Bright eyes

Bright Eyes

Bio

Bright Eyes released The People's Key on February 15th 2011. The People's Key - the band's seventh studio album - is the eagerly awaited follow-up to 2007's acclaimed Cassadaga .

Since 2006 the once revolving cast of Bright Eyes players has settled around permanent members Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis and Nathaniel Walcott, with additional musicians joining them in the studio and on tour. Fully realized and bursting with charisma, The People's Key is an assured and accomplished album, artfully arranged and filled with the engaging and mesmeric songwriting for which Oberst is renowned. Recorded in Omaha, Nebraska, at the band's own ARC Studios, The People's Key was produced by Mike Mogis and engineered by Mogis and Andy LeMaster.

Additional Bright Eyes players on The People's Key . Andy LeMaster, (Now It's Overhead), Matt Maginn (Cursive), Carla Azar (Autolux), Clark Baechle (The Faint), Shane Aspegren (The Berg Sans Nipple), Laura Burhenn (The Mynabirds) and Denny Brewer (Refried Ice Cream).

Contents

History [ edit ]

Early years (1995-1997) [ edit ]

A founding member of Commander Venus – which disbanded in 1997 – guitarist/vocalist Conor Oberst turned to focus on his new project, Bright Eyes. In 1998, he released 20 of the songs he had been stockpiling as the first official Bright Eyes album, A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997 . [ 5 ] The album saw Oberst beginning to experiment with drum machines. keyboards and other instruments. The sound of the album ranges from bleating vocals to acoustic guitar songs and techno - style synthesizer instrumentals. Critical reaction was negative, with Allmusic saying that many of "the songs disintegrate as his vocals are reduced to the unintelligible babbling of a child. Any balance the music maintained up to that point, however fragile, is lost and so, more than likely, is the listener." [ 6 ]

Letting Off the Happiness (1998) [ edit ]

On November 2, 1998, Saddle Creek released Letting Off the Happiness . a ten-track album that boasted a more focused and clearer sound than the previous album. According to the Saddle Creek press release, it features members of Lullaby for the Working Class. Neutral Milk Hotel. and of Montreal. Park Ave. bandmate Neely Jenkins also contributed vocals. It was predominantly recorded in the Oberst family basement in Omaha on an analog eight track reel to reel ; with some work also done at keyboardist Andy Lemaster 's Athens, Georgia studio. [ 7 ] Although almost all of the tracks feature a full band, "June on the West Coast" is performed with only acoustic guitar and vocals. "Padraic My Prince" gives a dramatic fictional account of the death of his baby brother, a story with a multitude of symbolic meanings. Oberst has referenced the song "Padraic My Prince" more than once in his music. The song "An Attempt To Tip the Scales " on the album "Fevers and Mirrors " has a faux interview near the end of the track. The interview was completely faked. It was not Oberst speaking it is actually Todd Fink (formerly known as Todd Baechle ) who was a labelmate and had played in other bands with Oberst. The interviewer is Matt Silcock another labelmate on Saddle Creek Records. The interview was meant to be somewhat sarcastic and most of what the Oberst impersonator said was not true. At one point the interviewer asks the question: "So some of these references like babies in bathtubs are not biographical?" The Oberst impersonator replies: "Well I did have a brother who died in a bathtub. he drowned. Well actually I had five brothers that drowned." "No, I'm serious. My mother drowned one every year for five consecutive years. They were all named Padraic, and that's why they only got one song. It's kind of like walking out a door and discovering that it's a window." [ 8 ] Oberst also references the song in "Cartoon Blues" on the Four Winds EP.

Every Day and Every Night EP (1999) [ edit ]

In November 1999, Bright Eyes released the five-song Every Day and Every Night EP, which included "Neely O'Hara" and "A Perfect Sonnet."

