Bright Eyes (band)
From Free net encyclopedia
{{Infobox Band
| band_name = Bright Eyes
| image = Image:Brighteyespromo.jpg
| caption = Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes
| years_active = 1998—present
| origin = Omaha, Nebraska
| country = United States
| music_genre = Indie Rock
Folk Rock
Alt-Country
| record_label = Saddle Creek
| website = At Saddle-Creek.com
}}
Bright Eyes is the band of American singer-songwriter and musician Conor Oberst, whose knack for social commentary and philosophy have garnered him countless comparisons to Bob Dylan, although his darker themes of depression, anxiety, and alcoholism are much more reminiscent of Leonard Cohen and Simon Joyner.
While Bright Eyes remains signed to the independent label Saddle Creek, the band enjoys mainstream popularity that rivals that of their major label contemporaries: in 2004, the singles "Lua" and "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)" took the top two spots of Billboard's Top 100 within two weeks of their simultaneous release.
Contents |
History
Early Years
Bright Eyes started as a side project of Conor Oberst's while he was the frontman for the indie rock outfit Commander Venus. Though the band remained his primary focus between the years 1995 and 1997 , Oberst continued to write and record acoustic solo material onto his father's four-track reel-to-reel in his parents' basement. Of the 70 songs reportedly recorded, two found their way onto the first official Bright Eyes release, an untitled 7" split with the band Squad Car 96.
By the time Commander Venus disbanded in 1997, Bright Eyes had become Oberst's main focus. In 1998, he released another 20 of the songs he had been stockpiling as the first official Bright Eyes album, A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997.<ref> {{cite web
| last = McMahan | first = Tim | year = December 1998 | url = http://www.timmcmahan.com/brighteyes.htm | title = Growing Up in an Alt Rock World | work = | publisher = | accessdate = 2005-04-14
}}</ref> The album saw Oberst beginning to experiment with drum machines, keyboards and other instruments. The sound of the album ranges from bleating vocals and acoustic guitar songs to techno-style synthesizer instrumentals. Critical reaction was mixed, with All Music Guide 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." [1]
Saddle Creek put forth Letting Off the Happiness on November 2 1998, an eleven track piece that boasted a much more focused and clear 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. [2] Park Ave. bandmate Neely Jenkins contributed some vocals as well. It was predominantly recorded in the Oberst family basement in Omaha by Mike Mogis on an analog eight track reel to reel; some work also done at keyboardist Andy Lemaster's Athens, Georgia studio.[3] Although almost all of the tracks feature a full band, "June on the West Coast" is performed with only acoustic guitar and vocals, showcasing how much Oberst had matured as a musician, singer and writer during the time since his previous records. "Padraic My Prince" gives a dramatic (but later revealed to be fictional) account of Conor's younger brother drowning in the bath. The closing track, "Tomas and Tereza" borrows from Milan Kundera's novel, The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
Recent Years
In 2004, Oberst founded Team Love, a record label with distribution from Saddle Creek. Among its first releases have been albums by Tilly and the Wall, David Dondero and Jenny Lewis. The label also repressed the Park Ave. album, When Jamie Moved to London...We Broke Up.
During the 2004 election season, Bright Eyes toured with Bruce Springsteen and R.E.M. on the MoveOn.org "Vote for Change" tour, further pushing him into the public eye.
In early 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, a remarkable feat for a musician on an independent label. This was the first time this has happened on the list in seven years. After releasing three albums in 2005, he has stated that he does not want to release an album in 2006.<ref>{{cite web
| author = Austin Scaggs | year = December 06, 2005 | url = http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/brighteyes/articles/story/8929844/bright_eyes_slow_down_the_motion | title = Bright Eyes Slow Down the Motion | publisher = | accessdate = 2006-04-14
}}</ref>
On May 5, 2005 Bright Eyes appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and performed the protest song "When the President Talks to God", a scathing rebuke of the Bush administration giving him a thrust politically into the mainstream and public spotlight.
On November 9, 2005, Bright Eyes cancelled their November 12 show in St. Louis upon discovering that the venue was associated with Clear Channel, which they have been actively protesting since 2004.
Bright Eyes won Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for "When the President Talks to God" at the PLUG Independent Music Awards<ref>{{cite web
| author = PLUG: Independent Music Awards | year = 2006 | url = http://www.plugawards.com/homepage_winners.php | title = And the Winners Are... | publisher = | accessdate = 2006-04-19
}}</ref> and a Special Recognition Award for the video for "First Day of My Life" at the 17th Annual GLAAD Media Awards<ref>{{cite web
| author = GLAAD | year = January 23, 2006 | url = http://www.glaad.org/publications/resource_doc_detail.php?id=3858 | title = Facts and Figures for the 17th Annual GLAAD Media Awards | publisher = | accessdate = 2006-04-19
}}</ref>.
Bright Eyes plans to release a new studio album on Saddle Creek in spring 2007. About 25-30 have been recorded in Portland, Oregon and New York City, with another session planned in Omaha, Nebraska. Contributors include Gillian Welch, Janet Weiss and M. Ward.<ref>{{cite web
| author = Katie Hasty | year = April 09, 2006 | url = http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/search/google/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002314395 | title = Bright Eyes Gets Busy On New Album | publisher = | accessdate = 2006-04-19
}}</ref>
Band
Current members
Past members and contributors
Clark Baechle, Todd Baechle-Fink, Jeremy Barnes, Kevin Barnes, Rob Bass, Karen Becker, Jake Bellows, Eric Bemberger, Jason Boesel, Chris Brooks, Donna Carnes, Gretta Cohn, Sean Cole, Britt Daniel, Stefanie Drootin, Sabrina Duim, Julee Dunekacke, Aaron Druery, Jim Eno, Orenda Fink, Margret Fish, Jason Flatowicz, Matt Focht, Emmylou Harris, Jesse Harris, Jim James, Neely Jenkins, Simon Joyner, Tim Kasher, Thomas Kluge, Joe Knapp, Tiffany Kowalski, Jiha Lee, Andy LeMaster, Andy Leverett, Clay Leverett, Jenny Lewis, Tim Luntzel, Matt Maginn, Alex McManus, A.J. Mogis, Stella Mogis, Katie Muth, Robb Nansel, Matt Oberst, Clint Schnase, Casey Scott, Blake Sennett, Kimberly Salistean, Ted Stevens, Mike Sweeney, Jeff Tafolla, Jimmy Tamborello, Maria Taylor, Janet Weiss, Gillian Welch, Matt Ward, Nick White, Nick Zinner
Discography
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
- For a more detailed discography, see Bright Eyes discography
See also
External links
- Saddle Creek · Record label responsible for releasing a significant amount of albums by the band.
- Saddle Creek Records · Bright Eyes · Official Bright Eyes webpage, run by Saddle Creek Records.
- The Story Is In The Soil · fansite linked to on the Saddle Creek Records website.
- Bright Eyes Lyrics
References
<references/>
fr:Bright Eyes (groupe de musique) it:Bright Eyes ja:ブライト・アイズ nl:Bright Eyes (band) simple:Bright Eyes sv:Bright Eyes