Biography
Bright Eyes is an American indie rock and folk band formed in Omaha, Nebraska, around the singer-songwriter and guitarist Conor Oberst, who was born there on February 15, 1980.[1] Oberst began recording as a young teenager, and started Bright Eyes after his earlier band Commander Venus broke up in 1997.[1][2]
The first official album, a compilation of stockpiled songs, appeared in 1998 on Saddle Creek Records, the Omaha label that Oberst's circle helped build.[1][2] The multi-instrumentalist and producer Mike Mogis became his steadiest collaborator, and the keyboardist and trumpeter Nate Walcott joined the orbit in the mid 2000s.[1][2]
Key records include Fevers and Mirrors (2000), Lifted (2002), the paired 2005 releases I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, and Cassadaga (2007), the band's highest US chart peak at number 4.[2] After a hiatus from 2011 to 2020, the band returned with Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was.[2]
Oberst's politics took shape during the Bush years. He opposed the Iraq War and criticized political leaders and the music industry, which drew hostility, including a heckling crowd at a 2003 show.[3] After retiring the Bright Eyes name for roughly a decade, during which he made solo records and played in other groups and weathered a brother's death, a health crisis and a divorce, he reunited the band in 2020.[3]
References
- Conor Oberst (Wikipedia) — Birth date and early career of Conor Oberst.
- Bright Eyes (band) (Wikipedia) — Band history, lineup, label and discography.
- Conor Oberst and Bright Eyes interview (Mel Magazine) — Oberst's politics in the Bush era, the decade-long hiatus and the 2020 reunion.