Dilemma: Conor Oberst vs Twin Forks

I have a dilemma an I can't stop thinking about it. I can never really plan my life too far out in advance so it only just occurred to me that such a dilemma was just waiting to be addressed. On Sunday night, Conor Oberst plays at the Observatory North Park. And on Sunday, the very same night, less than a mile away, Chris Carrabba (of Dashboard Confessional) plays at The Irenic with his Americana band, Twin Forks. What is a girl to do?

Look, I try to play it cool. I've met a lot of amazing musicians in my life and I try not to be such a fangirl. I was at the Pond show next to Kevin Parker practically the whole time and I never once bothered him. But some artists are just so super awesome, and then you find out they're nice, too, and it's hard not to feel that little excitement when they come to town.

I was completely committed to the Conor Oberst show. I might even be doing an NBC interview, so I was just planning on having someone else work my shift at the Irenic. I think I've only ever seen Bright Eyes twice in my life, plus if you count the magical night when Conor appeared with the Felice Brothers on the eve of my birthday. He was by the bar and I asked if we could snap a photo, that it had just become my birthday at midnight and he exclaimed, "Your birthday? Well, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" And then he kissed me. A big, giant, sloppy, wet kiss right on my lips. Sean missed that moment and instead got this goofy face, and you can see me quizzical, "DID THAT REALLY JUST HAPPEN?" I also remember his t-shirt smelled like he'd worn it every night of tour. But I didn't care. Conor Oberst just smacked my lips with a wet one and nobody besides Sean would ever believe me.

And then there's Chris Carrabba. I liked my share of Dashboard Confessional music, I have seen him solo, with Twin Forks, and with DC over the years. I remember buying a DC hoodie at Street Scene one year because it was only 20 bucks and I hadn't accounted for it being so damn cold once the sun dropped, but then I never wore it again because the silkscreen on it was kind of bizarre and I thought myself a little too old to be an emo kid. It wasn't until this year, when I got to interview him at the House of Blues that I was just smitten. And not in weird creepy hookup kinda way, just in that he was so relatable, so comfortable, and so sweet, like someone you'd want to be your BFF.

So I have to do ads for the Casbah and it wasn't until both shows were demanding my attention that I realized I'm stuck with this super difficult and challenging decision of which show to attend. Or maybe both? But the way I figure it, Observatory set times will typically be 8 for Phoebe Bridgers and 9/9:15 for Conor Obserst. And The Irenic will most likely be 7pm for Dan Layus (of Augustana!), 7:45ish for The Social Animals, and 8:45ish for Twin Forks. So by my best estimates, it would be impossible to catch both. And so I'm torn. What the hell is a supergroupie to do?

I can't make decisions for you, but tickets are still available for both shows:
Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers  @ The Observatory, $33   GET TICKETS
Twin Forks, The Social Animals, Dan Layus (of Augustana) @ The Irenic, $18 adv/$20 day of GET TICKETS

Bright Eyes & Kurt Vile at Soma, 9.21.2011

Wednesday night was the Bright Eyes show at SOMA. I took my friend Nick who has done work with Conor and played in Neva Denova and is all tied into that little Saddle Creek circle, so I was a little surprised that Conor was back to his reclusive ways and wasn't backstage at all before or after his set. Bummer. It was still an awesome show, especially when during their final song, he requested someone on timpani and that someone ended up being Tim Pyles. I was by the soundboard and Matt made sure I caught Tim on video. These are some of my shakiest videos ever...the further from the subject, the more dramatic any movement on my little handheld, but hopefully you enjoy them nonetheless.

See Photos of Kurt Vile and Bright Eyes here

Click the "next" button to see all six videos.

Tonight! Bright Eyes & Kurt Vile and The Violators at SOMA

I stayed up all night working just so that I could call it an early day and head to the Sports Arena area. Pre-drinks at The Shakedown followed by Bright Eyes at SOMA. For fun, here's the playlist of Conor's appearance at the Casbah last year with the Felice Brothers. 8 videos and I don't think I ever posted them here. Check em.

There are tickets available at the box office. Don't miss it.

Bright Eyes & Kurt Vile and The Violators @ Soma, September 21

Next week, Bright Eyes returns to San Diego to perform at Soma in support of their most recent album, The People's Key.

