James Ward
Self portrait by James Ward, 1848.
Born	(1769-10-23)October 23, 1769 London, England
Died	November 17, 1859(1859-11-17) (aged 90) Cheshunt, Hertfordshire
Nationality	English
Field	Painting, Engraving
Movement	Landscapes, Romanticism
Influenced by	George Morland, Rubens
Awards	Royal Academician (R.A.)

James Ward (23 October 1769 – 17 November 1859), R.A., was a painter, particularly of animals, and an engraver.

Biography[link]

Born in London, and younger brother of William Ward the engraver, James Ward was influenced by many people, but his career is conventionally divided into two periods: until 1803, his single greatest influence was his brother in law George Morland; from that time, it was Rubens. From 1810 or so, Ward started to paint horses within landscapes; slightly later, he turned to very large-scale landscapes, of which Gordale Scar (Tate Gallery, London), completed in 1814 or 1815 and depicting Gordale Scar (Yorkshire) as an example of the sublime, is considered his masterpiece and a masterpiece of English Romantic painting.^[1]

Gordale Scar

Ward devoted much of the period 1815-1821 to the painting of a gigantic work titled Waterloo Allegory (now lost); this neither was much praised nor brought in the revenue Ward had hoped for. The experience may have embittered him, and the deaths of his first wife and a daughter were among other tragedies. Like many artists of the time, Ward sought commissions from wealthy gentry of their favorite horses, their favorite hunting dogs or their children.^[2]

One such family that Ward painted and drew repeatedly, and whom he counted among his friends, were the Levett family of Wynchnor Park, Staffordshire. One of Ward's best-known portraits was his "Theophilus Levett Hunting at Wychnor, Staffordshire" of 1817.^[3] Another was Ward's 1811 painting entitled "The Reverend Thomas Levett and His Favourite Dogs, Cock-Shooting." Ward also painted a group portrait of three Levett children—John, Theophilus and Frances Levett.^[4] (For the Levetts, see link to the Ward exhibit at the Yale Center for British Art.)^[5]

In 1830, Ward moved to Cheshunt (Hertfordshire) with his second wife, but he continued to work, particularly on religious themes. A stroke in 1855 ended his work, and he died in poverty.

James Ward was one of the outstanding artists of the day, his singular style and great skill set him above most of his contemporaries, markedly influencing the growth of British art. Regarded as one of the great animal painters of his time, James produced history paintings, portraits, landscapes and genre. He started off as an engraver, trained by William, who later engraved much of his work. The partnership of William and James Ward produced the best that English art had to offer, their great technical skill and artistry having led to images that reflect the grace and charm of the era. He was admitted for membership into the Royal Academy in 1811.^[6]

The Levett Children. John, Theophilus and Frances Levett, Wychnor, Staffordshire, November 1811

One of Ward's best-known paintings, The Deer Stealer, was commissioned in 1823 for the sum of 500 guineas by Ward patron Theophilus Levett. When the work was finished, Levett pronounced himself delighted with the results, and consequently raised the commission to 600 guineas. Subsequently Ward was said to have been offered 1,000 guineas for the painting by 'a nobleman,' which offer he declined. The painting now hangs in the Tate Gallery in London.^[7]

Family[link]

James was the son of James and Rachael Ward. He was first married to Mary Ann Ward (no known relation) in 1794 and after her death to Charlotte Fritche in 1827(supposedly a relative of his first wife). James and Mary Ann Ward had several children including:

1. Matilda Louisa Ward, who married the artist John Jackson.
2. George Raphael Ward, b. 1798, d. 1879 ^[8]

James Ward was the paternal grandfather of the painter Henrietta Ward and the great-grandfather of Leslie Ward, the Vanity Fair caricaturist.^[1]

See also[link]

• List of British artists

References[link]

Attribution

 Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ward, James (painter)". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Further reading[link]

