52-437: Bright Eyes may refer to: Music [ edit ] Bright Eyes (band) , an indie rock group featuring Conor Oberst Bright Eyes (song) , a 1979 song performed by Art Garfunkel, featured on the soundtrack of Watership Down Bright Eyes , an album (and its title track) by Melissa Manchester "Bright Eyes", a song by Blind Guardian from their 1995 album Imaginations from
104-556: A Barack Obama rally in Omaha, Nebraska on February 7, 2008. Zachary Nipper, the album's art director, was awarded the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Recording Package . Bright Eyes went on an unofficial hiatus after the release of Cassadaga in 2007. During 2008 and 2009, Oberst recorded music and toured in support of his other music projects, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band and supergroup Monsters of Folk . In
156-462: A 2020 return. On March 24 they released "Persona Non Grata", their first new song in 9 years. NME ' s Luke Morgan Britton wrote of the track: "[A] dual sense of societal dystopia and inner turmoil collide and intertwine on the quietly poignant 'Persona Non Grata'... [It] sees the band maintain the sage-like, cryptic feel of their latter-day records. Yet it also returns to the intimacy and immediacy of their early material." Bright Eyes released
208-471: A Digital Urn and the live album Motion Sickness . In 2006, in preparation for writing and recording Bright Eyes' next album, Walcott, along with Mike Mogis, was named a permanent member of the group. Cassadaga was released on April 10, 2007. Walcott co-wrote "Coat Check Dream Song." Following a five-month tour of the United States, Walcott wrote the arrangements for the band's appearance at
260-451: A Digital Urn . An extensive world tour followed the release of those albums. Part one of the tour was in support of I'm Wide Awake and the second part was in support of Digital Ash . The first part was more similar to past tours with an intimate band setting. The decision to split the tour this way was practical as it would have been a "logistical nightmare" in terms of equipment and staff to perform songs from both albums simultaneously. By
312-527: A June 2009 issue of Rolling Stone , Oberst announced that he wanted to "retire" the Bright Eyes moniker, and would be making one final album with the band: "It does feel like it needs to stop at some point. I'd like to clean it up, lock the door, say goodbye." Saddle Creek Records reissued their Neva Dinova split One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels on March 23, 2010 with four brand-new songs recorded in late 2009. On July 31, 2010, Bright Eyes teamed up with
364-530: A box set titled The Studio Albums 2000–2011 . Fevers and Mirrors , Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground , I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning , Digital Ash in a Digital Urn , and Cassadaga were remastered by Bob Ludwig. The box set was released on September 16, 2016. Individual releases were also issued later in the year. In January 2020, Bright Eyes launched an Instagram page and teased
416-460: A door and discovering that it's a window." Oberst also references the song in "Cartoon Blues" on the Four Winds EP. In November 1999, Bright Eyes released the five-song Every Day and Every Night EP, which included "Neely O'Hara" and "A Perfect Sonnet." In 2000, Bright Eyes released Fevers and Mirrors , with new instruments such as the flute, piano, and accordion introduced into
468-484: A dramatic fictional account of the death of his baby brother, a story with a multitude of symbolic meanings. Oberst has referenced the song "Padraic My Prince" more than once in his music. The song "An Attempt To Tip the Scales" on the album Fevers and Mirrors has a faux-interview near the end of the track. (Oberst is voiced by Todd Fink , who was a label-mate and had played in other bands with Oberst.) The interviewer
520-828: A new song with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings entitled "Man Named Truth". The song was officially released on Monsters of Folk 's 2009 self-titled album, on which Oberst teams up with Jim James (of My Morning Jacket), M. Ward (of She & Him), and Mike Mogis (of Bright Eyes). During a 7-night stint at The Town Hall in New York City, Bright Eyes welcomed the following guests on stage for special performances: Lou Reed on May 25; Ben Kweller on May 26; Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice on May 28; Norah Jones , Little Willie and Derrick E on May 29; Nick Zinner , Maria Taylor and Ben Gibbard on May 30, Steve Earle on May 31, and finally Ron Sexsmith and Britt Daniel on June 1. On June 4, 2007, they performed "Hot Knives" on
