Three Imaginary Girls - Conor Oberst

Let the Los Campesinos Countdown begin {Neptune, 2/4}

imaginary liz — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:33:33 +0000

It is just a little over a week until the Los Campesinos! show at the Neptune Theater on Saturday, February 4, 2012 and I am beside myself with pre-show excitement. Every single LC! show I've seen has left me gleefully ravaged by the frenetic enthusiasm and beguiling live set. For them, it's a moral imperative to put on an amazing show.

Their latest album, Hello Sadness, is a further step down the path towards debilitating heartbreak. It tempers the deep cuts of longing with a glimmer of hope for what's ahead (I can't wait for them to get a room with Conor Oberst already. Oh how my world would be complete).

Currently, I've been listening to "Songs About Your Girlfriend" (which I bet is David Gedge's favorite song on the album), "Life Is A Long Time" and "By Your Hand" on repeat. I love it when it hurts so good.

Next Saturday cannot come fast enough!

If you haven't gotten your tickets yet for this all-ages show, you can pick them up online.

Oh, and did you see them perform "By Your Hand" on Letterman? Can I get a hallelujah for the Beautiful South t-shirt? (see the video after the jump)

The Bright Eyes news I've been waiting for: new album and shows in 2011

imaginary liz — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:46:13 +0000

{Photo by Etching A. Sketch from the Imaginary Flickr Photo Pool}

It's been a while since the last Conor Oberst release ("a while" by Conor Oberst standards). So, for the past year I've lived in fear that there was a new album, tour, or collaboration announced and I didn't know about it. Now I know he was working on a new album with all that time (although I did have a neat daydream that he was spending his time under the radar working retail in a Brooklyn boutique).

Looks like all that holding of my breath and lighting candles has finally paid off in the most St. Valentine's season of ways. It was announced this morning on ConorOberst.com that Bright Eyes will release their seventh studio album on February 15, 2011 on Saddle Creek Records.

The album, entitled The People's Key, was recorded in Omaha and produced by legendary Bright Eyes co-conspirator wizard Mike Mogis. To mark the release of the album, Conor and co will perform two shows:

- Radio City Music Hall in New York City on March 9, 2011
(Pre-Sale Begins: December 1 at 12PM EST. Public On-Sale: December 4 at 10AM EST)

Monsters of Folk: not just another bunch of dudes with beards.

imaginary victoria — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:36:50 +0000

15 Oct 2009

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If this is what the kids are calling folk these days, I'll take it.

It's been a little bit of a rough go for me, as it has with many people, to get past the band name "Monsters of Folk." Really. Partially because it's just bonkers, and partially because the "folk" part conjures up old James Taylor reels and campfire sing-a-longs. And beards. But the roster has been the trump card thus far, boasting members of Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket, and the gorgeous, prolific stylings of M. Ward himself. Take him, Conor Oberst, Jim James, and Mike Mogis, add two parts swooping red velvet curtains and one part spectacular sound system, stir, and you've got a band that's so good -- well, they could call themselves "Banana Eating Spaceships" for all anyone cares. This particular combination of frontmen from a cross-section of such notable indie bands does indeed a blissful sound make, strangely named or not.

To take it a step further, these guys pack a live performance that will blow you right out of your seat. No mild, hokey row of stools; no singing in the round, no speeches about human rights and no Joni Mitchell covers. Save for some slowed-down plugged-in acoustic numbers, this was a full frontal rock show, trading off collaborative songs, hits and B-sides of each other's repertoires with skill and ease. Jim James let his vocals ring out across the seats of the Paramount, bathing us in echo and bouncing off the ceiling and the walls. Conor Oberst's quivery, earnest, from-the-gut lyrics (and their delivery) translated perfectly from the stage, both on solo and accompanied songs. And M. Ward -- well, M. Ward is just unreal. He's definitely a favorite of mine and for sure the catalyst that got me to the show. He ranges from bellow to whisper, single-string strum to full ecstatic chord stylings and back, painting pictures and conducting symphonies that fill up the whole room and snap back to silence -- all in the space of about a minute and a half. It was definitely a sight to see (and hear).