• Beckett, Oliver. The Life and Work of James Ward, RA. Book Guild, 1995.
• Farr, Dennis. James Ward 1769–1859. London: Arts Council, 1960.
• Frankau, Julia. Eighteenth century artists and engravers: William Ward A.R.A., James Ward R.A.: Their Lives and Works. London: Macmillan, 1904.
• Fussell, G. E. James Ward R.A., Animal Painter 1769–1859 and His England. London: Michael Joseph, 1974. ISBN 0-7181-1242-3
• Grundy, Reginald. James Ward, R.A.: His Life and Works with a Catalogue of his Engravings and Pictures. London, 1909. (An extra number of The Connoisseur.)
• Nygren, Edward J. James Ward's "Gordale Scar": An Essay in the Sublime. London: Tate, 1982. ISBN 0-905005-93-7
• Murray, P. & L. (1996). Dictionary of art and artists London: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-051300-0. p. 557.
• Opening address, The Art of James Ward, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Conn., May 20, 2004, curator Angus Trumble

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: James Ward

• ward "James Ward". Sothebys. http://www.sothebys.com/en/search.html#keywords=james ward. Retrieved February 13, 2012. 
• James Ward at the Yale Center for British Art
• Group Portrait of John, Theophilus and Frances Levett

James Ward may refer to:

Sports[link]

• James Ward (footballer) (born 1865), part-time footballer
• James Ward (tennis) (born 1987), British tennis player
• Jamie Ward (born 1986), English footballer
• Jim Ward (American football) (1948–2001), American football coach
• Jim Ward (baseball) (1855–1886), Major League Baseball player, 1876
• Jimmy Ward (1906–1990), Canadian ice-hockey player

Military and politics[link]

• James Allen Ward (1919–1941), New Zealand pilot and Victoria Cross recipient
• James H. Ward (1806–1861), American Civil War commander
• James Hugh Ward (1853–1916), U.S. Representative from Illinois
• James Kewley Ward (1819–1910), Canadian lumber merchant and politician
• James R. Ward (1921–1941), U.S. Navy sailor who was awarded the Medal of Honor
• James Ward (Medal of Honor) (1833–?), American Civil War sailor and Medal of Honor recipient
• James Ward (Medal of Honor, 1890), American Indian Wars soldier and Medal of Honor recipient
• Jim Ward (Kansas politician), Democratic member of the Kansas House of Representatives

Other[link]

• James Clifton Ward (1843–1880), English geologist
• James Harvey Ward (born 1978), American actor
• James J. Ward (born 1889), American aviator
• James P. Ward (born 1962), Author of the book, Wealth Virtues
• James Thomas Ward, President of the Westminster Theological Seminary, 1886–1897
• James Ward (artist) (1769–1859), artist
• James Ward (psychologist) (1843–1925), psychologist and philosopher
• Jim Ward (body piercer) (born 1941), pioneer in the field of body piercing when he opened The Gauntlet in 1975
• Jim Ward (game designer) (born 1951), game designer and creator of the Gamma World roleplaying game
• Jim Ward (musician) (born 1976), rock musician who has performed with the bands At the Drive-In, Sparta, and Sleepercar
• Jim Ward (voice actor) (born 1959), voice actor who co-hosts The Stephanie Miller Show, and voices Captain Qwark in the Ratchet and Clank series

This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Jim James
Background information
Birth name	James Olliges, Jr.
Also known as	Yim Yames
Born	(1978-04-27) April 27, 1978 (age 34)
Origin	Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Genres	Psychedelic rock, Indie rock, Jam rock
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, Omnichord
Years active	1992–present
Associated acts	My Morning Jacket, M. Ward, Bright Eyes, VHS or Beta, The Decemberists, Mont de Sundua, Hotel Roy, Monsters of Folk
Notable instruments
Gibson Flying V, Gibson ES-335.

James performing in 2007.

James singing in 2008.

James Edward Olliges Jr. (born April 27, 1978), professionally known as Jim James or Yim Yames,^[1] is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of Louisville, Kentucky-based rock band My Morning Jacket.

