Matthew David Focht [1] is an American musician originally from Omaha, Nebraska. He is best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist in the Chicago-based band Head of Femur. Matt is currently working on a record with his wife, Crystal Hartford, for the band, Hartford/Focht. Also playing drums in Omaha band, High Up.
Previously, he played with Bright Eyes, Pablo's Triangle, and Opium Taylor.
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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.
Desaparecidos was an American punk rock band from Omaha, Nebraska headed by singer/guitarist Conor Oberst, the frontman of indie rock band Bright Eyes.
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.
Timothy J. Kasher is an American musician from Omaha, Nebraska, and is the frontman of indie rock groups Cursive and the Good Life, both of which are on the Omaha-based record label Saddle Creek Records.
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.
Head of Femur is an American Chicago-based band, formed in November 2001 by Nebraska natives Mike Elsener, Ben Armstrong and Matt Focht. The band was initially conceived as a forum for the three to compose pop songs while awaiting the reformation of their previous band, Pablo's Triangle. As the weeks passed the reformation looked unlikely.
Michael Riley Mogis is an American producer/engineer and multi-instrumentalist who, along with his brother A.J. Mogis, founded Presto! Recording Studios. Mogis currently runs ARC in downtown Omaha.
Son, Ambulance is an American band based in Omaha, Nebraska. As of February 2015, they are again signed as "active" on the Saddle Creek website after being labeled "inactive" for an indefinite time.
Clark Alan Baechle is an American founding member of the Omaha-based electronic rock band The Faint, along with his brother, Todd Fink. Although he is primarily known for playing drums, he also sings backing vocals and is heavily involved with other aspects of the band's output, such as programming electronic instruments and sequencers, and designing and programming lights for their live shows.
Steve Pederson is an American guitarist from Omaha,Nebraska. He left Cursive in 1998 to attend law school at Duke University in North Carolina, after graduating from Creighton University with a degree in political science. At Duke, he started the band The White Octave, which released two albums and appeared on a few samplers. When Pedersen graduated, he returned to Omaha, Nebraska, started Criteria, and began working at Kutak Rock LLP.
Matt Maginn is a musician from Omaha, Nebraska. He plays bass guitar in the indie-rock band Cursive and is a frequent contributor on a number of Bright Eyes records. He was also a founding member of Slowdown Virginia.
Gretta Cohn is an American media executive and cellist who currently serves as president of the podcast production company Pushkin Industries.
Clint Schnase is a musician from Omaha, Nebraska. He played drums in the indie-rock band Cursive from 1995 until late 2006. He also recorded and toured with Bright Eyes, Lullaby For The Working Class, The Good Life, Smashmouth, Gravy Train, Gymnastics, McVoy, Dumb, Race For Titles, My Fellow Acrobats, The Brigadiers, Pinkerton
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.
Mayday is a band from Omaha, Nebraska, on the Saddle Creek Records label, led by Ted Stevens, also of Cursive and Lullaby for the Working Class.
Zack Nipper is an artist from Omaha, Nebraska. He has designed several album covers by bands such as Bright Eyes, Criteria, Georgie James and Desaparecidos. Zack won "Best Recording Package" for his work on Bright Eyes' Cassadaga at the 2008 Grammy Awards, giving him, as well as Saddle Creek Records their first Grammy. In 2008, after his Grammy Award, several of Nipper's drawings for the album were displayed at the Joslyn Art Museum in "Zack Nipper: The Cassadaga Drawings" organized by then-senior curator of collections, John Wilson.
Ted Stevens is an American rock musician from Omaha, Nebraska, best known as the guitarist and backup singer for the band Cursive, as well as fronting Mayday. He previously fronted the indie folk band Lullaby for the Working Class.