572-510: A selection of tracks in his collection, as well as several from Four Winds . Bright Eyes released the Four Winds EP in March 2007, featuring the first single from their seventh studio album Cassadaga , released in April 2007. The track "Endless Entertainment" circulated over the internet from the new official site, ThisIsBrightEyes.com. In a 2007 issue, Rolling Stone labeled "Four Winds" as
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#1732782382639624-492: A student and collaborating with musicians in the vibrant Lincoln and Omaha music scenes, Walcott met singer-songwriter Conor Oberst of the bands Bright Eyes , Commander Venus , and Desaparecidos . Walcott joined Bright Eyes on its tour in support of 2002's album Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground and also on most subsequent tours after the "Lifted" tour. Walcott played on 2005's studio recordings I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Digital Ash in
676-587: A top 100 song of the year. Cassadaga reached number four in the United States, making it the band's biggest commercial success. In support of this album, Bright Eyes toured North America from February to May, and Europe and Japan from June to July. The twelve musicians included two drummers, and they donned white uniforms in front of a video backdrop. During an encore on May 19, 2007 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee , Oberst performed
728-672: Is Matt Silcock , another labelmate on Saddle Creek Records . The interview was meant to be somewhat sarcastic and most of what the Oberst impersonator said was not true. At one point the interviewer asks the question: "So some of these references like babies in bathtubs are not biographical?" The Oberst impersonator replies: "Well I did have a brother who died in a bathtub... he drowned. Well actually I had five brothers that drowned." "No, I'm serious. My mother drowned one every year for five consecutive years. They were all named Padraic, and that's why they only got one song. It's kind of like walking out
780-597: Is a member of the band Bright Eyes , and has played in Conor Oberst 's Mystic Valley Band and with singer-songwriter M. Ward . Between 2016 and 2019, Walcott was the touring pianist and keyboard player for the Red Hot Chili Peppers , during their The Getaway World Tour . Walcott has also toured with the likes of the James Mercer and Danger Mouse -led group Broken Bells , Rilo Kiley , and
832-489: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Bright Eyes (band) Bright Eyes is an American indie rock band founded by singer-songwriter and guitarist Conor Oberst . It consists of Oberst, multi-instrumentalist and producer Mike Mogis , arranger, composer and trumpet and piano player Nate Walcott , and a rotating line-up of collaborators drawn primarily from Omaha's indie music scene . Between 1998 and 2011,
884-428: Is or that aesthetic is, I guess it's worn a little thin for me these days. So we very much wanted it to be rocking and, for lack of a better term, contemporary, or modern." The video for the song "Shell Games" was released via Saddle Creek Records on both the band's YouTube channel and that of Saddle Creek, and features the band playing against various projections. On February 24, the band performed "Jejune Stars" on
936-580: Is the second of a two-album deal that the band signed with Dead Oceans back in 2018. Regarding the album's dice-themed framing device , Oberst stated: "Life is a game of chance and a metaphorical street brawl, so that is what we are putting out there." The day before the album's release, the band cancelled its supporting tour dates stating: "We’re heartbroken to announce that our upcoming record release shows have been cancelled. The warm-up shows we played earlier this week resulted in Conor losing his voice and, on
988-498: Is touring with the Red Hot Chili Peppers on their The Getaway World Tour , playing piano, keyboards, and trumpet. He is featured on their 2016 Live In Paris EP . Over the years, Walcott has lived in Chicago, Omaha , Brooklyn , and Los Angeles , where he now resides. Walcott has composed scores for several feature-length films: Additionally, Walcott collaborated with singer-songwriters Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice on
1040-745: The Late Show with David Letterman . A double-single for "Hot Knives" and "If the Brakeman Turns My Way" was released on July 9, 2007. In August 2007, Bright Eyes postponed 3 UK shows due to illness. A U.S. tour was announced, and in September, the UK dates were canceled and not rescheduled. On September 29, 2007, they performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the historic Hollywood Bowl . Bright Eyes performed at