Since 2006 the once revolving cast of Bright Eyes players has settled around permanent members Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis and Nathaniel Walcott, with additional musicians joining them in the studio and on tour. Fully realized and bursting with charisma, The People’s Key is an assured and accomplished album, artfully arranged and filled with the engaging and mesmeric songwriting for which Oberst is renowned. Recorded in Omaha, Nebraska, at the band’s own ARC Studios, The People’s Key was produced by Mike Mogis and engineered by Mogis and Andy LeMaster.

It has been just short of a year since the surprise performance by Conor Oberst at the Casbah last year with the Felice Brothers (I remember exactly that it was September 27th because I got a birthday kiss from Conor at midnight- *blushing*) and what Soma lacks in intimacy, they'll make up for with that massive stage with a full sound and Bright Eyes' usually creative and colorful lighting schemes and live projections.

With Kurt Vile and The Violators opening, there is no doubt that this show is going to be pretty amazing. I've even been talking to "friends" on Turntable.FM who have seen the tour along the way and know that fans will not be disappointed.

The show is on Tuesday, September 21 at Soma and is ALL AGES. Doors open at 7pm.
Tickets are $25 here.
For a lucky few, I am giving away three (additional) pairs of tickets between now and Sunday. "Like" my page on Facebook and leave me a Bright Eyes memory/favorite song/ on my wall and I'll pick the best comments by Sunday.

Here are a couple downloads from The People's Key:

Contest: Win Conor Oberst Tickets!

Its Friday!

So lets take it easy and do it right kids. This Sunday San Diego is being treated to some amazing shows, how lucky are we! Don’t believe me, check the listings sucker! You know, sometimes we might complain when our favorite bands miss our sunny little burb, but really we get some pretty darn good ones considering how close we that other Southern Cali town… no not Pomona. The first treat this Sunday is Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band at Soma. I really don’t need to tell you all how great his Bright Eyes stuff is, you all know it. I don’t need to tell you how cool I though Letting Off the Happiness was, and then how just blown away I was by Lifted. And I for sure don’t need to tell you about I’m Wide awake, its Morning or about how Four Winds and Coat Check Dream Song off Cassadaga are two of the coolest songs. You guys know all this stuff. What I do want to tell you is that he’s got this new thing going, yes you guessed it, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, and let me tell you…its good. What… you don’t believe me, are you calling me a liar!?! Ok, I’ll tell you what, we’ll have a li’l contest!

If you want a pair of tickets email your full name and phone number to sddialedin AT gmail DOT com Put “I Love Conor” in the subject line. We’ll pick a winner tomorrow, probably at noon, though maybe later, because we’re going out tonight and we may want to sleep in. You know what, actually, we might even pick a winner Sunday morning, why? Because that’s how we roll. But don’t worry we’ll call you before Noon on Sunday. We’re not evil, we’re just lazy.

Conor Oberst "Lua" Late Late Show

I turned to CBS as Craig Ferguson was thanking Conor Oberst and his band. Boo. But some kind (and kinda funny) soul uploaded the video 52 minutes ago. The person just video-taped their tv, which I think kinda gives a cool lo-fi version of the song. I'm sure tomorrow the actual video will be available, but until then, here's a video of the tv.

Bright Eyes Pictures (Soma, May 8, 2007)

Natalie has posted her Bright Eyes pictures on her flickr site here. Check em out. And if you see her out this weekend, buy her a shot.

Happy Birthday, Natalie.

Recap: Bright Eyes & Oakley Hall In San Diego

I was exhausted last night and a brief nap didn't really do much to make me any less tired. I picked up my friend Dave and we were at the venue by a little after 8. We missed McCarthy Trenching entirely, but had no problem getting around the crowd toward the front. I would've liked to maneuver up about 4 more feet, but no such luck.

Oakley Hall:

Oakley Hall was onstage and I think I counted 6 people on stage. I would call them alt-country but a little less on the "alt" side and more on the "country" side. Maybe "roots" is a better descriptor? They still won't be on the stage with any of those contemporary country cheeseballs. The songs we saw had mixed vocals from one female and two guys, all mixing it up with each song. At times, the girl's voice reminded me of a young Dolly Parton but then would change to something more gritty like Lucinda Williams. I liked the instrumentation, particularly the fiddle and the one-time (?) use of the banjo. They were a good indicator that this night would probably lean to the twangy side of Bright Eyes' repertoire.

