Conor Oberst

Conor Oberst, a singular performer with a touching voice and specific acoustic guitar play, was one of the most prominent figures in the indie-rock music of the late nineties. His main project was Bright Eyes, a group with an ever-changing lineup and only Conor remaining a constant member with ultimate functions of the leader. This formation used to perform a blend of fragments from pop, folk, electronica and country-rock. Despite the heavy load of duties in Bright Eyes, Oberst had time, opportunities and ideas enough to work on some side projects, including Commander Venus, The Magentas, Park Ave., Desaparecidos, and The Faint. This person’s musical activity was not limited by writing and playing songs only. In 2003, Oberst, supported by a team of the likeminded specialists, founded his own label, Team Love.

Conor Mullen Oberst was born in Omaha, New England, February 15, 1980. Since the age of ten, the boy started playing guitar backed by the lessons of his brother Matt, who combined his teaching occupation with participation in the local band Sorry About Dresden, and his father. Conor’s second brother, Justin, also contributed to the beginning of his music career by lending the necessary funds to release Conor’s debut record. Called Water, it was made by Oberst along with his fellow Ted Stevens, who used to play with Mike Mogis in Lullaby for the Working Class. This studio work became an important move in the beginning musician’s career. Ted helped Conor meet Mogis, which later gave a great boost to the progress of Bright Eyes. Just a teenager, Oberst joined the ranks of Commander Venus headed by Norman Bailer. After the departure of Oberst, the band was renamed to The Faint. In 1996, Conor showed up in the one-day band The Magentas and a more serious act, Park Ave. However, this formation collapsed in two years. Several years later, Oberst released new editions of their albums on his own label.

In the late nineties, Bright Eyes rose to prominence, which was the result of hard labor by the old partners Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis. Within quite a short period of time, the band released a number of remarkable records and grew from a local favorite to the nationally acknowledged act. With the arrival of the new century, the group did not slow down and kept making good albums, yet Oberst decided to change the workplace and joined Desaparecidos. He came back to his main project in 2002, which was celebrated by the release of a top quality long player, Lifted or the Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground, and a couple of EPs. But it was in 2005, when Oberst reached the status of a commercially successful and recognized superstar after his group released two albums at a time, the indie-rock oriented I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, and electronic-influenced Digital Ash in a Digital Urn. The appearance of both efforts in Billboard 200 inspired Bright Eyes to make another powerful long player that surfaced in 2007 under the name Cassadaga, which was followed by Oberst’s seemingly final quit and relocation to Mexico. In a year, the artist released his first solo self-titled album, Conor Oberst (2008). Soon, Oberst launched another project, The Mystic Valley Band, to release the 2009 album under the title Outer South.