1092-476: The 2004 election season , Bright Eyes toured with Bruce Springsteen and R.E.M. on the Vote for Change tour, further pushing Bright Eyes into the public eye. Oberst sang numerous duets with the likes of Springsteen and Neil Young . January 25, 2005 saw the release of two distinctly different Bright Eyes albums: the folk-influenced I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and the electronic-pop inflected Digital Ash in
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#17327823826391144-537: The A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995–1997 , Letting Off the Happiness , and Fevers and Mirrors companion EPs, respectively. A cover of Elliott Smith 's "St. Ides Heaven" with vocals from Bridgers was released as the second single from Letting Off the Happiness: A Companion on March 22, 2022. On September 20, 2024, the band released its eleventh studio album, Five Dice, All Threes . The album
1196-576: The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Nebraska to put on a concert for equality in Omaha, Nebraska . The concert raised money for a federal lawsuit the ACLU filed against the city of Fremont, Nebraska for an ordinance the city passed on June 21, 2010 banning the hiring of or the rental of properties to illegal immigrants . At this show, Bright Eyes debuted a new song entitled "Coyote Song" about two lovers separated by
1248-602: The Glenn Miller Orchestra . In the studio, he has performed on the albums of such artists as Phoebe Bridgers , She & Him , U2 , Beck , Jason Mraz , Maroon 5 , and the Shins and has contributed arrangements to artists such as Mavis Staples , Angel Olsen , First Aid Kit , Jenny Lewis , Rilo Kiley, Pete Yorn , Cursive , and The Faint . Walcott was born on March 6, 1978, in Albany, New York . While he
1300-920: The Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Walcott followed up the Cassadaga tour by collaborating with Oberst (along with Nik Freitas, Taylor Hollingsworth , Macey Taylor, and Jason Boesel ) on his solo efforts, 2008's Conor Oberst and 2009's Outer South . The group came to be known as the Mystic Valley Band as a nod to the location of the 2008 recording, a villa named Valle Mistico in Tepoztlán , Morelos , Mexico . In 2010, Walcott toured as music director and multi-instrumentalist for Broken Bells , an innovative collaboration between James Mercer and Danger Mouse . Later that year, he returned to
1352-534: The Late Show with David Letterman . They performed "Beginner's Mind" on The Tonight Show on April 14, 2011. On June 10, Bright Eyes released the music video for "Jejune Stars". The video features the band playing in a desert with a firework rig behind them, spelling out selected lyrics as Oberst sings them. In June, July, and August 2011, the band performed shows on tour with The Mountain Goats . The band finished
1404-536: The Mexico–United States border . The People's Key was released on February 15, 2011, Conor Oberst's birthday. Conor Oberst has stated that the sound of The People's Key moves away from the folk sound that the band had accomplished on previous records. "We're over the Americana , rootsy, whatever that sound is. People say country but I never thought we were very country at all. But whatever that element
1456-523: The Apes ) , a film character nicknamed "Bright Eyes" Bright Eyes, a character in the 1986 animated series Pound Puppies Bright Eyes, a pony in the TV series My Little Pony Tales Other [ edit ] Susette LaFlesche Tibbles (1854–1903), nicknamed "Bright Eyes", Native American activist and lecturer Bright Eyes Sunglasses , an Australian retailer Brighteyes, a common name for plants in
1508-949: The Chicago-based groups Las Guitarras de Espana, the Mighty Blue Kings , and Pinetop Seven . He was also active in the improvisational and "experimental" music scene, performing with the likes of David Boykin, Mike Reed, and Keefe Jackson at such places as Fred Anderson's Velvet Lounge, the Hungry Brain, and the Green Mill, and also led his own group, the Nate Walcott Octet. While living in Chicago, both in college and after, Walcott remained connected to Nebraska, working as an arranger and player on records being produced by Mike Mogis for artists such as The Faint , Rilo Kiley , and Johnathan Rice . While still
1560-559: The Ground in 2002, 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
1612-523: The Other Side Television, film, theater [ edit ] Bright Eyes (1921 film) , directed by Malcolm St. Clair Bright Eyes (1929 film) , directed by Géza von Bolváry Bright Eyes (1934 film) , a comedy musical film starring Shirley Temple Bright-Eyes (1984 film) , a Chinese dramafilm directed by Dong Kena Bright Eyes (musical) , a 1910 Broadway comedy with music by Karl Hoschna Taylor ( Planet of
