Loyola Greyhound

Issue date: 11/18/08 Section: Arts & Society

Media Credit: Photo Courtesy of upload.wikimedia.org Conor Oberst is pictured above at a performance.

"Indie Rock's Boy Genius," Conor Oberst, has made a lasting impression on the indie music scene since his breakout release of Lifted or the Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground with Bright Eyes in 2002. However, his dramatic, distressing and uninhibited days as a misunderstood troubadour are currently sidelined for his self-titled album and tour with the Mystic Valley Band. Much as Jack White did when he fashioned The Raconteurs-a conglomerate of seasoned musicians-Oberst has a genuine band now, not just a sideshow of stand-ins waiting for him to make the next move. With a transgression in style from the likes of fellow lost souls like Elliott Smith to the now-folk rock legends of Neil Young and Tom Petty, Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band are filling small venues to see Conor and crew creatively and happily waddle and wail through songs about cities on the West Coast and even Jesus-which is shocking for the once-agnostic musician.

On November 10, Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band headlined the 9:30 Club with fellow folkers, the Felice Brothers, who have been touring off and on with Oberst since his 2006 tour with Bright Eyes. Their upstate New York country roots and evident Bob Dylan influence made them a perfect precursor to the Mystic Valley Band. Their crowd-pleasing chants and use of accordion energized every member of the D.C. crowd. They even involved us in one of their songs, making us the screaming musical harmony to compliment their country tune.

Promptly at 10 p.m., Conor Oberst strolled out on stage with less disdain than with his Bright Eyes crew. His shy boyish confidence was transformed with cowboy boots and a black fedora, pulled down over his eyes. They opened the show with one of their new songs not off of their Merge released album from August. "Nicorette" is a catchy, simple tune, focused more on the musical arrangement and less on the lyrics, which are very playful. The band went from one song to the next, playing all but two songs from their self-titled album and a handful of new tracks. The highlight of the show was when Oberst and two of the five band mates played "Cape Canaveral," a song from the album that he dedicated to his brother, Justin. The crowd was slowly clapping along to his beating guitar and piercing voice, mellowing the one thousand enthusiastic yuppies. The lyrics to Oberst's nostalgic slow song are some of his best yet. "You were a father to me in 1960s speak / You give me comatose joy like rerun TV" and "You taught me victory is sweet even deep in the cheap seats." By his reference to his brother, the fans of the newly formed Mystic Valley Band and Bright Eyes are reminded that although Conor has made a drastic evolution, his roots in dramatic heartfelt songwriting are still very much there. As Ben Kweller was quoted in saying during his opening act of the November 7 Messiah College show, "He [Oberst] is the best songwriter of our generation."

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