Fevers and Mirrors (2000) [ edit ]

In 2000, Bright Eyes released Fevers and Mirrors , with new instruments such as the flute. piano. and accordion introduced into the song arrangements. After "An Attempt to Tip the Scales", there is a mock radio interview that features Todd Fink of The Faint doing an impression of Oberst while reading a script that Oberst wrote. In this interview, the fake Oberst presents a strange, contradictory explanation of his attitude towards his music. It acknowledges criticisms of his lyrics as overblown and insincere, which had begun to appear as the popularity of the band increased, but responds by stating that the lyrics are meant for personal interpretation. Oberst later commented that "It was a way to make fun of ourselves because the record is such a downer. I mean, that's one part of who I am but I also like laughing ." [ 9 ] The album placed 170 on Pitchfork Media's best 200 albums of the decade. [ 10 ]

Lifted (2002) [ edit ]

With Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground in 2002, Bright Eyes became one of the year's most celebrated "new" artists, despite having been recording under that moniker for a few years. They received national attention, including in several notable pieces in The New York Times . The Los Angeles Times . Time magazine, Rolling Stone . Blender . and Spin . many of which proclaimed Conor Oberst to be a significant new artist. The album was a commercial success and has sold over 250,000 copies, [ 11 ] a breakthrough for the label and for all of the band's peers at that time. Oberst stated that, before making this record, both he and Mike Mogis had an idea for a "sort of grandiose sound" that neither could really put into words. This was also the first album made after Oberst's break to play with Desaparecidos .

I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning / Digital Ash in a Digital Urn (2004-2005) [ edit ]

Bright Eyes

During the 2004 election season. Bright Eyes toured with Bruce Springsteen and R. E.M. on the Vote for Change tour, [ 12 ] further pushing Bright Eyes into the public eye. Oberst sang numerous duets with the likes of Springsteen and Neil Young .

In November 2004, two Bright Eyes singles, "Lua " and "Take It Easy (Love Nothing) ", reached the two top spots on the Billboard Hot 100 Single Sales. This was the first time this had happened on the list in seven years.

January 25, 2005 saw the release of two distinctly different Bright Eyes albums: the folk-influenced I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and the electronic-pop inflected Digital Ash in a Digital Urn . An extensive world tour followed the release of those albums. Part one of the tour was in support of I'm Wide Awake and the second part was in support of Digital Ash . The first part was more similar to past tours with an intimate band setting. The decision to split the tour this way was practical as it would have been a "logistical nightmare" in terms of equipment and staff to perform songs from both albums simultaneously. [ 13 ] By the end of January 2005, I'm Wide Awake was No. 10 on the Billboard charts while Digital Ash was No. 15.

In early 2005, Bright Eyes supported R. E.M. in their tour of Australia, as well as headlined shows themselves. [ 13 ]

On May 2, 2005 Bright Eyes appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and performed the protest song "When the President Talks to God ". A 7" vinyl single of the song was sold at concerts soon after.

In November 2005, Bright Eyes performed "True Blue" on the children's television show Pancake Mountain .

Bright Eyes has actively protested against the Clear Channel media company. Oberst has vocally advocated the boycotting of all Clear Channel events, venues, and radio stations, perhaps most publicly at the Shortlist Awards show at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles on October 5, 2003. [ 14 ] On November 9, 2005, Bright Eyes canceled their November 12 show in St. Louis, Missouri upon discovering that the venue was associated with Clear Channel. [ 15 ]

Bright Eyes won Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for "When the President Talks to God" at the 2006 PLUG Independent Music Awards [ 16 ] and a special recognition award for the video for "First Day of My Life " at the 17th GLAAD Media Awards. [ 17 ] Additionally, Time listed I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning as one of the top ten albums of 2005. [ 18 ] Later in the year, the live album Motion Sickness was released, documenting the I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning tour.

In a skit on the May 20, 2006 episode of Saturday Night Live . Neil Young (played by Kevin Spacey ) was joined by Dixie Chicks and "indie sensation Bright Eyes" (played by Andy Samberg ), all of whom have been public in their criticism of George W. Bush .

After releasing three albums in 2005, Oberst stated that he did not plan to release an album in 2006. [ 19 ] On October 24, 2006, a compilation of rare tracks entitled Noise Floor (Rarities: 1998-2005) was released.

On March 8, 2007, Oberst appeared on National Public Radio 's All Songs Considered . playing a selection of tracks in his collection, as well as several from Four Winds .

