Merge Records

Conor Oberst

Conor Oberst
When Conor Oberst fled the mid-western winter for Tepoztlan, Mexico in early 2008, his plan was to record a collection of songs in beautiful surroundings with some friends. The band he put together for the recording sessions (all done in an adobe house half way up a mountain) was released last year as Conor Oberst, his first non-Bright Eyes release since 2001. The band then took to the road as Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band, named for Valle Mstico where the recording took place.

While touring in support of Conor Oberst, the talented 6-piece began to write new songs, each band member sharing their compositions and working them out on the road. Energized by the live performances, and eager to capture the synergy they felt onstage, Oberst took his musical compadres to Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo, Texas outside of El Paso to capture these gems on tape. In recording sessions in November and December 08 The Mystic Valley Band recorded 16 songs and this time they shared the songwriting. The result, the sparkling Outer South is the first album credited to Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band and features the fruits of their enticing musical symbiosis. Oberst's songwriting and delivery remain an engaging presence, but the addition of songs by Taylor Hollingsworth (guitar), Nik Freitas (guitar) and Jason Boesel (drums) make for a multi-textured and colorful collaboration.

Along with Oberst, Hollingsworth, Freitas and Boesel, The Mystic Valley Band includes Macey Taylor (bass) and Nathaniel Walcott (piano/keyboard).

"One of My Kind," presented by Causecast, takes viewers on a 60-minute musical journey including: footage from Tepoztln, Mexico, where they recorded their first album, Conor Oberst, their worldwide tour in 2008, and the making of Outer South in El Paso, TX.

Watch and download the story of Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band for free on Causecast!
07/15/10
Conor Oberst will join two concerts in July to raise awareness in protest for Arizona’s controversial immigration law, SB1070, known as the “Fremont Law.”

Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band will join Rage Against the Machine who will take the stage at the Hollywood Palladium on July 23rd, 2010 to support organizations combating SB 1070, law set to go into effect July 29th. Projected proceeds from the concert along with donations raised by The Sound Strike are expected to exceed over $300,000. This will provide much needed resources to community organizations, student groups, legal defense funds and assist activists targeting key voting districts for voter registration. These two organizations need immediate assistance to fight SB1070 on the ground: Puente Arizona, and The Florence Project.

Also, Bright Eyes and Desaparecidos (in their first live performance since 2002) will join Cursive and Lullaby for the Working Class to play July 31st in Omaha, NC to benefit ACLU Nebraska. ACLU Nebraska are currently preparing a law suit against the town of Fremont, Nebraska, the latest in a series of U.S. towns that have decided to take immigration law into their own hands. There will be two shows, an outdoor day time show commencing at 5pm at Downtown Benson, as well as a late night show at the Waiting Room in Omaha, NE. Tickets to the daytime show are $20. Additionally there are a limited number of Deluxe Packages available for $50 which allows access to both shows. Visit One Percent Productions for information on how to buy tickets to the Omaha shows.

07/06/09
Watch Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band perform live on The Late Show with David Letterman tonight, July 6th. Other guests will include Wimbledon champion, Serena Williams and actress, Hayden Panetierre.

The Late Show with David Letterman airs weeknights on CBS at 11:30 PM EST, but check your local listings and set your DVR just in case!

Conor & the MVB are on tour in support of Outer South and will appear at XX Merge.

04/28/09
Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band will release their new album, Outer South, on Tuesday, May 5th. NPR is streaming the whole record on their website. Go listen and feel free to comment on your favorite songs.

Pre-order Outer South on CD, LP or digital download in the Merge store, and don’t forget to watch the documentary, “One of My Kind” to learn more about Conor & the MVB!

04/15/09
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band have released “One of My Kind”, a documentary that gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at the band’s journey over the past year and a half. Made by the band’s guitar-tech Phil Schaffart and presented by Causecast, “One of My Kind” traces the group’s ever-growing bond as friends and collaborators.

