Desaparecidos | |
---|---|
Origin | Omaha, Nebraska, United States |
Genres | |
Years active | 2001–2002, 2010, 2012–2015 |
Labels | Saddle Creek, Wichita, Epitaph |
Past members | Conor Oberst Landon Hedges Matt Baum Denver Dalley Ian McElroy |
Website | desaparecidosband.com |
Desaparecidos was an American punk rock band from Omaha, Nebraska headed by singer/guitarist Conor Oberst, the frontman of indie rock band Bright Eyes.
Formed in 2001, "desaparecidos" figuratively means "disappeared ones" in Spanish and Portuguese and is a reference to the people who were arrested by various South American right-wing military dictatorships and then vanished without a trace. More specifically, Desaparecidos take their name from the forcibly disappeared under Augusto Pinochet’s right-wing military dictatorship in Chile between 1973 and 1990.
Desaparecidos broke up in 2002 while the band was attracting an increasingly large following after their debut album Read Music/Speak Spanish , especially touring with Jimmy Eat World and The Promise Ring and being the feature of an MTV You Hear it First episode. However, Oberst did not have the time to dedicate to the band with the continually increasing success of Bright Eyes. Oberst continued to record with Bright Eyes, while the other members of Desaparecidos went on to form other projects. Matt Baum joined The '89 Cubs, later drumming Race for Titles and the Coffin Killers; Ian McElroy formed Rig 1; Denver Dalley moved onto bands Statistics and Intramural; Landon Hedges joined (and is currently in) Little Brazil.
Desaparecidos reunited for a single show at the Concert for Equality in Omaha's Benson neighborhood on July 31, 2010. [1] In April 2012, the band launched an official website and announced that they would again reunite, this time to play Omaha's MAHA Fest. [2] In August 2012 the band embarked on a short tour, their first since 2002. [3]
The band released two new tracks, "MariKKKopa" and "Backsell" in August 2012, the first recorded material since their return. [4] The song "MariKKKopa" was written in reference to Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona and his outspoken stance and civil rights abuses he's committed against undocumented immigrants. [5]
In February 2013, the band made available two tracks, "Anonymous" and "The Left is Right" via stream through Rolling Stone. The songs deal with the Anonymous hacker group and the Occupy movement. [6] On August 2, 2013, the band released a new single "Te Amo Camila Vallejo", b/w "The Underground Man".
On January 27, 2015 the band announced via their Twitter page [7] that they had signed to Epitaph Records. On April 7, Epitaph posted a new Desaparecidos single on YouTube, "City on the Hill."
Desaparecidos released their second album, Payola , in June 2015, thirteen years after Read Music/Speak Spanish . Payola was co-produced with Mike Mogis and was recorded in several batches over the past few years. The album contains the six tracks released since reforming as well as eight additional tracks.
On October 28, 2015, it was announced that Conor Oberst had been hospitalized due to "laryngitis, anxiety, and exhaustion," according to a press release. The entirety of Desaparecidos' remaining tour dates were cancelled and Oberst returned to his hometown of Omaha to recuperate. [8] As of October 2023 [update] , the band have not performed live or released any new music since this cancellation.
The band's sound was labeled [9] "full-on emo-in-the-garage" by Alternative Press , "the sort of howlingly tuneful Midwestern punk that disappeared with Hüsker Dü" by Entertainment Weekly , "anthemic thrash" by Rolling Stone , and as such is noted for its sonic differences from Oberst's primary band. They have also been hailed as the "Saddle Creek supergroup". [10] Hailing from Omaha, Nebraska, Desaparecidos' lyrics are mostly about the sociopolitical state of affairs in America. The band has 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 lyrics, Desaparecidos's angular, energetic and engaging vocals sound like those typically heard in post-hardcore.
Both EPs contain the same tracks in a different order.
Bright Eyes is an American indie rock band founded by singer-songwriter and guitarist Conor Oberst. It consists of Oberst, multi-instrumentalist and producer Mike Mogis, arranger, composer and trumpet and piano player Nate Walcott, and a rotating line-up of collaborators drawn primarily from Omaha's indie music scene. Between 1998 and 2011, the band's albums were released through Saddle Creek Records, a Nebraska-based label founded by Justin Oberst and Mogis. In January 2020, the band announced their return, having signed with Dead Oceans.
The Faint is an American indie rock band. Formed in Omaha, Nebraska, the band consists of Todd Fink, Graham Ulicny, Dapose and Clark Baechle. The Faint was originally known as Norman Bailer and included Conor Oberst. He quit shortly after the band was formed, though the Faint continued to share a spot with Bright Eyes on Saddle Creek Records.
