Stefanie Drootin is one half of the band Umm and one half of the band Big Harp (band) on Saddle Creek Records. She is also the bass guitarist for the band The Good Life on Saddle Creek Records. Stefanie plays or has played in Bright Eyes, She and Him, M.Ward, McCarthy Trenching, Azure Ray, Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor. [1] She is the sister of Los Angeles-based, Books on Tape.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Azure Ray is an American dream pop duo, consisting of musicians Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor. Formed in Athens, Georgia, in 2001, they later moved to Omaha, Nebraska, and became part of the Saddle Creek Records music scene, which also included Bright Eyes, The Faint, and Cursive. Azure Ray's music has often been featured in film and television, including Six Feet Under, Grey's Anatomy, and The Devil Wears Prada.
The Good Life is an indie rock band on Saddle Creek Records.
There Is No Beginning to the Story is the third EP by Bright Eyes. The songs on it are fairly varied, with "From a Balance Beam" and "Loose Leaves" having more electronic qualities, while "Messenger Bird's Song" and "We Are Free Men" are more rooted in acoustic. The 12" vinyl edition includes 2 extra songs: "Amy in the White Coat" and a Neil Young cover, "Out on the Weekend".
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.
A Christmas Album is the fifth album and first Christmas album by Bright Eyes released in 2002. The proceeds of the album go to the Nebraska AIDS Project.
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.
Gretta Cohn is an American media executive and cellist who currently serves as president of the podcast production company Pushkin Industries.
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.
Lagniappe is a compilation album released by the Omaha-based record label Saddle Creek, after the events of Hurricane Katrina. It is a benefit album, and all profits from its sale are donated to the Red Cross' relief efforts in New Orleans.
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.
Jiha Lee is the former keyboardist of the Good Life and has performed with Bright Eyes. Having left the Good Life after their second album, Black Out, she returned to record the track "Inmates" for Album of the Year. Her recordings with Bright Eyes include vocals and flute on tracks from Fevers and Mirrors, Lifted, and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn. She also played the flute on the track "Hail To Whatever You Found in the Sunlight That Surrounds You" on the Rilo Kiley album The Execution of All Things.
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.
Andy LeMaster is an American musician, songwriter, engineer, and producer from Athens, Georgia. Now It's Overhead is the primary project for his own songwriting, while he also releases music under his own name and contributes as a co-writer on various projects. LeMaster has engineered, produced, and performed on many albums since he began recording in the late 1990s, including releases by Bright Eyes, Now It's Overhead, Azure Ray, Conor Oberst, Maria Taylor, Orenda Fink, Better Oblivion Community Center, and Michael Stipe. He is co-owner of Chase Park Transduction recording studio in Athens with fellow producer/engineer/musician, David Barbe. He has been a frequent touring member of Bright Eyes since the late 90's, and has performed live as a band member with several other artists including Azure Ray, Fischerspooner, and Michael Stipe. LeMaster is also a talented visual artist, and has done all the covers for Now It's Overhead's records. Andy has stated in interviews that he identifies as gay.
"Hot Knives" is the second single by the American indie/folk-rock band Bright Eyes, from their album Cassadaga. The song was released on July 9, 2007, on a strictly-limited 7" double A-side record.
Louis Schefano is an American singer-songwriter, producer/engineer and multi-instrumentalist originally from Birmingham, Alabama, United States. He has recorded under various monikers including Regia, Louis, and Suspicious Light. Schefano was also a founding member of Remy Zero and Little Red Rocket, and has performed, produced or recorded with Azure Ray, Maria Taylor, Verbena, Cheshires, Bright Eyes, The Ladybug Transistor, and Jaymay.