“One of My Kind” takes viewers on a 60-minute musical journey including: footage from Tepoztlan, Mexico, where they recorded their first album, Conor Oberst, their worldwide tour in 2008, and the making of Outer South in El Paso, TX.

Watch “One of My Kind” in its entirety in high definition now! Pre-order the forthcoming new album from Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley band, Outer South, on CD and LP in the Merge store.



04/07/09
With one critically acclaimed record under their belt and a highly anticipated sophomore album Outer South on its way, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band are set to release “One of My Kind” on April 15th, a documentary that will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the band’s journey over the past year and a half. Made by the band’s guitar-tech Phil Schaffart and presented by Causecast, “One of My Kind” traces the group’s ever-growing bond as friends and collaborators. “One of My Kind” takes viewers on a 60-minute musical journey including: footage from Tepoztlán, Mexico, where they recorded their first album, Conor Oberst, their worldwide tour in 2008, and the making of Outer South in El Paso, TX.

Watch the trailer for “One of My Kind”

The film will be available as a free stream or HD download exclusively on Causecast.org, IFC.com, conoroberst.com, mergerecords.com, and wichita-recordings.com. Additionally, Causecast.org partner sites The Huffington Post and Myspace IMPACT will each feature exclusive outtakes, trailers and live acoustic performances from the film.

In addition to the release of “One of My Kind,” you can catch the guys on their upcoming tour. Check mergerecords.com for the most up-to-date schedule, including a stop at XX Merge in July.

Download a free MP3 of “Nikorette” from Outer South. Pre-order Outer South on CD and LP in the Merge store.

April 9: Omaha, NE @ The Slowdown
April 10: Denver, CO @ Ogden Theater
April 11: Aspen, CO @ Belly Up
April 12: El Paso, TX @ Barnett Harley Davidson
April 13: Albuquerque, NM @ The Sunshine Theater
April 14: Tempe. AZ @ The Marquee
April 15: Pomona, CA @ The Glasshouse
April 17: Indio, CA @ Coachella
June 17: Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep
June 18: Telluride, CO Telluride Bluegrass Festival
June 19: Moab, Utah Star Hall
June 20: Salt Lake City, UT Library Square (Utah Arts Festival Kickoff)
June 21: Boise, ID Knitting Factory
June 22: Missoula, MT Wilma Theater
June 24: Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
June 25: Milwaukee, WI Summerfest
June 26: Omaha, NE Anchor Inn
June 28: Kansas City, MO Beaumont
June 29: Columbia, MO Blue Note
June 30: Louisville, KY Headliners Music Hall
July 01: Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
July 02: Bearsville, NY Bearsville Theatre
July 03: New Haven, CT Toads Place
July 22-26: Carrboro, NC XX Merge

09.28.2010 Pioneertown, CA Pappy & Harriets
09.30.2010 Santa Barbara, CA Soho in SB
10.01.2010 Big Sur, CA Fernwood
10.02.2010 San Francisco, CA Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
Conor Oberst August 5, 2008 [Merge]
Outer South May 5, 2009 [Merge]

with Desaparecidos:
Read Music/Speak Spanish 2002

with Bright Eyes:
Motion Sickness: Live Recordings 2007
Cassadaga 2007
I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning 2005
Digital Ash in a Digital Urn 2005
Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground 2002
Letting Off the Happiness 2000

with Park Ave.
When Jamie Went to London...We Broke Up 1999

Nikorette


from Outer South
DOWNLOAD 

Danny Callahan


from Conor Oberst
DOWNLOAD 
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On Tour

Arcade Fire [+]

September
02 Bologna Arena Parco Nord
10 Mexico City Palacio de los Deportes
22 St. Paul, MN Roy Wilkins Auditorium
23 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
25 Saskatoon Credit Union Centre
[see all]

Lou Barlow [+]

September
02 Cambridge, MA Middle East
03 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda's
04 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's

Richard Buckner [+]

