News

New Bright Eyes Material Released

• 17th Feb 2010

Back in 2004 two revered Nebraskan songwriters, Conor Oberst of BRIGHT EYES and Jake Bellows of NEVA DINOVA brought their respective bands together to record an EP for indie label Crank!

The collaboration, One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels, was the fruit of a long-time musical appreciation and the resulting record was a rare gem, a perfect fusion of like-minded talents and a precious piece of musical magic. Less of a split and more of a bona fide collaboration, with Conor and Jake dividing the songwriting duties, the original tracks were recorded by both bands in basements of houses on quiet, leafy streets in Omaha in the fall of 2003. Those tracks were mixed, tweaked, and sprinkled with magic dust by famed producer-in-residence Mike Mogis at his Presto! Studios in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Six years later that acclaimed collectors’ item has been given a re-working and a re-release by veritable Omaha independent Saddle Creek. Bright Eyes and Neva Dinova reconvened in the fall of 2009 to write and record four brand new tracks at Mogis’ ARC Studios, creating an album-length work that includes the first new Bright Eyes material since 2007’s Cassadaga.

Frequently credited as being one of the finest songwriters of his generation, Conor Oberst is lauded by enthusiastic rock critics around the globe. With Bright Eyes he has released several noteworthy albums with Saddle Creek, including the seminal 2002 album Lifted, or The Story Is In The Soil Keep Your Ear To The Ground, 2005’s I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and 2007’s Cassadaga. Oberst has also released two albums with The Mystic Valley Band on Wichita Recordings (Conor Oberst in 2008 and Outer South in 2009) as well as one album with musical compadres Jim James, M Ward and Mike Mogis as Monsters Of Folk (last year’s eponymous release on Rough Trade).

Neva Dinova are treasured heroes of the Omaha music scene. Originally started as an impromptu songwriting collaboration between guitarist and vocalist Jake Bellows and bassist Heath Koontz, the two eventually got bored of their basement seclusion and decided to enlist the support of others. After years of playing around the mid-west, the five-piece have developed a loyal fan base and spawned an ever-expanding audience. It is Jake Bellows’ truly inspiring, poetry-based lyrics and his world-wearied vocal delivery that has won Neva Dinova legions of music fans across the country. After a self-titled release on Crank! In 2002 they continued to impress with 2005’s The Hate Yourself Change (also on Crank!) and 2008’s Saddle Creek release You May Already Be Dreaming.

The four new songs on the updated One Jug Of Wine, Two Vessels are as impressive as either songwriter has ever created and each hold all of the goosebump-inducing magic for which they’re renowned.

Back in 2004 both bands’ front men explained their collaboration:

Jake Bellows: “I think it was 1996 when we met for the first time. We played a show with Norman Bailer and Commander Venus and I forgot the words to one of our songs. Conor was in the audience and hollered out the next line of the song. I couldn't believe that someone in town knew our music. Maybe it was a year or two ago that we first talked about doing some kind of split or something. This was our first time collaborating with anyone and we wanted to see if we could make some music with our friends. We think Conor is a great songwriter and we were honored to work with him. Also, we had a shit-ton of fun.”

Conor Oberst: “There’s a feeling I get when I hear Jake sing that is rather addictive. It runs the length of my spine and makes me feel as if I were living some wonderful life long ago…maybe the roaring twenties…smoking strong cigarettes in red tinted parlor with a record player you have that winds like a watch by turning a crank, but the music beneath that voice is more familiar. It sounds like Omaha – a decade of house shows and warped seven inches and drunken band practices that we have all shared. Making this record was something Jake and I had talk about many times over the last few years but every time our schedules allowed we preferred glorious drinking binges and nonsense conversations over getting anything done…But finally we did it. Recording Jake singing one of my songs is one of the most special things that has ever happened to me musically. It was so much fun recording these songs. We seamlessly moved from Heath & Jake's basement to mine to Presto! the whole time feeling motivated by the songs and having a great laugh along the way.”

In the “inquiring minds want to know” category, let's just answer the most important question right now: Between Bright Eyes and Neva Dinova, who would win in a tug-of-war?

Jake Bellows: “Bright Eyes may have more people, but we definitely weigh more and I think, if we continue to eat like we have been, we will come out victorious.”

Track Listing:
1. Rollerskating*
2. Happy Accident*
3. Someone’s Love*
4. I Know You*
5. Tripped
6. Black Comedy
7. Poison
8. I’ll Be Your Friend
9. Get Back
10. Spring Cleaning
* brand new song featured only on this release