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1664-501: The Shins , and Maroon 5. He has also maintained a busy freelance performing schedule with the likes of M. Ward , Eleni Mandell , The Living Sisters , Jonathan Wilson , Harper Simon , and Zavalaz , a new band led by Cedric Bixler-Zavala of The Mars Volta . Walcott has continued to occasionally join Conor Oberst during his recent solo performances, including his November 2013 performance at Carnegie Hall . As of 2016, Walcott
1716-777: The Shortlist Awards show at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles on October 5, 2003. On November 9, 2005, Bright Eyes canceled their November 12 show in St. Louis, Missouri upon discovering that the venue was associated with Clear Channel . Bright Eyes won Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for "When the President Talks to God" at the 2006 PLUG Independent Music Awards and a special recognition award for
1768-648: The Working Class , Neutral Milk Hotel , and of Montreal . Park Ave. bandmate Neely Jenkins also contributed vocals. It was predominantly recorded in the Oberst family basement in Omaha on an analog eight track reel to reel ; with some work also done at keyboardist Andy Lemaster 's Athens, Georgia studio. Although almost all of the tracks feature a full band, "June on the West Coast" is performed with only acoustic guitar and vocals. "Padraic My Prince" gives
1820-465: The Working Class , with whom he recorded and toured. After graduating from high school in 1996, Walcott went on to attend DePaul University in Chicago . He took time off from his studies to tour both with The Glenn Miller Orchestra and Lullaby for the Working Class. After university, Walcott engaged in freelance recording, arranging, and performing work with a very wide variety of artists including
1872-505: The advice of doctors, we’ve made the difficult but sensible decision to prioritise rest and recuperation for the remainder of the month." Current touring musicians Former touring musicians Nate Walcott Nate Walcott (born March 6, 1978) is an American musical composer, arranger, pianist, keyboardist, and trumpeter. He has composed the scores for several feature-length films, including 2014's The Fault in Our Stars . He
1924-499: The band's albums were released through Saddle Creek Records , a Nebraska-based label founded by Justin Oberst (Conor's brother) and Mogis. In January 2020, the band announced their return, having signed with Dead Oceans . Their most recent album, Five Dice, All Threes , was released in September 2024. After being a founding member of Commander Venus – which disbanded in 1997 – guitarist/vocalist Conor Oberst turned to focus on his new project, Bright Eyes. In 1998, he released 20 of
1976-508: The end of January 2005, I'm Wide Awake was No. 10 on the Billboard charts while Digital Ash was No. 15. In early 2005, Bright Eyes supported R.E.M. in their tour of Australia and New Zealand, as well as headlined shows themselves. On May 2, 2005 Bright Eyes appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and performed the protest song " When the President Talks to God " directed at President George W. Bush. A 7" vinyl single of
2028-524: The genus Reichardia See also [ edit ] Eyebright , a herb Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Bright Eyes . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bright_Eyes&oldid=1213756799 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
2080-420: The popularity of the band increased, but responds by stating that the lyrics are meant for personal interpretation. Oberst later commented that "It was a way to make fun of ourselves because the record is such a downer. I mean, that's one part of who I am but I also like laughing." The album placed 170 on Pitchfork Media's best 200 albums of the decade. With Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to
2132-524: The single "Forced Convalescence" on April 21, 2020. The song features Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers on bass along with a gospel choir. On May 27, 2020, the single "One & Done" was released along with a lyric video. The band announced their tenth album, Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was , on June 22, 2020. On the same day, they released a new single, "Mariana Trench". The album
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2184-421: The song arrangements. After "An Attempt to Tip the Scales", there is a mock radio interview that features Todd Fink of The Faint doing an impression of Oberst while reading a script that Oberst wrote. In this interview, the fake Oberst presents a strange, contradictory explanation of his attitude towards his music. It acknowledges criticisms of his lyrics as overblown and insincere, which had begun to appear as