All in all, the show was painfully stellar and the Paramount was the perfect venue to showcase the total bliss that ensued. And we've got the photos to prove it:

Win tickets to see Monsters of Folk (and find out if M. Ward continues to be the last hold out on Monster beardedness)

imaginary liz — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:06:58 +0000

It pains me that I'll be out of town the night that Monsters of Folk take the Paramount Theater stage on Thursday, October 15, so I want a lucky imaginary reader to go and weep and cheer and love it all in my place.

Want to be my stand in? Email tig@threeimaginarygirls.com with the subject line "I will be your monster of folk" by Wednesday night at 9pm (PST) and you'll be entered in the drawing for the pair of tickets to the (I hear they are going to be really really good seats too!).

If you want, when you email me your entry, let me know how long you think M. Ward is going to be able to stay clean shaven after prolonged exposure to his hairy band mates. I am guessing that Conor Oberst only held out for a few days into the recording of the album. His artist demeanor and devil may care attitude lends itself well to skipping the shaving cream morning sauce.

To confirm that I haven't taken this scheduling mishap lightly on my part, I've watched these two videos over and over to nurse my broken Oberst Ward'd heart:

Awesome Monster of Folk on Monster of Folk interview:

My favorite song from the new really rad 'cause it grows on you Monsters of Folk album:

A whole lotta news about Monsters of Folk

imaginary dana — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 17:02:37 +0000

Have you heard about Monsters of Folk yet? If not, it's probably because you're not lucky enough to get PR emails. Our imaginary inboxes have been full-to-overflowing with news of the project, a collaborative effort of three indie-heavyweights: Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, Jimmy James of My Morning Jacket, and singer-songwriter M. Ward.

We batted the idea of who should blog the project up, without much success. We at TIG all hold our grudges, and Monsters of Folk seems to have hit on a few of them. First imaginary ChrisB chimed in. "The beard quotient seems a little low (50%) for a band called Monsters of Folk," he noted. And he has a point.

Imaginary Liz added, "Conor might be my imaginary boyfriend, but I'm not a fan when his friend Jim James takes over the vocal duties."

I sit on her side of the My Morning Jacket fence as well; however, I make an exception for this project. In fact, I had the pleasure of seeing them perform Liz back in... oh, what year was that? Let's just say 2004. The three had some special chemistry and a whole lotta talent up there together.

So it became my duty and pleasure to share all the exciting Monsters of Folk news. New record! New tourdates! Free song download! Here are the deets.

I am the World Conor Oberst News Center

imaginary liz — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:28:56 +0000

Among other things, TIG 101 includes chapters like, "imaginary Dana is a master MC," "ChrisB is the king of all things Pop," and "imaginary Liz is a Bright Eyes superfan." So it should be no surprise that the following news (and five consecutive watchings of the trailer) has successfully pulled me out of my Tuesday blahs (perhaps the result of a sunshine hangover?):

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.

New releases from Easy Street Records

Jflores — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:03:10 +0000

We've got some hot new releases for out hot summer day.

Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band at Neumos

imaginary chona — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 16:37:38 +0000

30 Jul 2008

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Strolling up to the imposing line situated in front of Neumos Wednesday night (a show that soon sold out), I was greeted not only by a throng of impatient fans waiting outside well past doors (8PM), but a majestic silver tour trailer stationed right in front of will call as well.

Rilo Kiley on cracked out reverb is the best way I can think of to describe opening act Dri. The flaxen haired Adrienne rocked out with her tambourine. I could nary steal a glance at the band as the packed as sardines rock club throbbed with heat. The guitarist, however, on the the far side of the stage caught my eye more than a couple times. I must have spent half the set trying to figure out who he looked like. The answer came in the form of an underhanded remark made by a person standing very close behind me after the set. “That Jim James look alike is really starting to freak me out”.

For whatever reason, I was under the impression that Oberst would bust out at least a couple Bright Eyes songs. Ladies and gentlemen, do not be mistaken: Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band is not Bright Eyes.

I was first treated to Bright Eyes live show late last year at Endfest (which by no means was a proper introduction) and was pleasantly surprised, but definitely not blown away by his performance. I did not know what t expect from Oberst’s new project, but definitely anticipated his entrance on stage. I still remember the day years ago I walked into Borders and happened across the magazine racks where lo and behold- Oberst’s face adorned the front cover of Rolling Stone denouncing him as “this generation’s Bob Dylan.”

