Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band

The Mystic Valley Band is the name taken by Conor Oberst and his backing band. In November 2007, it was reported that Oberst would work on a solo record with Jake Bellows, and that he would form a band with M. Ward and perform two shows in late December 2007 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[2] Contrary to this speculation, the shows were not played with M. Ward, but rather with Nik Freitas and Jason Boesel. The band played 13 new songs and it was announced that these songs were not meant for Oberst's main project, Bright Eyes.[4] In early 2008, Oberst and his band traveled to Tepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico and spent two months living and recording their debut album there. Before leaving the country, the band played a show in Mexico City. The Mystic Valley Band played at the 2008 Reading and Leeds Festivals. In addition, they also performed at Connect Festival in Scotland and the Electric Picnic in Ireland in August 2008, the Austin City Limits festival in September and also at the Great Escape Festival in Sydney, Australia in early October 2008. The debut album, titled Conor Oberst, was released in the UK on Wichita on 5 August 2008 and 6 August 2008 on Merge Records in the U.S, billed as a solo album by Oberst. In October 2008 the band released the Gentlemen's Pact EP (again, billed as a solo effort from Oberst), which was available in limited quantities and sold only at shows. The Mystic Valley Band at Terminal 5 in New York City. November 8, 2008 Upon completing their touring schedule in late November 2008, the Mystic Valley Band spent time at Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo, Texas. There they recorded more than a dozen new songs, many of which had become staples of their live set earlier in the year. On February 19, 2009, it was officially announced that the band's second album, entitled Outer South, would be released on May 5 on Merge Records. A number of the songs that are slated to appear on the album were written and sung by band members other than Conor Oberst. The band began their 2009 tour in Omaha on April 9 and will tour through July 2009, with scheduled performances including stops at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival.