The lead role was eventually taken by actor Oscar Isaac    

Arcade Fire have spent the better part of a decade growing into their own majesty. Funeral, for all its estimable sweep, existed very much in the context of early-’00s indie, with all the scraggly yelping and old-timey pianos that were so in vogue in that Modest Mouse/Bright Eyes era. The ambition and enthusiasm were very [...]

“To me, Conor Oberst resembles Patti Smith a great deal,” R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe told me in an interview back in 2008. “As a performer, as a magnet. He’s just got that thing that she’s got.” The “thing” Stipe refers to has both captivated legions of followe...

On August 13, 2002, Saddle Creek Records released the third full-length album by Bright Eyes: Lifted Or The Story Is In The Soil, Keep Your Ear To The Ground. Conor Oberst — the band’s sole constant member, songwriter, guitarist, vocalist — was 22 years old at the time. At that point, he’d been releasing m...

Singer and his friend Phil Schaffart are apparently planning to launch a cocktail lounge