Biography[link]

James grew up in the Highlands Douglass neighborhood of Louisville, attended St. Martha grade school and graduated from St. Xavier High School in 1996.^[2] James briefly attended the University of Kentucky, studying art.^[3] Prior to forming My Morning Jacket, James was the vocalist and guitarist of Month of Sundays, currently known as Mont de Sundua. As the vocalist, frontman, producer and lead songwriter for My Morning Jacket, James has been instrumental in defining the sound of the band, in particular on their critically acclaimed Z, which he co-produced with John Leckie.^[4] He was given an "Esky" for best songwriter in Esquire's 2006 Esky Music Awards in the April issue. James typically plays rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, and occasional lead guitar on My Morning Jacket songs. He recently played the role of the band leader in the Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There, singing the song "Going to Acapulco", with Calexico as his backing band, which was featured on the soundtrack of the film. Rolling Stone listed James among their "20 New Guitar Gods" along with fellow My Morning Jacket guitarist Carl Broemel. In 2008, James, along with former My Morning Jacket guitarist and cousin Johnny Quaid, formed Removador Recordings and Solutions record label. The label, as described on its website, functions "on the simple principal of yielding the highest annual percentage of aural joy back into the hearts and minds of investors and shareholders with ease and convenience".^[5] He contributed vocals on The Decemberists' 2009 album The Hazards of Love.

On July 7, 2009, James released an EP covering George Harrison songs, entitled Tribute To. A portion of the proceeds from the album will go to benefit the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. The EP is available on yimyames.com as both a digital download and a physical CD/LP.^[6]

Jim James and the rest of My Morning Jacket played themselves in an episode of American Dad! entitled "My Morning Straitjacket".

In 2012, Rounder Records released the Woody Guthrie tribute album New Multitudes which features work by James (as Yim Yames), Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, and Anders Parker.

Equipment[link]

Guitars[link]

• Gibson Custom ES-335 (Dot Figured-top Electric Guitar with Gloss Finish Honey Burst) ^[7]
• Gibson Flying V Custom Shop (brownish colored and chrome pickguard)
• 1976 Gretsch Broadkaster (Plain wood finish. Used as secondary performance guitar 1999 - 2003 tours. Also used in recording of Tennessee Fire, At Dawn, and all EPs recorded prior to 2004)
• Gretsch Super Axe (red)
• Fender Stratocaster(sunburst, black pickguard, maple neck)
• Autoharp
• Gold Tone Banjo
• Ovation Preacher 12-string Electric
• Gibson J-185 Acoustic/Electric
• Takamine acoustic G335
• Gretsch Broadkaster

Electronics[link]

Omnichord

Amplifiers and cabinets[link]

• Mesa Boogie Tremoverb
• Carr Rambler
• Mesa Boogie 2x12" cabinets

Pickups, effects and other equipment[link]

• SIB Mr. Echo Pedal
• Boss RV-5 Digital Reverb Pedal
• Boss BD-2 Blues Driver Pedal
• Boss OC-3 Super Octave Pedal
• Boss TU-2 Chromatic Stompbox Tuner
• Hot Hand Phaser/Flanger
• Zvex Wooly Mammoth Fuzz pedal
• Zvex Vexter Box of Rock pedal
• Jim Dunlop Green Tortex Picks

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jim James

• Official site
• My Space

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2009)

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Conor Oberst
Conor Oberst in August 2009
Background information
Birth name	Conor Mullen Oberst
Born	(1980-02-15) February 15, 1980 (age 32) Omaha, Nebraska, United States
Genres	Indie rock, indie folk, indie pop, alt. country
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, multi-instrumentalist
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Saddle Creek Records, Merge Records, Wichita Recordings, Team Love Records
Associated acts	Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Desaparecidos, Commander Venus, Park Ave., The Faint, The Magnetas, Monsters of Folk
Website	Conor Oberst Bright Eyes Monsters of Folk

Conor Mullen Oberst (born February 15, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter best known for his work in Bright Eyes. He has also played in several other bands, including Desaparecidos, Norman Bailer (The Faint), Commander Venus, Park Ave., Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, and Monsters of Folk.

Musical career[link]

Oberst began his musical career at age 13 while at St. Pius X/St. Leo School in Omaha, Nebraska. He was in the school choir and other musical groups at the school. One night in 1992, Ted Stevens (of Mayday and Cursive) invited Oberst onstage to play. Bill Hoover, who was in attendance, invited Oberst to come back to play with him a couple of weeks later. In that short amount of time, Oberst wrote enough songs to fill out the set, establishing himself as an artist.^[1] Shortly thereafter, Oberst began committing his new repertoire to tape in his parents' basement with his father's four track cassette recorder and an acoustic guitar.