September
07 Charlottesville, VA The Southern
08 Asheville, NC The Grey Eagle
09 Columbia, SC Columbia Museum of Art
10 Raleigh, NC Hopscotch Music Festival
11 Charlotte, NC Evening Muse
[see all]

Caribou [+]

September
14 Guelph, ON Ebar
15 Ottawa, ON Babylon
16 Montreal, QC Le National
17 Toronto, ON The Drake
17 Toronto, ON Phoenix Theatre
[see all]

The Clean [+]

September
28 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
29 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's
30 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge
October
02 Lawrence, KS Granada Theater - SCION Festival
04 San Francisco, CA The Independent
[see all]

The Clientele [+]

September
06 Seattle, WA Bumbershoot
07 Portland, OR Doug Fir
09 Oakland, CA New Parish
10 San Francisco, CA Independent
11 Los Angeles, CA Echoplex
[see all]

Fucked Up [+]

September
05 Monticello, NY All Tomorrow's Parties
09 Washington, DC Rock n' Roll Hotel
10 Raleigh, NC Hopscotch Festival
11 Atlanta, GA The Drunken Unicorn
12 Charlotte, NC Amos Southend
[see all]

Lambchop [+]

November
11 Berlin Admiralspalast - 20 Years of City Slang
22 Katowice Ars Cameralis Festival
24 Zagreb Kino SC
25 Munich Amerikahaus
27 Copenhagen DR Concert House
[see all]

Let's Wrestle [+]

September
04 Los Angeles, CA FYF Fest
05 Santa Barbara, CA Club Mercy Presents
06 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
08 Seattle, WA Neumo's
09 Vancouver, BC Rickshaw Theatre
[see all]

The Love Language [+]

September
03 Atlanta, GA The Earl
03 Atlanta, GA Criminal Records
04 Charlotte, NC Visulite Theatre
09 Winston Salem, NC Earshot Records
09 Winston Salem, NC Krankies
[see all]

Conor Oberst [+]

September
28 Pioneertown, CA Pappy & Harriets
30 Santa Barbara, CA Soho in SB
October
01 Big Sur, CA Fernwood
02 San Francisco, CA Hardly Strictly Bluegrass

Polvo [+]

November
05 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon
06 Houston, TX Fitzgerald's Downstairs
07 Austin, TX Fun Fun Fun Fest at Waterloo

Radar Bros. [+]

September
24 Montreal, QC Le National
25 Boston, MA Royale
27 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
28 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
October
01 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero Theatre
[see all]

The Rosebuds [+]

September
10 Raleigh, NC Hopscotch Festival

Shark Quest [+]

October
09 Carrboro, NC Carrboro ArtsCenter

She & Him [+]

September
05 Los Angeles, CA Paramount Studios
October
17 San Francisco, CA Treasure Island
22 Portland, OR Schnitzer Hall
23 Seattle, WA City Arts Music Festival - 5th Avenue Theatre
24 Vancouver, BC The Orpheum

Spoon [+]

September
11 Harrisburg, PA The Forum
12 Clark, NJ Oak Ridge Park
13 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
30 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium
October
01 San Diego, CA Soma
[see all]

Superchunk [+]

September
16 Durham, NC The Nasher Museum of Art
17 Washington 9:30 Club
18 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
19 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
21 Boston, MA Royale
[see all]

Teenage Fanclub [+]

September
22 Toronto, ON The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
23 Toronto, ON The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
24 Montreal, QC Le National
25 Boston, MA Royale
27 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
[see all]

Telekinesis [+]

September
02 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
03 Detroit, MI Magic Stick
04 Toronto, ON El Mocambo
06 Montreal, QC Casa Del Popolo
07 Cambridge, MA TT The Bear's
[see all]

Versus [+]

September
21 Boston, MA Royale
22 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero Theatre

Wye Oak [+]

September
02 Cambridge, MA Middle East
03 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda's
04 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's
October
04 Lawrence, KS Bottleneck
05 Columbia, MO The Blue Note
[see all]
see all tour dates

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