Bright Eyes Tickets Continued
Bright Eyes started as a side project of Conor Oberst's while he was the frontman for
the indie rock outfit Commander Venus, which featured Tim Kasher who later went on to form the
band Cursive.
While Oberst's tendencies towards folk rock arrangements and activist lyrics backed up by
considerable songwriting skill have garnered him many comparisons to Bob Dylan, his
dark tone and singing style are reminisant of Leonard Cohen and Simon Joyner.
In 2000, Bright Eyes released Fevers and Mirrors, a demonstration of the
immense improvement in production quality and musical vision of the band. New instruments
such as flute, piano, and accordion were introduced into the song arrangements. In 2002 came
Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground. The difference in sound
from previous albums was immediate. Bright Eyes became one of the year's most
celebrated "new" artists - despite having been recording under that moniker for a few years.
They received national attention, including in several notable pieces in the New York Times,
The Los Angeles Times, Time Magazine, Rolling Stone, Blender and Spin, many of which
proclaimed Conor Oberst to be a significant new artist. The album sold over 100,000 copies in
the first six months after its release, a breakthrough for the label and for all of the band's peers at
that time.
During the 2004 election season, Bright Eyes toured with Bruce
Springsteen and REM on the
MoveOn.org "Vote for Change" tour, further pushing him into the public eye. Oberst sang
numerous duets with the likes of Springsteen and Neil Young.
Bright Eyes released the studio album entitled Cassadaga via
Saddle Creek in early 2007. Popular tracks for the album include "Four Winds", "Soul Singer
in a Session Band" and "Hot Knives".
