Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band at work and at play while making the new record!

CONOR OBERST, self-titled (Merge)
Official Site | MySpace | Samples (Amazon)

Assembling a group of musician friends known unofficially as The Mystic Valley Band (Nate Walcott, Jason Boesel, Macey Taylor, Nik Freitas, and Taylor Hollingsworth), Conor Oberst spends time in Mexico sheds his Bright Eyes persona to explore some self-titled new material feeding his vagabond intrigue. File under: Alternative

Noteworthy

• CARRIE RODRIGUEZ, She Ain’t Me (Manhattan)
  Official Site | MySpace | Samples (Amazon)
  With songs co-written by Gary Louris, Mary Gauthier, Dan Wilson, Jim Boquist and featuring a guest appearance from Lucinda Williams, Carrie Rodriguez builds upon her acclaimed debut album with her latest recording.
• MARK GAIGNARD & THE ALSO RAN, We All Need Lies (Backspace)
  Official Site | MySpace
  Former Big Sky front man teams up with a new band and releases his first new material in several years.
• RANDY NEWMAN, Harps And Angels (Nonesuch)
  Official Site | MySpace | Samples (Amazon)
  All new material exploring the New Orleans piano tradition that Newman is so good at.

More Highlights

CARL LEBLANC, DAVID VANDERVELDE, FACTS ABOUT FUNERALS, GANDALF MURPHY & THE SLAMBOVIAN CIRCUS OF DREAMS, HEIDI NEWFIELD, IDA, JAKE LA BOTZ, JAMEY JOHNSON, JIMMY STURR, JOE LASTIE JR., JOHNNY FLYNN, MIKE GORDON, MIKE MANGIONE, ONEIDA, OXFORD COLLAPSE, PETER BRADLEY ADAMS, REVEREND PEYTON’S BIG DAMN BAND, ROBYN HITCHCOCK, ROSALIE SORRELS, SARAH MCLACHLAN, SHANNON MCARDLE, THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EFFECT, TONY RICE and more. See our Release Calendar for more new releases like these.

Bonus Material

Noteworthy articles from Twangville and our friendly neighbors:

• Mayer’s Playlist for July 2008, Part 2 [Twangville]
• Reckless Kelly – “Ragged As The Road” [The 9513]
• Todd Snider Comes Out of the Closet on August 19th [Twangville / Amber Waves of Twang]
• Mayer’s Playlist for July 2008, Part 1 [Twangville]
• Jon Dee Graham hospitalized after car crash [No Depression]
• James Jackson Toth :: Waiting In Vain [Aquarium Drunkard]
• Grayson Capps – Rott N Roll [HearYa]

Grab Bag

• FREE GIVEAWAY! I’m giving away a free mystery (Indie) disc this week to one lucky winner as a way of saying thanks for being a part of Twangville. Simply comment on this post to be eligible. The winner will be contacted the following week. NOTE: You must have a US mailing address to win.

About the author:  Washington, D.C. area web designer by day. Certifiable music freak by night. Husband and father of two by the loving grace of God.

by Tom Osborne in Alternative, News, Videos