Of course I had to scoff! First off, who the fuck is this guy with dreamy brown eyes and where to people get off comparing him to Bob Dylan? After seeing Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, there was no doubt in my mind that the Dylan comparisons were absolutely substantiated.

As the waifish Oberst removed his button up black shirt about midway through the set to reveal his gray tee and thin arms, more than a couple hoots were elicited from the predominantly female audience. “Easy now ladies!” called a voice from an indiscernible location.

Just like the characters in the songs he sculpts, Oberst is a real piece of work--a work of art, if you will. All his strange eccentricities, manner of half completing a sentence, adamant refusal to engage in any eye contact, and penchant for prefixing the names of his band members with various profanities, it’s strangely impossible to dislike the person he is on stage. His intense and ever present soul bearing gaze reflects so much in the words of his songs.

Though clearly aged (his old hair cut did quite the job of hiding what may have been scores of sleepless nights), his cynically dark flame of a streak burned on. “If you love me, well that’s your fault.” he candidly crooned to the far corner of the room. “Don’t Want To Die (In a Hospital Room)” was a standout track that offered simple frustration and clearly appeared to appease the front row of the crowd as the mass group of people bounced along to Oberst’s swelling banshee yelps of terror. The upbeat tune, coupled with Oberst’s insistent holler “Take me back outside!” was all I needed to know that I was at the right place at the right time. Every one of Oberst’s songs is a tale wherein the heart of his lucrative way with words unfold and manifest themselves into epic pieces of folk.

“You’re very kind, god bless you,” Oberst pleasantly told the audience as he seated himself in front of his piano for the set’s encore. The band ended the night with a beautiful rendition of one of my new favorite songs, “Breezy.” The perspiring audience watched in awe as Neumos hung on the folksinger’s every word. Oberst captivated the audience in a way so rarely seen. I can fully appreciate the rawness of his live show. Oberst will always be a little rough around the edges, and I know that this is what people relate to the most in his music. So long as he remains this way, his art will always be golden.

Ladies and gentlemen, do not be mistaken: Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band is not Bright Eyes.

Photo of the day: Conor at Neumo's (don't look surprised)

imaginary liz — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:24:53 +0000

Last night's two Conor shows were great. We'll post a photo gallery recap in the next 24 hours with more photos to document the awesomeness.

But, for the time being, here's a photo that imaginary photographer Chona Kasinger took last night for us that you can find in the TIG Sparkly Indie-Pop Photos group.

Seriously people, today's the day

imaginary liz — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:00:08 +0000

Wonder what it might be like to wonder the record store aisles with Conor? Would he head for the used 7" records? The local bin? Or surprise us all and go towards electronica vinyl or sound effects compilations?

Just for Liz - Listen to the new Conor Oberst album!

Cory Banks — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:57:03 +0000

The real treat on the Stereogum post was a comment from Long Luke, who dropped a link to Rhapsody's free stream of the upcoming album.

A lil secret about a Conor Oberst show from our friends at Easy Street

imaginary liz — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:11:24 +0000

Our friend Jesse just whispered a little secret in our ear...

Conor may look like a sleeping pirate, but the new songs rule

imaginary liz — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:12:10 +0000

You can go hear "Danny Callahan" and "Souled Out!!!" streamed from the official Conor Oberst site. The songs promise an album full of his Neil Young leanings with juiced guitar refrains and sharp lyrical twists. I pretty much love it.

How Conor Oberst spent his winter vacation in Mexico

imaginary liz — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:06:41 +0000

Conor Oberst spent January and February in Mexico working on a new album! The new release from the band, who's official moniker for the album will be Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band will be available to me and the masses via Merge Records on August 5th.

Good Old Fashioned Super Group

Tim Hanken — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:02:57 +0000

Meet M. Jacket Eyes

I've been counting down to Feb 15th 2008 for a while now

imaginary liz — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:07:24 +0000

Now that we're passed that scary time and you've made it though your 27th year safe and sound, I can openly admit that for years know I've been a bit fearful that you would fall prey to oddly coincidental 27 club.