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Bright Eyes

04/02/05 | by Sara [mail] | Categories: culture/news

I've been meaning to post about this band for a while. I use the term band loosely; it is the brainchild of singer and songwriter Conor Oberst, and is made up of whatever musician friends he can bring together at the time. Bright Eyes reminds me a bit of Wilco and Uncle Tupelo because of the twang, the depression and the preoccupation with alcohol. He's also got some protest songs and some un-sappy love songs. One of my favorites is "Road to Joy" which uses the tune of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" (which you trombonists and tubas might remember from jr. high band) as a background for protest. He is wise way beyond his years (he's younger than I) and has powerful lyrics and a haunting voice. Here's a good example from "At the Bottom of Everything": "While my mother waters plants, my father loads his gun/He says, "Death will give us back to God, just like the setting sun/is returned to the lonesome ocean". Some songs on I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning feature Jim James of My Morning Jacket and Emmylou Harris. The coolest part is that Bright Eyes' label, Saddle Creek records, is independent, and Conor refuses to sign with a major label. In fact, Conor's collaborators are also opposed to big labels and ridiculous copyright laws: My Morning Jacket was featured on Wired Magazine's Creative Commons CD. (For more on creative commons licensing, search for "Free Culture" on our blog.) If you value my musical tastes at all (which I understand fully that you probably don't), you should take a listen. Oh yeah, and there are two free songs here.

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6 comments

I’m also astounded by what Conor Oberst has accomplished at such a young age. He is credited with beginning the indie music scene in Omaha, Nebraska. He’s about the same age as me, and it’s amazing to think that while I was doing typical high school stuff in Fremont, Oberst was living 30 minutes away from me, recording music for the record label he started.


Kyle [Visitor]http://kyle.brendoman.com04/02/05 @ 22:57

Danny you might care to know “they” are playing in KC coming up real soon.


Bunk Face [Visitor]04/04/05 @ 13:13

Yeah, I was going to tell you the same thing. Bright Eyes is coming to KC. Another band from Saddle Creek called The Faint is opening. I think they are the label’s 2nd biggest selling band. The Faint will be Conor’s backing band for the show and from what I understand he will focus maily on songs from Digital Ash in a Digital Urn. Kelly and I will be there, hating capitalism and urban sprawl.


Lucas [Visitor]04/05/05 @ 22:05
[Member]  04/06/05 @ 20:49

We got our tickets in the mail over the weekend. We could certainly go together. I am excited, because we have definitely been in a concert drought. Kelly and I haven’t been to one in forever. We have seen Bright Eyes once before a couple of years ago. He got really drunk and had to try a song 3 times to get it right.


Lucas [Visitor]04/06/05 @ 22:23

I’m going to see them with the faint on april 28th. I love bright eyes, but I’m more partial to cursive. They have a chelloist and their music is grand, sweeping and fantastic. They’re also on saddle creek records.


Shane [Visitor]04/08/05 @ 15:42


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