Cassadaga (2007) [ edit ]

Bright Eyes released the Four Winds EP in March 2007, featuring the first single from their seventh studio album Cassadaga . released in April 2007. The track "Endless Entertainment" circulated over the internet from the new official site, ThisIsBrightEyes. com. In a 2007 issue, Rolling Stone labeled "Four Winds" as a top 100 song of the year.

In support of this album, Bright Eyes toured North America from February to May, and Europe and Japan from June to July. [ 20 ] The twelve musicians included two drummers, and they donned white uniforms in front of a video backdrop. [ 21 ]

During an encore on May 19, 2007 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Oberst performed a new song with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings entitled "Man Named Truth". He said the song was finished in the dressing room that night. [ citation needed ] The song was officially released on Monsters of Folk 's 2009 self-titled album, on which Oberst teams up with Jim James (of My Morning Jacket), M. Ward (of She & Him), and Mike Mogis (of Bright Eyes).

On June 4, 2007, they performed "Hot Knives" on the Late Show with David Letterman .

A double-single for "Hot Knives" and "If the Brakeman Turns My Way" was released on July 9, 2007.

In August 2007, Bright Eyes postponed 3 UK shows due to illness. A U. S. tour was announced, and in September, the UK dates were canceled and not rescheduled.

On September 29, 2007, they performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the historic Hollywood Bowl .

The People's Key (2008–2011) [ edit ]

During 2008 and 2009, Oberst recorded music and toured in support of his other music projects, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band and supergroup Monsters of Folk. In a June 2009 issue of Rolling Stone . Oberst announced that he wanted to "retire" the Bright Eyes moniker, and would be making one final album with the band: "It does feel like it needs to stop at some point. I'd like to clean it up, lock the door, say goodbye." [ 25 ]

Saddle Creek Records reissued their Neva Dinova split One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels on March 23, 2010 with four brand-new songs recorded in late 2009. [ 26 ]

On July 31, 2010, Bright Eyes teamed up with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Nebraska to put on a concert for equality in Omaha, Nebraska. The concert raised money for a federal lawsuit the ACLU filed against the city of Fremont, Nebraska for an ordinance the city passed on June 21, 2010 banning the hiring of or the rental of properties to illegal immigrants. [ 27 ] [ 28 ] At this show, Bright Eyes debuted a new song entitled "Coyote Song" about two lovers separated by the Mexico–United States border. [ 29 ]

The band's new album titled The People's Key was released on February 15, 2011, Conor Oberst's birthday. [ 30 ]

Conor Oberst has stated that the sound of The People's Key moves away from the folk sound that the band had accomplished on previous records. "We're over the Americana. rootsy, whatever that sound is. People say country but I never thought we were very country at all. But whatever that element is or that aesthetic is, I guess it's worn a little thin for me these days. So we very much wanted it to be rocking and, for lack of a better term, contemporary, or modern." [ 31 ]

The video for the song "Shell Games" was released via Saddle Creek Records on both the band's YouTube channel [ 32 ] and that of Saddle Creek, [ 33 ] and features the band playing against various projections.

On February 24, the band performed "Jejune Stars" on the Late Show with David Letterman. [ 34 ] They performed "Beginner's Mind" on The Tonight Show on April 14, 2011. [ 35 ]

On June 10, Bright Eyes released the music video for "Jejune Stars". The video features the band playing in a desert with a firework rig behind them, spelling out selected lyrics as Oberst sings them. [ 36 ]

In June, July, and August 2011, the band performed shows on tour with The Mountain Goats. [ 37 ]

Members [ edit ]

The band's permanent members [ 22 ] are:

However, the three collaborate with other artists, [ 38 ] of which the following have been credited in the band's releases:

“Common Knowledge” Music Video

Conor Oberst has unveiled the third video from his critically acclaimed new album, Upside Down Mountain.

Watch “Common Knowledge ,” a companion piece to the album’s first video, “Zigzagging Toward the Light .”

The video’s release comes just a few days before he embarks on the second leg of a coast-to-coast US tour, beginning September 14 in Salt Lake City.

The fall tour, featuring special guest Jonathan Wilson, will make stops in Salt Lake City, Austin, Dallas, Seattle, Portland, and more. Los Angeles fans can see him play a very special co-headline show with folk legend John Prine at the Greek Theater on October 5. See below for all of the currently scheduled dates.

