Conor Oberst announces new album, spring tour dates

Late last summer, Conor Oberst announced plans to release his first new solo album in a year. The record, Ruminations, was released in October of 2016 and was recorded solely by Oberst in his hometown of Omaha. Now, the Bright Eyes frontman has unveiled plans to released the follow-up to his acoustic, solo album. The new record will be titled Salutations and is set to be released on March 17.

Unlike Ruminations, which Oberst recorded at his studio, alone, Salutations will feature Oberst being backed by a full band made up of his frequent collaborators, the Felice Brothers, as well as drummer Jim Keltner who’s resume features the likes of Bob Dylan and John Lennon.

“Jim was really the captain of the ship and the spiritual leader of the project,” Oberst said in a statement about having Keltner on his team for the new album. “We leaned heavy on his 50-plus years of musical insight to get us to where we needed to be. He brought such depth and dignity to the proceedings that made everyone else involved rise to the occasion. It was a true stroke of luck that he got involved when he did.”

Salutations will feature seven new songs as well as several new renditions of Ruminations tracks including “A Little Uncanny” which can be streamed above. Pre-orders for Salutations can be found on iTunes. Those who pre-order the new album will receive instant downloads of “A Little Uncanny,” “Tachycardia,” and “Napalm.”

In support of the new album’s release Oberst will be hitting the road in the spring. The tour will officially kick off on March 9 at the Waiting Room in Omaha and wrap up on July 21 at the House of Blues in Boston. The March tour dates will go on sale beginning Saturday, Jan. 21 at noon EST while the May and July dates will go on sale beginning Friday, Jan. 27. During this trek, Oberst has partnered with Plus 1 to donate $1 from every ticket sold throughout the tour to Planned Parenthood. The complete list of tour dates can be seen below.

CONOR OBERST SPRING TOUR DATES:

March 9 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room Lounge
March 10 – Kansas City, MO – Madrid Theater
March 11 – Memphis, TN – Minglewood Hall
March 12 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom
March 14 – San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger
March 16 – Spicewood, TX – Luck Reunion
March 17 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
March 18 – New Orleans, LA – The Civic Theatre
March 19 – Macon, GA – Cox Capitol Theatre
March 21 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
March 22 – Chattanooga, TN – Track 29
March 23 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
March 24 – McMinnville, TN – Bluegrass Underground
March 25 – St.Louis, MO – The Pageant
March 26 – Iowa City, IA – The Englert Theater
May 12 – Oakland, CA – The Fox
May 13 – Los Angeles, CA – The Greek Theater
May 19 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at The Moody Theater
July 14-16 – Louisville, KY – Forecastle Festival
July 20 – Brooklyn, NY – Celebrate Brooklyn
July 21 – Boston, MA – The House of Blues

Conor Oberst announces new solo album

It’s been a  year since Conor Oberst has released new music, but things are about to change. On Wednesday (Aug. 3), the Bright Eyes head-honcho announced the upcoming release of his new, acoustic solo album. The new record will be titled Ruminations and is set to his stores on Oct. 14.

The album was recorded in Oberst’s hometown of Omaha, Nebraska at ARC, the studio he built with fellow Bright Eyes’ bandmate Mike Mogis. “I wasn’t expecting to write a record,” Oberst said in a statement. “I honestly wasn’t expecting to do much of anything. Winter in Omaha can have a paralyzing effect on a person but in this case it worked in my favor. I was just staying up late every night playing piano and watching the snow pile up outside the window. Next thing I knew I had burned through all the firewood in the garage and had more than enough songs for a record. I recorded them quick to get them down but then it just felt right to leave them alone.”

Ruminations will mark Oberst’s first solo album since the release of 2014’s Upside Down Mountain. Last year, the musician joined forces with his punk band, Desparecidos, and released Payola. The complete track listing for Ruminations can be seen below.