2236-467: The song was sold at concerts soon after and was also released as a free track on iTunes. In November 2005, Bright Eyes performed "True Blue" on the children's television show Pancake Mountain . Bright Eyes has actively protested against the Clear Channel media company. Oberst has vocally advocated the boycotting of all Clear Channel events, venues, and radio stations, perhaps most publicly at
2288-482: The songs he had been stockpiling as the first official Bright Eyes album, A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995–1997 . The album saw Conor Oberst beginning to experiment with drum machines , keyboards and other instruments. The sound of the album ranges from bleating vocals to acoustic guitar songs and techno -style synthesizer instrumentals. Critical reaction was negative, with AllMusic saying that many of "the songs disintegrate as his vocals are reduced to
2340-601: The studio with Oberst and Mogis to record the next Bright Eyes album. The People's Key was released on February 15, 2011. Walcott co-wrote the song "Approximate Sunlight." Highlights of his time with Bright Eyes over the years include numerous tours of North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, and performances at such venues as New York City 's Radio City Music Hall and London 's Royal Albert Hall . In recent years, Walcott has done extensive freelance recording and arranging work, including with She & Him , U2 , Beck , Jenny Lewis , First Aid Kit , Rilo Kiley,
2392-469: 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." On November 2, 1998, Saddle Creek released Letting Off the Happiness , a ten-track album that displayed a more focused and clearer sound than the previous album. According to the Saddle Creek press release, it features members of Lullaby for
2444-506: The video for " First Day of My Life " at the 17th GLAAD Media Awards . Additionally, Time listed I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning as one of the top ten albums of 2005. Later in the year, the live album Motion Sickness was released, documenting the I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning tour. In a skit on the May 20, 2006 episode of Saturday Night Live , Neil Young (played by Kevin Spacey )
2496-539: The year with a tour of Australia, performing at Harvest Festival as well as select headlining shows. Bright Eyes performed a final show in Honolulu , Hawaii on November 21, 2011. Bright Eyes went on an unofficial hiatus as members Oberst, Mogis, and Walcott each pursued different projects. In July 2016, it was announced that the band's six last studio albums (excluding the Christmas release) were to be reissued in
2548-476: Was a commercial success and has sold over 250,000 copies, a breakthrough for the label and for all of the band's peers at that time. Oberst stated that, before making this record, both he and Mike Mogis had an idea for a "sort of grandiose sound" that neither could really put into words. This was also the first album made after Oberst's break to play with Desaparecidos . On December 1, 2002, Bright Eyes released their fifth studio album, A Christmas Album . During
2600-559: Was a young child, his family moved to the Central New York village of East Homer. When Walcott was eight, his family moved to Lincoln, Nebraska . While a high school student in Lincoln, Walcott played in several Lincoln-based bands, including Kid Quarkstar, with longtime friend and future Maroon 5 guitarist James Valentine . He also met musicians Mike Mogis , A.J. Mogis , and Ted Stevens of Lincoln-based band Lullaby for
2652-476: Was joined by Dixie Chicks and "indie sensation Bright Eyes" (played by Andy Samberg ), all of whom have been public in their criticism of George W. Bush . After releasing three albums in 2005, Oberst stated that he did not plan to release an album in 2006. On October 24, 2006, a compilation of rare tracks entitled Noise Floor (Rarities: 1998–2005) was released. On March 8, 2007, Oberst appeared on National Public Radio 's All Songs Considered , playing
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#17327823826392704-665: Was released on August 21, 2020. Bright Eyes released the song "Miracle of Life" featuring Phoebe Bridgers on October 28, 2020. The song was made to benefit Planned Parenthood. On February 1, 2022 the band announced plans to reissue their first nine studio albums under Dead Oceans . Each reissue will be accompanied by a six-track companion EP featuring re-recorded songs from the album and covers. The first three companion EPs will release on May 27, 2022. The same day "Falling Out of Love at This Volume", "Contrast and Compare" (featuring Waxahatchee ), and "Haligh, Haligh, A Lie, Haligh (featuring Phoebe Bridgers )" were released as singles from
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