A Band Apart

Omaha’s Conor Oberst sings the praises of his hometown.

By Bret Love

A favorite among Americana and indie rock devotees for more than a decade, Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst helped put the Omaha music scene on the map. Hailed as a singer-songwriter on par with Bob Dylan, Oberst emerged at age 14 with his first band, Commander Venus. The Saddle Creek label he co-founded has since put out successful records for Omaha bands such as Cursive and The Faint. As he prepared to embark on a world tour to promote his new solo album, Oberst took time out to speak with us about life in the Cornhusker state.

How has Midwestern life left its imprint on you?
“The way we did things with starting our label and touring came from a Midwestern work ethic that was embedded in us. It was easy to work hard, and because our idea of success was manageable, we always felt like we were achieving success, even when it was just little victories.”

What were your definitions of success?
“The first time we saved up enough money to print our music on CD, there was a celebration. The first time we got a van and toured the U.S., the time when I was able to stop working a job and still pay my rent … there were all these milestones.”

You didn’t hear much about the Nebraska music scene before Saddle Creek. What was it like to be a musician in Omaha 10 years ago?
“It was a lot different. There were only a couple of music venues, so for the most part we were playing at people’s houses. The city was a very conservative place, so we always felt at odds with the mainstream society of Omaha, and maybe that juxtaposition fuelled us by giving us something to rebel against. Now, there’s a lot more respect paid towards the arts, and there are a lot more venues to support them.”

Where would you recommend visitors go to get a true taste of Omaha?
“We have a world- class zoo (Henry Doorly Zoo; www.omahazoo.com) that’s been ranked second in the country. Downtown is where the music venues are, including a really cool one called The Waiting Room (www.waitingroomlounge.com) and another one called Slowdown (theslowdown.com) that the guys who run Saddle Creek opened. There’s a neighborhood called Benson that’s got a bohemian revival going on. And there’s a great arthouse movie theater called Film Streams (filmstreams.org) that runs foreign films and cool indie flicks. So there are a lot of things going on here now.”