Archive for Bright Eyes

From the Vault: Country Music That Doesn’t Blow – Sweet Tea, Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band

Posted in Essays, Videos with tags , , , , on 09/19/2025 by Kurt Orzeck
The Heartless Bastards

We like country too. Yes, really. Well, sometimes. When it’s good. Because a lot of it isn’t. Then again, a lot of music in a lot of genres isn’t good. On the other hand, a lot of music in a lot of genres is good. Weird how that works.

Moving on.

We’re having a kanipshin after hearing the new project by Alex Maas of the Black Angels and self-described Heartless Bastard Erika Wennerstrom. It’s called Sweet Tea and sounds sweet as can be: Get converted by this touching live cover of Tim Harden’s “If I Were a Carpenter”:

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At Boise Gig, Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst Recalls Built to Spill’s Doug Martsch Doing Him a Solid

Posted in Concert Reviews, News, Reviews with tags , , , , , , , , on 09/01/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Bright Eyes commander Conor Oberst shared a heartfelt and formative memory with the crowd that packed the Treefort Music Hall to see his ensemble perform tonight.

About halfway through Bright Eyes‘ 20-song set, Oberst recalled that his prior band Commander Venus opened for their idols, Built to Spill, when the latter band performed in Oberst’s hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. He noted that he was only 14 years old at the time.

Oberst then recounted that when Bright Eyes played to an empty Neurolux in Boise when they were starting out, he received a note from that city’s hometown hero, Built to Spill leader Doug Martsch, on which he had written his home phone number an invitation for Oberst’s band to crash at his house for the night.

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The Dylan-ification Of Bright Eyes?

Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags on 07/22/2010 by Kurt Orzeck

Here’s another vaulty thingy: me blabbing with a red face about Bright Eyes some years back on NPR.

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Best Albums Of 2000

Posted in Lists with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 12/30/2009 by Kurt Orzeck

GOLD

1. Queens of the Stone Age – Rated R (Interscope): Heavyweights in their own right, QOTSA are the closest thing we have to Nirvana right now.
2. PJ Harvey – Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea (Island): If she goes on for as long and as strong as Tina Turner has, I’ll die a happy man. Continue reading →

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