Cursive joins Bright Eyes at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium

Tim Kasher is a busy guy. He just visited The Orange Peel in late November, performing material from his debut solo record on a tour with Minus the Bear. Now, much to the delight of Kasher (and Bright Eyes) fans, he’s returning with the explosive, experimental indie rock of Cursive, who will open for his longtime friend, collaborator and Saddle Creek label mate Conor Oberst. The pair will appear at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium this Saturday.

Kasher and Oberst have been sharing stages since high school in Omaha, and this time around, they’re going back to the old days, each performing with the band’s they’re most famous for, Bright Eyes and Cursive — though they both maintain multiple side projects that have recently dominated their time.

It’s fitting the two bands should join forces, as they both had a direct hand in carrying Saddle Creek Records — which now relies on Warner Brothers for distribution — through its early days as an upstart indie. Fans too, should be pleased, as members have appeared frequently on one another’s records (Cursive bassist Mat Maginn contributed to the latest Bright Eyes record) and share a common ancestry as originators of the “Omaha sound,” a country-tinged take on indie rock.

Oberst last stopped in Asheville with his Mystic Valley Band in 2008, and is currently touring in support of Bright Eyes’ just released The People’s Key. But It’s been two years since the last Cursive record, and the band’s jaunt with Bright Eyes will be short lived, a quick six dates along the east coast.

However, on New Year’s Eve, Kasher and co. performed Cursive’s breakout album, 2000’s Domestica, in it’s entirety in Chicago. The band apparently enjoyed it so much, they quickly booked another Domestica show in Omaha. It’s possible the sudden dates with his old pal have something to do with that newfound spark.

Here’s to hoping so.

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