When they finished, there was a half hour for people to push and shove and try and pretend like their best friend/girlfriend/mom was in the front row. Thanks to a seecurity guard pushing through to get outside and then pushing back up, I managed to get a little closer to the stage. When Bright Eyes finally came on their flower adorned stage, everyone in the band was donning white. White suits, white shirts, the guitarist had a white hoodie with some sort of pattern on it...All this, of course, for a black light. So despite being relatively close to the stage, the lighting was awful from the standpoint of a 6 megapixel camera carrying blogger.

I figured in a couple days, you can just click on Natalie's blog, since she had a photopass and has all the high tech camera goods and the skills to match. Anyway, since I was standing in the vampire pose (arms across my chest), I decided I'd enjoy the show more from a place where I could actually move, so I retreated to the back. Not surprisingly, that's where most of my friends were anyway. I took a couple really bad pictures of the setlist and then just enjoyed the show. It was my first time to a Bright Eyes show and I was happy with the performance- somehow I expected it to be kinda boring and not lively at all, but the music translates well to a large venue. The song I'd hoped for yesterday ("No One Would Riot For Less") was followed by a fast version of First Day of My Life. Since I'd read a Seattle blog suggesting the fast version was disappointing, I thought I would hate it, but it seemed to me to work just fine. I heard grumblings that Conor focused so much on new stuff, but that's kinda the point of touring in support of a release, isn't it? All I know is I enjoyed myself immensely and I'm glad I didn't let myself back out going to this show.

I hung in the back for most of the set and watched Jack? John? I don't remember. Anyway, this dude hangs in the sound area with an overhead projector and plays with various props under the light to project on to the back wall of the venue. He was shaking and moving plastic straws, color chips, a oiuja board and compass, water in a concave dish with food coloring drops, markers, and on and on. It was cool to watch but was also one of those things that make you think, "I want that job!" Anyway, before the encore, I asked if I could have his setlist at the end of the show, so here it is. I like the notes because it tells him which props to use for each song. The show was only 14 songs; on this list they skipped #14 (marbles) and instead, song 15 ?? ended up being about an 8 minute version of Road To Joy (I'm Wide Awake It's Morning). It was an amazing finish to an amazing show.

Bright Eyes setlist:


Bright Eyes backdrop projection props:

Bright Eyes Tonight

From the new record, I most look forward to this song tonight. All you chatty ones better zip it.

Monday Newsy Bits

If you happen to stay home tonight, tune in to FX for the premiere of The Riches, a new series featuring Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver. He has got to be one of the funniest people alive. Check out info here.
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More Insound bargains for you. Enter coupon code 'good_music_rules' for 10% off your order until 4/9/07. Click the Insound link on the right side of this webpage. This would be a good time to buy those Earlove Earplugs that I have been raving about.
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I mentioned last week that CMJ has begun to accept submissions from bands. I am really late in reporting this, but Bumbershoot is also accepting submissions, but the deadline is FRIDAY, March 16. They accept submissions through SonicBids and have special slots reserved for unsigned bands from the West Coast. Click here for all the info.
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Another Coors Amphitheatre concert has been announced. John Mayer and Ben Folds will be appearing on Jun 12. Presale tickets are available through the John Mayer fan club on March 16 with regular a onsale date of March 24. Also, Harry Connick, Jr. will be appearing at Viejas Concerts at Bayside on May 17 with tickets on-sale Friday, March 16 at 10am.
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I've been talking about MayDay since December and I have just a couple comments. One, I heard from a second source that if the show even happens, it will be in June. I have also heard that The Atoms have been courted to play on the bill with no other specific details. My personal feeling is that if there is to be a "MayDay" show, it should stay true to what MayDay was back in 1994: all local. If there are to be headliners, driving ticket prices up, then count me out. If it is true that the venue fees are being waived for the event, it should be a community event as well as a not-for-profit event. That is just my humble little opinion. And since I'm a blogger and therefore think I'm somebody (see comment from Stuart here) I am just giving my two cents so please save the jumping down my throat knee jerk responses for another time and place.
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If you tried to buy Bright Eyes tickets on Saturday, technical difficulties led to the site changing the presale to Sunday. Presale tickets are sold out and stupid me, I failed to get one. Hope you didn't flake like I did...
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Last, I can't stop thinking about comedian Richard Jeni committing suicide. Rumors are flying, suggesting that he had some sort of major illness, but at this time that is not confirmed. Others say he's suffered from depression for many years. I just feel really sad about it and can't stop wondering what could be so bad that would lead someone to shoot himself in the face. Tragic.
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More Newsy Bits

