LLC. Used by permission.
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