In mid-1993, Oberst self-released his debut album Water on cassette tape.^[2] The release of the album was financed by his brother Justin on what they called Lumberjack Records, the indie label that would become Saddle Creek Records, making them founders and present day executives of the label.

Shortly after his two solo recordings, Oberst began playing with four friends; they formed Commander Venus in mid-1995.

Here's to Special Treatment was followed by 1996's The Soundtrack to My Movie, a cassette only released on Sing Eunuchs!. Kill the Monster Before It Eats Baby, a split 7" vinyl with Bill Hoover, was also released around this time.

The Faint[link]

In 1994, following a Slowdown Virginia show, Oberst, along with friends Joel Petersen, Todd Fink (formerly Todd Baechle) and Clark Baechle, formed a band called Norman Bailer, later known as The Faint. A few days later, Oberst told the other members of the band that they had a show in two weeks at Kilgore's. Despite having never performed together, they produced nine songs to perform. An album, Sine Sierra was released on cassette only in 1995.

Commander Venus[link]

Oberst formed the rock band Commander Venus in 1994 with Tim Kasher, Todd Baechle, Ben Armstrong, and Robb Nansel. They recorded two albums: Do You Feel at Home? (1995) and The Uneventful Vacation (1997). Kasher later went on to form Cursive, Baechle became the vocalist for The Faint and Nansel was the co-founder of Saddle Creek Records. Kasher left the group to focus on Cursive as they were about to go in to the studio to record their second album, and was replaced by Todd Baechle. Commander Venus disbanded in 1998.

The Magnetas[link]

The Magnetas were only active for a very brief period of time in 1996 in Omaha, Nebraska. Along with Oberst, band members included Todd Fink (The Faint) and Chris Hughes (Beep Beep). They recorded three songs, only one of which ("Anex Anex") was released on Ghostmeat Records' Parts compilation album. Two other confirmed recordings exist: "Clatter" and "Science Fiction in Schools."

Park Ave.[link]

In January 1996, Oberst began playing drums in a group named Park Ave., alongside Baechle, Jenn Bernard, Neely Jenkins (now in the band Tilly and the Wall), and Jamie Williams (also in Tilly and the Wall). The group only played between 10 and 15 shows and made a handful of recordings (several of them with Mike Mogis as producer). The group disbanded in 1998 when Williams, the singer and primary songwriter, moved to London, England. In 1999, Urinine Records released their only album, When Jamie Went to London...We Broke Up, which has also now been re-released under Team Love.

Bright Eyes[link]

Bright Eyes at Kulturmejeriet in Lund, Sweden. July 16, 2005

Oberst originally founded Bright Eyes as a solo project in 1995, and after the disbanding of Commander Venus, released A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997 in January 1998.^[3] This was followed quickly by Letting Off the Happiness, released in November of the same year. It featured members of numerous bands and was recorded in the Oberst family basement. One year later, Bright Eyes released its first EP, Every Day and Every Night. Bright Eyes' third album, Fevers and Mirrors was released in May 2000; it was ranked 170 on Pitchfork Media's list of the top 200 albums of the 2000s.^[4]

With the release of 2002's Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground, Bright Eyes received national attention and Oberst was proclaimed a breakthrough artist by several notable magazines. On January 25, 2005 Bright Eyes simultaneously released two new albums: the folk I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and more electronic-pop Digital Ash in a Digital Urn. Time listed I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning as one of the top ten albums of 2005.^[5]

The Four Winds EP was released in March 2007, followed by their seventh album, Cassadaga in April. The song Four Winds was named a top 100 song of 2007 by Rolling Stone. Oberst spent the next two years focusing on other music projects, and in June 2009 told Rolling Stone he wanted to make one final album with Bright Eyes before retiring the group. The band subsequently released The People's Key on Conor's 31st birthday, February 15, 2011.

Desaparecidos[link]

Oberst was a guitarist and singer for Desaparecidos. The music and lyrics of Desaparecidos differ greatly from Bright Eyes, having more in common with punk rock than Oberst's usual folk rock. The lyrics are generally social commentary on the state of affairs in America and the pitfalls of the suburban lifestyle, as opposed to the more introspective lyrics of Bright Eyes. Desaparecidos was active as a band between 2001–2002 but have regrouped to play shows in the Omaha area. They have two releases: a single for "The Happiest Place on Earth" and the full-length "Read Music/Speak Spanish".

Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band[link]

In November 2007, it was reported that Oberst would work on a solo record with Jake Bellows, and that he and M. Ward would start a band^[6] and perform two late December shows in Minneapolis, Minnesota.^[7] Contrary to what was believed, the shows were not played with M. Ward, but rather with Nik Freitas and Jason Boesel.^[8] They also played a show in February in Mexico City, Mexico.

On March 31, 2008, it was announced that Conor Oberst would play at the 2008 Reading and Leeds Festivals. In addition, he also performed at the Electric Picnic, in County Laois, Ireland on August 31, 2008, the Cains Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Austin City Limits in late September 2008, shows across Australia in early October 2008, and the Warfield Theater in San Francisco October 24. Conor also headlined the Friday night slot of The End of the Road Festival at the Larmer Tree Gardens in Wiltshire, held over the weekend of 12–14 September 2008.

Conor Oberst released the self-titled album Conor Oberst, which was recorded in Tepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico with Taylor Hollingsworth on guitar and Macey Taylor on bass, on August 5, '08 on Merge Records.

In about mid October, the band sold a new EP, Gentleman's Pact. It was limited to 1000 copies and was only available on tour. The band placed limitations on how many were sold at shows. It has four unreleased tracks. Three of them are pre-album songs while "Corina, Corina" is a cover of a traditional folk song.

Conor and the band released their second album, Outer South, on May 5, 2009 on Merge Records. They have also released a documentary, One of My Kind.

Monsters of Folk[link]

Conor Oberst is one of the four members of the band Monsters of Folk. Other band members include Jim James of My Morning Jacket, M. Ward and fellow Bright Eyes member Mike Mogis. The band members swap instruments and share vocal duties. The quartet released their self-titled debut album on September 22, 2009.^{[dated info][9]}

Songwriting[link]

He was named the best songwriter of 2008 by Rolling Stone magazine.^[10]

Saddle Creek and Team Love[link]

Oberst is one of the founding members of the independent record label Saddle Creek Records, which hosts and has hosted bands including Cursive, Desaparecidos, The Faint (who left to start their own label Blank.wav), Rilo Kiley (who left to start their own label Brute/Beaute Records), Bright Eyes, Two Gallants, Son, Ambulance, Azure Ray, The Good Life, Sorry About Dresden, among others.

Oberst co-founded the Team Love record label (along with Nate Krenkel long time manager of Bright Eyes) to "do different things, or smaller things, that we couldn't get everyone to be into at the same time" at Saddle Creek.^[11] such as Tilly and the Wall, Willy Mason, The Felice Brothers, David Dondero, Taylor Hollingsworth and Jenny Lewis' solo album with The Watson Twins.

Influences[link]

Oberst was drawn to music at a very early age, due in part to his older brother Matt's penchant for bands like The Smiths, R.E.M., Fugazi, and The Cure. He has cited The Cure's first singles collection, Staring at the Sea, as the first record he ever bought, as well as being one of his favorites. "It must have been third grade...I bought the cassette at a local record store chain called Homer's in Omaha. I just loved the sound of Robert Smith's voice. It just sounded good."^[12]

Some of his biggest influences and favorite songwriters are local musicians David Dondero and Simon Joyner.^[13] Joyner wrote the song "Burn Rubber", which Bright Eyes covered on the "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)" single. The two used to do mini-tours together, usually on weekends due to Joyner having a family.

Oberst has also been heavily influenced by the 1960s folk revival, mentioning Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, and country singers Emmylou Harris, John Prine and Townes Van Zandt.^[14] He covered Neil Young's "Out on the Weekend", collaborating with Mike Mogis, Jim James and M. Ward in concert. He performed the Townes Van Zandt song "Rex's Blues" live with fellow musician Steve Earle. He has also performed two of John Prine's songs live, "Crazy as a Loon" and "Wedding Day in Funerville". Harris sang on a few tracks on Bright Eyes' I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning.