RUMINATIONS TRACK LIST:

1. “Tachycardia”
2. “Barbary Coast (Later)”
3. “Gossamer Thin”
4. “Counting Sheep”
5. “Mamah Borthwick (A Sketch)”
6. “The Rain Follows the Plow”
7. “A Little Uncanny”
8. “Next of Kin”
9. “You All Loved Him Once”
10. “Till St. Dymphna Kicks Us Out”

In support of the upcoming album, Oberst will hit the road this fall. Before embarking on the full tour, he will have two shows in August. On Aug. 18, he will appear at 309 N Pine Street in Grand Island, NE while a few days later, he will perform at the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Lyons, CO. After a month-long break, the fall tour will kick off on Sept. 28 at the Fremont Theatre in San Luis Obispo, CA. The tour will then wrap up in early December with two shows at The Cathedral Sanctuary at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles. The complete list of tour dates can be seen below.

UPCOMING TOUR DATES:

08/18 – Grand Island, NE @ 309 N Pine Street
08/20 – Lyons, CO @ Rocky Mountain Folks Festival
09/28 – San Luis Obispo, CA @ Fremont Theatre
10/01 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
10/02 – Pomona, CA @ The Glass House
10/03 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl
10/05 – Santa Fe, NM @ The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing Company
10/07 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
10/08 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival
11/06 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium *
11/17 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall *
11/23 – New York, NY @ Carnegie Hall *
11/26 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall (SOLD OUT) *
11/27 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall (SOLD OUT) *
12/09 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Cathedral Sanctuary at Immanuel Presbyterian Church *
12/10 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Cathedral Sanctuary at Immanuel Presbyterian Church (SOLD OUT) *

*Solo shows

2015 Governors Ball Announce Daily Line-Ups

It was just last month that New York’s Governors Ball announced their line up for the 2015 edition of the yearly festival. Today, festival organizers gave festival goers (and potential goers) just what they were waiting for; the daily line-up.

Kicking off the festival on Friday June 5, the headliners will include: Florence + the Machine, Drake, My Morning Jacket, St. Vincent, Chromeo, and The Decemberists.

Entertaining guest throughout the day will be Death from Above 1979, Ratatat, Charli XCX, Vance Joy, and many more.

Headlining Saturday, June 6, will be Deadmau5, Bjork, Ryan Adams, Conor Oberst, and Flume while acts like Kiesza, Little Dragon, Atmosphere, and more will keep concert goers entertained throughout the Summer day.

Closing out the festival on Sunday, June 7, are The Black Keys, Lana Del Rey, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Hot Chip just to name a few.

Check out the full daily line-up schedule below and make your decision whether to splurge and buy three-day tickets or just go for that one day when your favorite performers is taking the stage,

Single day passes for the three-day festival will go on sale beginning this Friday, Feb. 20 on the festival’s website. Three-day and VIP passes are currently available for purchase while those who have an account with Citibank will be able to get their pre-sale tickets beginning today at noon.

The fifth annual Governors Ball will take place at its usual home of Randall’s Island Park in New York City.

Conor Oberst Accepts Accuser’s Apology

This past Monday, news broke that the woman who had accused Bright Eyes frontman, Conor Oberst of sexual assault this past December (Joanie Faircloth), had lied about the whole incident.

Today, Oberst has released his own statement in which he accepts her apology for accusing him of such a horrific crime.

“I have accepted Joanie Faircloth’s apology and retraction to clear my name. This has been extremely difficult and stressful for me personally and for those I love. I’m appreciative of the family, friends, fans, and business partners who supported me throughout this and look forward to happier times as we all move forward with out lives.”

After almost eight months of having the world believe she had been sexual assaulted by Oberst, Faircloth came clean earlier this week with a statement in which she revealed that she had never even met Oberst and that she had made the whole thing up just to get attention and that it happen at a time when she was “trying to cope” with her son’s illness.

No word yet on whether Oberst will go through with his libel lawsuit against Faircloth or if he will drop the case now that his name has been somewhat vindicated with her reveal.

Conor Oberst Sexual Assault Accusation All a Lie

Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst has now been vindicated, thanks to the one who wrongfully accused him of rape.

Back in December, a woman named Joanie Faircloth had accused the singer of sexually assaulting her while they were in a “relationship” ten years or so ago.

She accused him of doing so on XOJane, a blog site and said that the reason she did not speak out about the injustice back when it happened was because he was a beloved member of their city and no one would believe her claims about him,

Now, Faircloth is asking for forgiveness almost eight months after the accusations were made against Oberst (and after he filed a libel lawsuit against her).

