Bright Eyes returns to Asheville

Posted on by Alli Marshall

“Bright Eyes is back. Well, not yet exactly, but expect to hear a lot about the band and its leader, Conor Oberst, in the coming months,” writes Prefix. The short of it: the band, which has been pretty quiet for the past three years, just announced U.S. tour dates for early 2011, and will play Asheville’s Thomas Wolfe Auditorium on Saturday, March 5.

It’s been five years since Oberst and Bright Eyes visited Asheville. The musician, known for his poetic, navel-gazing lyrics and strange, warbling singing style, launched his career at age 13 when he recorded a cassette tape on Lumberjack Records — the indie label he created with his brother that went on to become Saddle Creek. Since Bright Eyes’ last recording in 2007, Oberst has been involved with the Mystic Valley Band and Monsters of Folk (with Jim James of My Morning Jacket and M. Ward).

But back to Bright Eyes. The band’s page on label Saddle Creek posted this announcement: “Bright Eyes will release The People’s Key on February 15th 2011 on Saddle Creek. The People’s Key – the band’s seventh studio album – is the eagerly awaited follow-up to 2007’s acclaimed Cassadaga.” That date, Feb. 15, will be Oberst’s 31st birthday.

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About Alli Marshall
Alli Marshall has lived in Asheville for more than 20 years and loves live music, visual art, fiction and friendly dogs. She is the winner of the 2016 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize and the author of the novel "How to Talk to Rockstars," published by Logosophia Books. Follow me @alli_marshall
View all posts by Alli Marshall →

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2 thoughts on “Bright Eyes returns to Asheville”

  1. tatuaje

    I don’t know why or how (he does sing about AVL on ‘If The Brakeman Turns My Way’) he chose to add the Thomas Wolfe to a list that includes The Tabernacle, Radio City Music Hall, The Ryan Auditorium, and the Royal Albert Hall, but I’ll take it.

    Maybe he’s gonna find himself somewhere to level out.

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