Saddle Creek Records is an American record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started as a college class project on entrepreneurship, the label was founded by Mike Mogis and Justin Oberst in 1993. Mogis soon turned over his role in the company to Robb Nansel. The label is named after Saddle Creek Road, a major street that cuts through Midtown Omaha, and the beginnings of a scene whose members included Justin's brother Conor Oberst, Tim Kasher, and others. Collectively, they were known unofficially as the "Creekers". Saddle Creek first appeared in print on a show flyer, offering to "Spend an evening with Saddle Creek" Saddle Creek became an incorporated entity as a result of a class project on entrepreneurship. Distribution is handled by Redeye Distribution.
Read Music/Speak Spanish is the first studio album by American punk band Desaparecidos. Released in February 2002, the record is the forty-second release of Saddle Creek Records. Reviews were mostly positive upon release.
Conor Mullen Oberst is an American singer-songwriter best known for his work in Bright Eyes. He has also played in several other bands, including Desaparecidos, the Faint, Commander Venus, Park Ave., Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Monsters of Folk, and Better Oblivion Community Center. Oberst was named the Best Songwriter of 2008 by Rolling Stone magazine.
Commander Venus was an American emo band from Omaha, Nebraska. Fronted by Conor Oberst and Tim Kasher, the band also included Todd Fink and Matt Bowen of The Faint, Ben Armstrong of Head of Femur and Robb Nansel, executive producer of the indie label Saddle Creek. Kasher subsequently went on to front the band Cursive, and Oberst later became famous as the core member of the indie folk collective Bright Eyes, and later the punk band Desaparecidos.
Denver Collin Dalley is an American singer-songwriter based in Omaha, Nebraska. He is best known for his collaboration with Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst in Desaparecidos, and has been involved in various other musical projects, including Statistics, Intramural, and PRESSERS. Denver got married in 2019 and is an expert juggler.
Todd Fink is the lead singer of the band The Faint. He attended Omaha's Westside High School.
Park Ave. was an indie pop band that started in January 1996 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Sorry About Dresden was an indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The band formed in 1997 and was signed to Saddle Creek Records.
Slowdown Virginia was an indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. Formed in 1993, the band recorded and released one album, Dead Space, on Lumberjack Records in 1994, the predecessor to today's Saddle Creek Records. After playing an influential role in inspiring the later formation of other Omaha bands like Bright Eyes, The Faint, and Desaparecidos with their energetic live shows and recordings, Slowdown Virginia broke up in the spring of 1995. A month after breaking up, Kasher, Maginn, and Pedersen regrouped with a new drummer to form Cursive. Omaha's mixed entertainment venue Slowdown is named in honor of the band.
Maria Diane Taylor is an American singer-songwriter from Birmingham, Alabama. She is also a member of the duo Azure Ray with Orenda Fink. Taylor plays several instruments, including the guitar, drums, and piano and has collaborated or performed with such artists as Bright Eyes, Phoebe Bridgers, Moby, Michael Stipe of R.E.M., Joshua Radin, and more.
Orenda Fink is an American singer, musician, and writer. Perhaps best known as half of the duo Azure Ray, Fink is also a member of Art in Manila, O+S, Closeness, and High Up, and has played with or appeared as a guest on records by Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst, Moby, The Faint, Pete Yorn, and others. She is married to Todd Fink of The Faint.
Nate Walcott is an American musical composer, arranger, pianist, keyboardist, and trumpeter. He has composed the scores for several feature-length films, including 2014's The Fault in Our Stars. He is a member of the band Bright Eyes, and has played in Conor Oberst's Mystic Valley Band and with singer-songwriter M. Ward. Between 2016 and 2019, Walcott was the touring pianist and keyboard player for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, during their The Getaway World Tour.
Saddle Creek 50 is a compilation by Saddle Creek Records in honor of being the label's 50th album release. It was released in 2003 and features one album track and one non-album track by each of the bands then recording for the label.
Jason Lyon Boesel is an American musician, songwriter and producer based in Los Angeles. He was the drummer for Rilo Kiley and has also played with The Elected and Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band.
Neva Dinova is an indie band from Omaha, Nebraska. The band is named after the grandmother of lead singer Jake Bellows. They were initially on crank! a record company, and recorded a collaborative album with Bright Eyes entitled One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels. In April 2008, the band released their first album from Saddle Creek Records entitled You May Already Be Dreaming. Drummer Roger Lewis is also the drummer for fellow Saddle Creek band The Good Life, with whom Bellows completed a solo tour in the fall of 2016. Bellows remained a key associate with Bright Eyes in 2006 and 2007 and contributed to the album Cassadaga.
Payola is the second studio album by the American rock band Desaparecidos, released on June 23, 2015, through Epitaph Records.
Ruminations is the seventh solo studio album by American musician Conor Oberst, released on October 14, 2016 on Nonesuch Records. An expanded edition of the album featuring five bonus tracks was released on July 23, 2021.
Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was is the tenth studio album by American band Bright Eyes. The album marked the band's first release in nearly a decade, following The People's Key in 2011. It was released by Dead Oceans on August 21, 2020, and it was their first album not released by Saddle Creek Records. The album was recorded at Electro-Vox and Capitol Studios in Los Angeles and ARC Studios in Omaha, Nebraska.