The Mystic Valley Band announces only 2013 shows
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band will play their only two shows of the year on July 31st and August 1st at the Slowdown in Omaha, Nebraska.
Tickets for both shows go on sale Friday at 10am, with a limited number of discounted two-day passes available as well.
Announcing “One of My Kind”
This project is a release for those that were lucky enough to experience the magic and excitement of the Mystic Valley Band when their jackets were still clean and their chemistry was bursting with ideas and potential. Both CD and LP include a DVD of One of My Kind: The Story of the Mystic Valley Band, a full-length documentary feature by Philip Schaffart. LP includes a CD version of the album as well. One of My Kind will be available on May 15th.
Disc 1 (CD or LP)
One of My Kind
Gentleman's Pact
Corina, Corina
Synesthete Song
Breezy
Central City
I Got the Reason #1
Phil's Song (Learn to Stop Time)
Normal
Kodachrome
White Shoes (Reprise)
Disc 2 (DVD)
One of My Kind: The Story of the Mystic Valley Band - a documentary by Philip Schaffart
About the film: Philip Schaffart was not hired by Conor Oberst to make the film One of My Kind. He was hired to make sure the guitars stayed in tune. But Phil had a video camera with him as the Mystic Valley Band came together for the first time at Valle Místico in Tepoztlán, Mexico, in January of 2008, and so he started filming what he sensed was something special. “When I started filming, none of us had the intentions of turning what was being shot into a film,” says Phil, “but the things we were seeing, feeling, and capturing with the music proved to be inspiring in ways we were not prepared for.” Later that year, after touring Conor's self-titled Merge release, the Mystic Valley Band went back into the studio, this time at the Sonic Ranch outside of El Paso, Texas, where they recorded their follow-up release, Outer South.
This album was a reflection of what the MVB had become over the preceding 10 months. Now, the song writing was no longer Conor’s sole responsibility as the other members of the band all spread their own musical and compositional wings. All the while, Phil continued to film what was going on with the band, capturing the year of touring, the almond orchards in Texas, the temples and steep cliffs of Mexico, and the evolution of a group of musicians that started as not much more than an idea for a different way to make a record, and ended up being a fully realized rock band.
“Something was happening between the six members of the band musically that was effortless and natural in a way I had not seen before”; Phil continues: “In Texas we started thinking that the footage could be turned into a documentary film.” Phil returned to Omaha later and enlisted the help of the H Minus Production team and after many grueling hours in the edit suite, a film was born.
“Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows”
Check out Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine on NPR. The entire record is streaming, including Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley band's cover of “Wedding Day in Funeralville.” Look for the record, available for purchase on 6/22.
“One of My Kind” documentary
Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band are set to release One of My Kind on April 15th, a documentary that will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the band’s journey over the past year and a half. Made by the band’s guitar tech Phil Schaffart and presented by causecast.org, One of My Kind traces the group’s ever-growing bond as friends and collaborators. Footage from Tepoztlan, Mexico, where they recorded their first album, Conor Oberst, their worldwide tour in 2008, and the making of Outer South in El Paso, TX, takes viewers on a 60-minute musical journey around the world.
The film will be available as a free stream or HD download exclusively on Causecast.org, IFC.com, conoroberst.com, mergerecords.com, and wichita-recordings.com. Additionally, Causecast.org partner sites IFC.com, The Huffington Post, and MySpace IMPACT will each feature exclusive outtakes, trailers, and live acoustic performances from the film.
Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band are offering the documentary, One of My Kind for free, in the hope that viewers will make a donation to one of the many nonprofits or causes on Causecast.
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band announce new album
Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band will release a brand-new album on May 5th on Merge Records. The album, titled Outer South, was recorded at Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillio, outside El Paso, Texas, in November/December and features the same talented group of musicians as were present on last year’s Conor Oberst album.
The Mystic Valley Band are Taylor Hollingsworth, Nik Freitas, Macey Taylor, Nathaniel Walcott and Jason Boesel. Outer South is a 16-track album featuring songs written by Oberst, Jason Boesel, Nik Freitas, and Taylor Hollingsworth, some of which were part of the live show from late last year including “Nikorette” which they performed on Late Night With Conan O’Brien in November.
The Mystic Valley Band will be playing a run of shows in the west and at Coachella this spring.
Digital short on the making of Conor’s self-titled solo record
Check out a digital short of Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band at work and at play while making the new record.
This footage was filmed by Sean Foley, Andy LeMaster, and Jason Boesel; compiled by Gabriel Gonzalez, Becca Laurie, and Cornelia Calder; and edited by Becca Laurie.