Maximo Park is going back on tour. Read here for details. Their tour finishes in San Diego on July 28 at the Casbah. (this posting is for you, Daye) Tickets are available via that link direct through Maximo Park.
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In what I'm calling "the anti pink" baby news, my sister is pregnant and found out today that she and her husband are expecting a girl. "No pink!," my sister sternly reinforced. The baby is due in August, but I'm so excited to be an aunt, I thought I'd share the news here. That little girl better not show up on Street Scene weekend...that's all I'm saying.
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In other personal news, I'm jealous as hell, but happy to announce that my friend Stefanie and her mother have been selected to appear on Wheel of Fortune when the show tapes here this month. "Um, Pat, can I buy a $$$$, please?"
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Bright Eyes Pre-sale tickets go on sale tomorrow. This is from Saddle Creek:

hi everyone,

we will have a limited amount of Bright Eyes tickets available for our fans tomorrow (3/10) at 12:00 PM (pacific time). they will be available at http://tickets.thisisbrighteyes.com. the password is brakeman (1 word all lower case)

Saddle Creek does not handle the pre-sale tickets. Please direct any questions about the pre-sale or purchased tickets to info@ravenhouseltd.com.

The general public on-sales for most shows will be on March 17. Stay tuned to this page for updates and ticket links.

thanks,
SC

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Clarification has come on the Staring At the Sun event on Sunday. The show is FREE, however donations will be accepted (and recommended).

Thursday Newsy Bits

Last night, Andrea and I went to the Broadway San Diego performance of The Altar Boyz at the Civic Theatre after grabbing some cheap food at Ra's happy hour. The show is actually very funny and full of double entendre and also makes you squirm a little at the whole cheesy boy band thing. It's a lot of music, but there is a story behind the music, as well. I think the choreographer must've had a fun time incorporating every cheesy dance move from the last 20 years (i.e. the Milli Vanilla kick thingie...) If you're into theatre, this was a fun contemporary show and there are tickets available for all remaining shows. The run ends on Sunday. Afterword I nixed my Beauty Bar plans and instead opted for sleep. I forgot what it felt like to get more than 4.5 hours of sleep in a night. zzzzz..... Tonight will start off with FM 94/9 at the Museum of Art for the Annie Liebowitz show. See you there.
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As commented by , Black Rebel Motorcycle Club have announced a US tour. San Diego will be the second stop on the tour on May 6 at House of Blues. You can go here and register for presale. The opening act will be iPod commercial band The Fratellis. You can also go to their site and listen to two tracks from their album.
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I'm a south county girl and rarely cover north county stuff, but this is from today's North County Times:

Luke Chandler and Sam Ilich, who ran an all-ages Tuesday-night series of
concerts at Escondido's THEATRX theater last summer and fall, are getting ready
to kick off a new season of music.

On March 10, Chandler and Ilich's newly named Theatre-X Presents promotions
company is hosting an all-ages two-stage show at Experience Studios in
Escondido.
...
Chandler said he and Ilich are planning to host shows at a new venue set to
open near San Diego State in the fall. You can find details of all their
upcoming plans at their Web site, theatrexpresents.com.

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I think I've made it pretty clear on this site that I'm all about stuff that is free or at least a bargain. If you're the same, you might wanna consider registering for Goldstar Events. You basically designate up to three zip codes and anytime there's something going on, you get an e-mail with the Goldstar price. A lot of the events are small theatre performances, comedy shows, and city tours and harbor cruises, but they also recently added half price Padres tickets for Monday night games. Most of the prices are half price from what you'd spent at the respective box offices. If you're interested in registering, click here.
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A friend of mine is in a short film that is in competition for a reality show competition (something like Project Green Light.) If you'd like to help him out by voting for his short, please watch it here.
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Finally, Bright Eyes Conor Oberst is supposed to be on NPR's All Things Consiered this afternoon. You can listen locally on KPBS at 3pm. Click here. The archive will be on the NPR site by 4:30 pm here.

Bright Eyes: Not trying to steal Arcade Fire thunder but...

Bright Eyes new ep was released today and a tour has been announced, including a stop in San Diego. The show will be at Soma on May 8. Can I just announce to the music world that WE. HATE. SOMA. Stop playing there. Thank you for reading.

I will post the onsale date as soon as I hear.

update:
according to the saddle creek site: Pre-sale tickets for the following shows will go on sale Saturday, March 10. Check here for pre-sale ticket information. The general public on-sales for most shows will be on March 17. Stay tuned to this page for updates and ticket links.