“The statements I made and repeated online and elsewhere over the past six months accusing Conor Oberst of raping me are a 100 percent false,” she wrote.

“I made up those lies about him to get attention while I was going through a difficult period in my life and trying to cope with my son’s illness. I publicly retract my statement about Conor Oberst and sincerely apologize to him, his family, and his fans for writing such awful things about him. I realize that my actions were wrong and could undermine the claims of sexual assault victims and for that, I apologize. I’m truly sorry for all the pain I caused.”

This comes on the heels of rumors that Oberst had been dropped by his record label after his new album, Upside Down Mountain had failed to garner much in the sales department. The blame had of course had been put on the negative publicity that had come a few months before the record was due to come out. It all ended up being rumors, but the fact of the matter is that maybe the sexual assault claims did contribute to the lack of sales.

Conor Oberst Releases New Music Video

Not much has been heard from Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst since he decided to take legal actions against a woman claiming he had sexual harassed her ten years ago when they were in a supposed relationship. That little bump in the road did not stand in the way of the singer releasing his new solo album, Upside Down Mountain.

A music video for one of the songs titled “Zigzagging Toward the Light” has been released and in classic Oberst style, the video is in black and white. Check out the full clip and don’t forget, Upside Down Mountain was released last week.

Conor Oberst Streaming New Album on NPR

Some people might say that there is no such thing as bad publicity, and in Conor Oberst case, it might have worked a little in his favor. When the Oberst was accused of raping and harassing a female who claimed to be a former girlfriend, many of his fans wondered if the singer could be behind it, but nonetheless, when it was revealed he had an album in the works, it raised suspicion on whether it was all planned, or just a big coincidence.

No matter if it was planned or not, the album’s release date is right around the corner.

Today, the Bright Eyes frontman has allowed for fans to stream Upside Down Mountain on NPR, a week before its official release date of May 20 through Nonesuch Records.

Upside Down Mountain is the singer’s first solo album since 2008’s Conor Oberst. Pre-orders are currently available through iTunes and like with any new album, Oberst will be heading out on tour beginning today in Germany.

Check out the stream of the new album here while all the tour dates can be seen below.

CONOR OBERST TOUR DATES:

May 12 – Postbahnhof – Berlin, Germany

May 13 – Ponte Verda Music Hall – Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

May 14 – Beacham Theater – Orlando, FL

May 16 – Hangout Music Fest – Gulf Shores, AL

May 17 – Track 29 – Chattanooga, TN

May 21 – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA

May 22 – The Space At Westbury – Westbury, NY

May 23 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC

May 24 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC

May 25 – Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh, PA

May 27 – Taft Theatre – Cincinnati, OH

May 29 – Metro – Chicago, IL

May 30 – Metro – Chicago, IL

May 31 – Pabst Theater – Milwaukee, WI

June 01 – First Ave – Minneapolis, MN

June 02 – First Ave – Minneapolis, MN

June 04 – Sokol Auditorium – Omaha, NE

June 05 – The Blue Note – Columbia, MO

June 06 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN

June 07 – Busters – Lexington, KY

July 08 – Cathedral – Manchester, United Kingdom

July 09 – Koko – London, United Kingdom

July 11 – Bilbao BBK Live – Bilbao, Spain

July 12 – Musilac Festival – Aix Les Bains, France

July 13 – Cactus festival – Brugge, Belgium

July 15 – Paradiso – Guelph, Canada

July 17 – Gurten Festival – Köniz, Switzerland

July 18 – Koko – London, United Kingdom

July 19 – Latitude Festival – Suffolk, United Kingdom

July 21 – ABC – Glasgow, United Kingdom

July 27 – Newport Folk Fest – Newport, RI

July 29 – SummerStage, Central Park – New York, NY

Aug 05 – Train – Århus C, Denmark

Aug 06 – Amager Bio – Copenhagen, Denmark

Aug 07 – Oya Festival – Oslo, Norway

Aug 11 – Fabrik – Meersburg, Germany

Aug 13 – Arena – Vienna, Austria

Aug 14 – Freiheiz – Munich, Germany

Aug 15 – Gloria – Cologne, Germany

Stream Conor Oberst’s “Fast Friends”

Though Record Store Day was three days ago, it doesn’t mean that all the special songs and records that were purchased won’t be making their way onto the internet.

