Commander Venus

1995-1997

Commander Venus was an indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska fronted by American singer-songwriter Conor Oberst of the bands Bright Eyes and Desaparecidos. The band also included many other notable performers, such as Todd Fink and Matt Bowen of The Faint, and Tim Kasher of Cursive and The Good Life, and Robb Nansel, executive producer of the indie label Saddle Creek.

They recorded two albums, Do You Feel at Home? on Saddle Creek and The Uneventful Vacation, on Grass Records, which became Wind-Up Records, that ultimately licensed the CD to Thick Records.

Shortly after his two solo recordings, Conor Oberst (guitar, vocals) began playing with Tim Kasher (bass) and Matt Bowen (drums) to form Commander Venus the summer before Oberst's freshman year at Creighton Prep. "I didn't know how to play with a band at all," he says. "I couldn't keep in time with the drums." Robb Nansel, who runs Saddle Creek Records, also joined the band on guitar.

In 1995, they released Do You Feel at Home? on their own label, Saddle Creek. They were later signed to Grass Records for whom they recorded The Uneventful Vacation in July 1997. The story of how the second album was recorded, and the band's dealings with Wind-Up Records management, is one of carefree excess. The Uneventful Vacation cost $15,000 to record, a staggering sum for an indie album.

"They bought us a van and sent us on these tours. They had all this money and didn't know how to run a record label. The new management all came from a major label and knew nothing about underground music. It was a zoo, they didn't know what was going on and didn't have the know-how to make something happen."

Despite the money thrown at the project, Oberst considers The Uneventful Vacation — a loud, sometimes brash alt-rock album that still manages to encompass Oberst's awkward but powerful personal music style — to be "somewhat of a failure musically. We wanted to do stuff we weren't prepared to do because I'm not a very good guitar player. That's always been my biggest problem."

The project also was rushed, having to be recorded during summer vacation. Furthermore, the band wasn't happy with their producer. Despite all that, the record received college airplay, as well as positive critical nods, including a Scratch magazine review that said, "If Commander Venus is any indication of what's to come from the second generation of indie rock, then the future looks bright indeed." The hot rumor was that Commander Venus could be "the next big thing" out of Omaha. The rumor was wrong.

"First, Matt quit. He was frustrated; he didn't want to play drums. Then Tim had to make a decision, because Cursive was really picking up at the time and he was their main guy. We knew it would come to this point where we'd both be touring at the same time, so he bowed out."

The band continued for another nine months with Todd Baechle on bass and Ben Armstrong on drums. They toured the East Coast, but Oberst began to feel penned in by the band. "It lost its luster and I got fed up with the big 'emo music' craze. We got tagged as an emo band right off the bat. A lot of cool bands were playing that style of music, then a huge number of bands started tagging along, and suddenly everyone was getting thrown in the emo category. These days, I think of emo as a negative term." --wikipedia.org

Ben Armstrong (drums)
Conor Oberst (guitar, vocals)
Todd Baechle (bass)
Robb Nansel (guitar)

Albums
Do You Feel at Home? (1995; CD & LP on Saddle Creek)
The Uneventful Vacation (1997; CD Grass Records, LP on Saddle Creek)

Singles
Music Me All Over (1997; 7" split with Lux-O-Values, Norman Bailer & Weld on Saddle Creek)
Some Songs (1996; 7" split with Drip on Saddle Creek & Ghostmeat Records)

Compilations
Apollo's Salvage (1995; CD on Ghostmeat Records; features the song "Pay Per View")
Saddle Creek Records, A Sampler (1998; CD on Saddle Creek; featured the songs "Bent on Broken Nerves" & "Waiting for Enoch Arden")

For more information:
Saddle Creek Records
Imusic Artist Showcase

The Magnetas

1996

Ben Armstrong (drums)
Todd Baechle (bass)
Chris Hughes (guitar, vocals)
Conor Oberst (guitar, vocals)

