Bright Eyes In Profile

Bright Eyes is an Omaha, Nebraska indie band led by singer-songwriter Conor Oberst and featuring multi-instrumentalist and producer Mike Mogis. Oberst was a member of Commander Venus from 1994-'97 and helped found indie label Saddle Creek.

Bright Eyes issued two full-lengths in '98 -- a collection of home recordings from '95 to '97 and the band's proper debut, Letting Off The Happiness. The press praised Bright Eyes' sophomore LP, 2000's Fevers And Mirrors. Their third album, '02's Lifted, received high critical marks. In 2005, they issued two CDs, one synth pop and one alt-country. The former, in particular, got mixed reviews. The accolades returned for 2007's Cassadaga.

Born Feb. 15, 1980, Bright Eyes leader Conor Oberst's music career began at age 14, as leader of Omaha Indie Rock band Commander Venus. His first band released two albums, '95's Do You Feel At Home? and '97's The Uneventful Vacation. During this time Oberst recorded solo material at home. He compiled 20 of these tracks for the '98 disc A Collection Of Songs Written And Recorded 1995-1997.

In November that year, the band released its proper full-length debut, Letting Off The Happiness, which features members of Neutral Milk Hotel, Of Montreal, and Lullaby For The Working Class. In 1999, Bright Eyes released the five-song Every Day And Every Night EP.

In May 2000, Bright Eyes released their sophomore album, the intense Indie Rock CD Fevers And Mirrors. Receiving mostly enthusiastic press, the record brought Bright Eyes national attention, with high praise awarded Oberst's imagistic lyrics and storytelling flare.

The band capitalized on this favorable press with August 2002's Lifted Or The Story Is In The Soil, Keep Your Ear To The Ground, which has sold 250,000 copies. Ranging from Americana folk to dramatic Indie Rock, the album earned them rave reviews. Critics began dubbing Oberst "the next Bob Dylan". Also in '02, Oberst's harder rocking side band, Desaparecidos, released their lone LP, Read Music/Speak Spanish.

In October 2004, Bright Eyes joined R.E.M. and Bruce Springsteen for four dates on MoveOn's Vote For Change Tour. In November, their two advance singles, "Lua" and "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)," reached the top two slots on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. Bright Eyes released two new albums in January '05. The Alt-Country I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, won strong praise and peaked at #10 on Billboard. Digital Ash In A Digital Urn's Synth Pop sound garnered mixed reviews, but still charted at #15.

2006 saw the release of the compilation Noise Floor (Rarities 1998-2005). In April '07, Bright Eyes issued album six, Cassadaga. The reviews were strong, and the CD peaked at number four.