Centred around the prolific songwriting of Conor Oberst and backed up by Mike Mogis, Nate Walcott and a revolving cast of musicians and friends, Bright Eyes was seen ostensibly as a solo project following in a long tradition of American folk singer-songwriters. A child protégé who first came to attention as a 14-year-old in the emo band Commander Venus, Oberst released a leftover batch of his songs on his own Saddle Creek label after the Commander's demise and, forming Bright Eyes, was quickly being dubbed the new Bob Dylan. Staunchly political, the band gained wider recognition while performing alongside Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and REM on the Vote For Change tour, which campaigned for the Democrat party during the 2004 US presidential election. Successful singles Lua and Take It Easy (Love Nothing) paved the way for the classic I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (2005) and the electronic experimentation of Digital Ash In A Digital Urn (2005) - both released on the same day. But controversy followed when Oberst dressed in a cowboy hat and performed the politically charged, anti-George Bush snarl When The President Talks To God live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Bright Eyes returned with the country-tinged concept album Cassadaga (2007), which reached Number 4 in the US charts. Oberst then went on to form the supergroup Monsters of Folk with Mogis, M. Ward and Jim James of My Morning Jacket, and released solo records under the moniker Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band.
Artist biography compiled by BDS/West 10. All rights reserved