Previously we have had the chance to listen to fun.’s debut demo, Point and Light, Jack White gave us two versions of his new track “Lazaretto,” Green Day releases Demolicious and Paramore released a B-side in honor of the music lover’s favorite holiday. We can now add a B-side track titled “Fast Friends” from Conor Oberst to that list.

This new B-side is the first piece of news that we have gotten from the Bright Eyes frontman since those accusations against him were made earlier this year. Another bright side for the singer, his new album Upside Down Mountain will be available on May 21 through Nonesuch Records.

Until then, you can stream Oberst’s “Fast Friends” below until his new record is officially on shelves in a month’s time.

Domestic Violence Advocacy Groups Asks Conor Oberst to Drop Libel Suit

Just when you thought that the “Conor Oberst Rape Chronicles” had come to an end when the singer filed a libel suit against the accuser Joanie Faircloth, a national domestic violence advocacy group is asking him to drop the suit because they claim it will stop other sexual assault victims from coming forward.

The group, Right to Speak Out tried to contact the Bright Eyes frontman to ask him to drop the legal suit even though he had announced that all the proceeds from the suit would be donated to several nonprofits supporting victims of violence against women. They claim that no matter what, the lawsuit will still damaged “the  culture of silence around sexual assault.”

“It is offensive to imply that filing such a lawsuit is a respectable way to procure money regardless of what he declares he intends to do with it,” the group said in a statement. “Even if Ms. Faircloth was not truthful, vilifying discussion of sexual assault by filing such a lawsuit only adds to the problem of under-reporting that enables sexual assault to proliferate at alarming rates.” Only 21 percent of rapes are reported, according to the nonprofit’s statistic, with only seven percent of those ending in convictions.

Right to Speak Out in its statement twice said Oberst “raped” Faircloth, which, again, he has denied. Emily Davis, a spokesperson for the group, explained in a telephone interview: “Typically there is this idea of innocence until proven guilty, and in this case the lawsuit has actually been filed against Ms. Faircloth. Using that standard presumption we would presume that she is innocent of libel and that these were true statements, that was talking about those experiences from a point of truth, until proven otherwise.”

Neither Faircloth nor Oberst have commented on the matter since the lawsuit was filed last week. Coincidentally enough, Oberst first solo album in six years, Upside Down Mountain is due out on May 20.

Conor Oberst Files Libel Lawsuit in Rape Defamation Case

It has now been over a month since we have heard anything about the alleged rape case involving Bright Eyes’ frontman, Conor Oberst. The last piece of information that had been given, came through Oberst’s publicist who said the claims were false and that a libel suit would be on the horizon and today, it seems that Oberst had already spoken to a libel attorney and is now filing a lawsuit.

Last night, Oberst’s camp set the story straight after the lawsuit made headlines. The full post on the singer’s behalf can be read here.

“February 19, 2014

Today Conor Oberst filed a libel lawsuit in a New York federal court against Joanie Faircloth, a resident of North Carolina, who falsely accused him of rape in the comments section of the xoJane website in December of 2013 and again, some days later, on her Tumblr page. The suit counters Faircloth’s baseless allegations and states that Oberst never had any physical contact with her, either at the concert in Durham, NC at which she claims the attack took place, or at any other time. The only connection between Oberst and Faircloth was one of artist and fan – a fan who has posted laudatory comments about Oberst elsewhere online, including describing attending his band’s concert as the “Best memory ever!” 

The lawsuit filed today outlines Faircloth’s history of inventing stories and personalities online in order to gain attention. Although her false statements about Oberst have since been deleted from the locations where they were initially posted online, Oberst’s suit alleges that her malicious lies spread across the Internet and are archived by multiple blogs. Through his attorneys, Oberst requested that Faircloth recant her false accusations, but she ignored the requests. Oberst has thus been forced to proceed with this libel suit in order to set the record straight and to clear his name. 

Oberst is seeking to promote the truth and repair the distress this has brought upon him and his family. Oberst intends to donate the proceeds of this suit to charities benefiting the victims of violence against women.”

Coincidentally, Oberst’s new album, his first in six years, is set to be released on May 20. Curiouser, and curiouser indeed.