About Bright Eyes

Although many musicians joined the band's rotating lineup, Bright Eyes was primarily the songwriting vehicle of Conor Oberst, a quivery-voiced Nebraska native who first attracted attention in 1994 -- when he was only 14 years old -- as the singer and guitarist for Commander Venus. Oberst proved to be a prolific musician, joining multiple bands (including Commander Venus, the Magentas, Park Ave. and Desaparecidos) while also co-founding Saddle Creek, an influential label that helped broadcast "the Omaha Sound" to a national audience. Nonetheless, he devoted most of his time to Bright Eyes, whose albums encompassed everything from folk to indie rock to electronica. Oberst eventually shifted his focus to the Mystic Valley Band in 2008, fueling rumors that he'd shelved the Bright Eyes project after ten years of activity.

Oberst had barely entered high school when he formed Commander Venus. Nonetheless, the teenager was a quick songwriter, and he soon amassed a number of songs that didn't gel with the rest of Commander Venus' catalog, 20 of which were compiled and released in 1998 as A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997, a solo record that doubled as Oberst's first release under the Bright Eyes moniker. Letting Off the Happiness followed several months later, featuring contributions from members of Neutral Milk Hotel, Of Montreal, and Tilly and the Wall. The album also marked the first collaboration between Oberst and producer/instrumentalist Mike Mogis, who would play an integral role in Bright Eyes' success going forward.

As Conor Oberst graduated from teenaged life to adulthood, his productivity increased. Bright Eyes' third release, Every Day and Every Night, appeared in 1999, followed by Fevers and Mirrors in 2000 and Oh Holy Fools in 2001. The Bright Eyes sound had expanded by this point, with Oberst finding room for flute, piano, and accordion in the band's music. The frontman also found room to pursue alternate projects, and he dedicated some time to Desaparecidos before returning to the studio with Mike Mogis in 2002. Lifted or the Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground was released that summer and proved to be Bright Eyes' breakthrough album, with Rolling Stone deeming it one of the year's best.

Bright Eyes released several EPs in 2004 -- including Home, Vol. 4, a collaboration with Spoon's Britt Daniel -- and rang in the following year with a pair of albums released on the same day: I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (whose accompanying tour produced the Motion Sickness: Live Recordings disc) and the electronic-slanted Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, both of which cracked the Top 20 in America. Hailed by some critics as the next Dylan, Oberst supported the releases with a round of festival appearances and international shows before returning to the studio once more. Recorded in L. A. Chicago, New York, Omaha, and Portland, the follow-up effort Cassadaga was released in the spring of 2007, preceded by the Four Winds EP earlier that spring. Both releases featured full instrumentation -- including pedal steel, Dobro, xylophone, and orchestral swells -- making them some of Bright Eyes' most developed works to date.

Cassadaga debuted at number four in America and number 13 in the U. K. marking Bright Eyes' highest peak on either chart. Even so, Oberst followed such success by decamping to rural Mexico to work on his first solo effort in years. Recorded in a makeshift studio with a cast of musicians dubbed the Mystic Valley Band, Conor Oberst arrived in 2008. The project soon evolved from a solo effort into a full-band affair, and the Mystic Valley Band returned in 2009 with Outer South, an album that included songs written and sung by several of Oberst's bandmates. Bright Eyes returned in 2011 with People's Key, which was recorded in Omaha and produced by Mogis and Andy LeMaster. In 2013, A Christmas Album, which had originally been quietly issued in 2002 as a Saddle Creek online store exclusive, was finally scheduled for its first full commercial release. This unique holiday album featured a selection of Christmas standards performed in Bright Eyes' trademark bittersweet style, with help from a plethora of other Saddle Creek artists including members of Cursive, Desaparecidos, Neva Dinova, and Azure Ray.

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andrewbear33

kiteo

One of the saddest songs ever. Like Vincent for pulling your heartstrings.

TheEnchantress

1979. the birth of my first son. how is it that music can take you right back to an exact time and place? He still has the most amazingly bright eyes!

JerryZola25

staybeautiful12

Never understood the film as a child (despite being a vegetarian, I couldn't bring myself to feel empathy for rabbits) but I love this song!