Ghostmeat Parts Compilation, Ghostmeat Records, 1996

For more information:
Ghostmeat Records

Park Ave

1996-1998

The band lasted only two and a half years, but still retains a substantial fanbase. During their short time together, Park Ave. (named after an actual street in their hometown of Omaha, Nebraska) received rave reviews for their brand of indie pop music. The band was born out of members' desire to write pop, almost bubblegum pop, music. Part of its charm was that the members could not play their respective musical instruments prior to forming the band. Park Ave. performed about 10-15 times during its existence. When Jamie moved to London to work in art, the band broke up, hence the name of their 1999 album. Before she went to London they recorded some songs on 4-track to have for themselves, these recordings eventually became their first and only album. However, Jamie returned and she and Jenkins reunited in Tilly and the Wall, which also includes Nick White, Kianna Alarid, and Derek Pressnall. Conor Oberst now has a successful career as Bright Eyes with work in Desaparecidos (band), and Clark Baechle is the drummer of The Faint. --wikipedia.org

Clark Baechle (guitar, vocals)
Jenn Bernard (keyboards, vocals)
Neely Jenkins (bass guitar, vocals)
Conor Oberst (drums, vocals)
Jamie Williams (guitar, vocals)

Albums
When Jamie Went to London...We Broke Up (1999 - Urinine Records)

Compilations
The Wrens/Park Ave. Split 7" (1998 - Saddle Creek Records)
Saddle Creek Sampler (1998 - Saddle Creek Records)

For more information:
Official Site
Saddle Creek Records

Desaparecidos

2001-2002

Desaparecidos was an American indie/punk rock side project headed by singer/guitarist Conor Oberst, the frontman of the indie band Bright Eyes. They have also been hailed as the "Saddle Creek supergroup". [citation needed] Hailing from Omaha, Nebraska, Desaparecidos' lyrics were political in nature, and are about the state of affairs in America. That's the big picture; overall, the album painted little portraits of post-millenium America, focusing on economics. The songs had to do with money and what people will do to get it, be it huge debt (Man and Wife, the Former) or an alienated marriage and lives ripped apart by the need to follow the dollar at any cost (Man and Wife, the Latter). Greater Omaha is a classic, a look at the homogenization of America through cookie-cutter tract developments and the allure of the SUV. Oberst's voice cracks in rage as he sings these songs. The first track, Man And Wife, the Former, has voice tracks from women at a community college telling the interviewer what they look for in a husband. Money is often mentioned.

The band was been both lauded and criticized for its intentionally raw sound following the release of Read Music/Speak Spanish. In sharp contrast to Bright Eyes' confessional, even sometimes mournful vocals, Conor Oberst's vocals in Desaparecidos' songs were much more characteristic of punk rock. Though his wavery voice was still present, he snarled in "Happiest Place On Earth" that "there's not enough to fatten the cows and feed all of us. It's just a rationing of luck." In "Mañana", he shouted, "We will spread, we will cover the earth / Like air and water / ...If we're stopped, we'll just start again." The focus of the album- that today's bigger/better/best society is never satiated- is neatly summed up by "Greater Omaha", in which Oberst mused, "One more mouthful, and they will be happy then."

"Desaparecidos" means literally "the ones who disappeared" in Spanish, and is a reference to people who were arrested by various South American military governments and then vanished without a trace. From 1976 to 1983 in Argentina, for example, thousands of dissidents vanished without a trace under Dirty War driven by the military junta that was in power.

The band broke up in 2003. Rumors state Oberst believed the band was getting huge, especially after getting attention from the Jimmy Eat World tour and being featured on an MTV You Hear it First piece. Oberst continued to record with Bright Eyes, while the other members of Desaparecidos went on to form other projects. Matt Baum was in The '89 Cubs, but now currently drums for Race for Titles; Denver Dalley is in Statistics and Intramural; and Landon Hedges is currently in Little Brazil. --wikipedia.org

Conor Oberst - vocals, guitar
Landon Hedges - bass guitar, vocals (later replaced by Casey Scott)
Matt Baum - drums
Denver Dalley - guitar
Ian McElroy - keyboards

Albums
Read Music/Speak Spanish (2002 · Saddle Creek Records)

Singles & EPs
The Happiest Place on Earth (2001 · Saddle Creek Records)

Compilations
Saddle Creek 50 (2002 · Saddle Creek Records)
songs: "Man and Wife, the Latter (Damaged Goods)," "Popn' Off at the F"
Liberation: Songs to Benefit PETA (2003 · Fat Wreck Chords)
song: "Man and Wife, the Latter (Damaged Goods)"

For more information:
Saddle Creek Records
Lazy-I.com Interview w/ Desaparecidos

Bright Eyes

1995-present

See Discography

Sources: wikipedia.org, thestoryinthesoil.com

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