Watch: Conor Oberst brings a new tune to Conan
For all the benefits that come with being a member of the deep, dark, scary medium of music blogdom, there are as many negatives: inane hours, having your stories copied by other music publications, specifically ones based in Chicago named after tools for tossing hay, which don’t give credit when credit is do, and having to deal with Katy Perry press releases on a day-to-day basis. Then there’s always episodes of miscommunication like the one that occurred this past Saturday which resulted in one lonely white male (ie., myself) standing in a daze outside New York’s Terminal 5 after being denied entry into Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band show because “I was down for the wrong night.”
Sure, the incident wasn’t my fault, but it definitely did provide for a pretty lackluster Saturday night. Add on the fact that Ben Kweller was the evening’s opener, and well, I’m just upsetting myslef thinking about the whole thing. So rather than relive a horrible event, I’d like to move on to something that helped make it, at least somewhat easier to stomach.
Still hanging around the Big Apple, Conor and crew stopped by Late Night with Conan O’Brien on Tuesday 
evening for a visit. But rather than offer up a selection from the recently released Conor Oberst or even another late night rendition of “When The President Talks to God” (then again, considering the events of last week, that particular song may be shelved for the foreseeable future), the Omaha native and his backing alt-country outfit went the way of other indie acts, and used the talk show to debut a new track.
Entitled “Nicorette”, the song offers more of the same good natured spirits of the Omaha native heard on the self-titled backed by a swinging folk sound, complete with catchy guitar solos and fun piano playing. Add in some playful lyrics - “I’m just trying to stay a human being/Sitting in the sun eating ice cream/Textin’ my friend about a bad, bad dream/Just trying to find someone who knows me” - and I’m already counting down the days until we get another collection of Mystic Valley Band tracks.
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley 2008 Tour Dates:
11/13 - Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel *
11/14 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse *
11/15 - Hilton Head Island, SC @ Shoreline Ballroom *
11/16 - Orlando, FL @ Anti*Pop Music Festival
11/18 - Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room *
11/19 - St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Landing *
11/20 - New Orleans, LA @ The Republic
11/21 - Austin, TX @ Stubb’s *
11/22 - Dallas, TX @ Palladium *
11/23 - Marfa, TX @ Ballroom Marfa *
11/25 - Monterrey, MX @ Cafe Iguana
11/28 - Tepoztlan, MX @ El Telon Hotel
11/30 - Mexico City, MX @ Vive Cuervo Salon
* = w/ The Felice Brothers
I got to see these guys on Monday, it was out of control good times. The Felice Brothers are worth showing up early for as well. It amazing night of music all around.