Oberst was also greatly influenced by Daniel Johnston. A cover of "Devil Town" is featured on Noise Floor (Rarities: 1998-2005).

Oberst was also profoundly influenced by the work of Elliott Smith, saying in an October 22, 2003 All Things Considered interview that "sometimes when you're not feeling good, you have to listen to really sad music like Elliott Smith's" and that [Smith] "wrote the sweetest, saddest, most gentle songs". Oberst also said he liked to "listen to Elliott Smith's songs when he [couldn't] find anyone to talk to on the phone" and thought that it was sad that, "through his music, [Smith] had the ability to answer feelings in others that he was unable to answer in himself".^[15] A live cover of Smith's "The Biggest Lie" is featured on Motion Sickness.

Personal beliefs[link]

Oberst has publicly supported PETA.^[16] On January 1 and February 7, 2008, Oberst performed at a rally in Omaha, Nebraska for 2008 presidential candidate Barack Obama.^[17][18] While he was raised Catholic, Conor Oberst holds no specific religion, claiming he has not found one that "hit the mark" for him yet. He expresses disappointment in the narrow-mindedness of major religions, and is fascinated and frustrated by "eternal" concepts.^[19]

Discography[link]

As Conor Oberst[link]

Title	Year	Label	Format(s)	Notes
Water	1993	Lumberjack	cassette
Here's to Special Treatment	1994	Sing, Eunuchs!	cassette
The Soundtrack to My Movie	1996	Sing, Eunuchs!	cassette
Kill the Monster Before It Eats Baby	1996	Sing, Eunuchs!	7"	Split EP with Bill Hoover
Conor Oberst	2008	Merge Records	cd, vinyl
Gentleman's Pact	2008	no label	cd, vinyl
Outer South	2009	Merge Records	cd, vinyl

In bands[link]

Monsters of Folk The Sun Society

Guest work[link]

• Arab Strap – Monday at the Hug & Pint (2003)
• Criteria – En Garde (2003)
• Cursive – The Ugly Organ (2003)
• Street To Nowhere – Tipsy (2006)
• Tilly and The Wall – You and I Misbehaving
• Mayday – Old Blood (2002)
• Son, Ambulance – Key (2004)
• Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins – "Handle With Care" (2005)
• Dntel – "Breakfast in Bed"
• Melon Galia – "N'en Parlons Plus"
• The Faint – "Dust"
• Maria Taylor – 11:11 (2005) and Lynn Teeter Flower (2007)
• "Lua" (2009) Dark Was the Night, Red Hot Organization
• The Album Leaf-"Hungry for a Holiday"

References[link]

External links[link]

This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (January 2011)

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Conor Oberst

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Conor Oberst

• Team Love Records
• Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band
• – Brand new Conor Oberst fan site/community
• Saddle Creek Records
• Live review on Drowned in Sound
• Review Solo Projects

Interviews[link]

• New York Magazine: Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst Finds Inspiration in New York (01.07.05)
• NPR: A Chat with Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes (01.14.05)
• Huffington Post: Conor Oberst on Politics, The Presidency, and Purple States (06.26.08)

Mike Mogis
Background information
Birth name	Michael Riley Mogis
Born	May 16, 1974 North Platte, Nebraska
Genres	Indie rock Folk Alt-country Emo
Occupations	Guitarist Producer
Instruments	Guitar Mandolin Dobro Lap Steel Pedal Steel Banjo 12-string Guitar
Years active	1996–present
Labels	Saddle Creek Records
Associated acts	Bright Eyes Monsters of Folk Lullaby for the Working Class

Mike Mogis is a Nebraskan producer/engineer and multi-instrumentalist who, along with his brother A.J. Mogis, founded Presto! Recording Studios (previously known as Dead Space Recording and, earlier, Whoopass Recording).

Mike has engineered, produced, and performed in many of the releases on the Saddle Creek label, including records by Bright Eyes, The Faint, Rilo Kiley, Cursive, The Good Life, Lullaby for the Working Class, Jenny Lewis, Tilly and the Wall and Elizabeth & The Catapult. He is also producing an album for Rachael Yamagata.

He has become a permanent member of Bright Eyes and was also a member of both Lullaby for the Working Class and We'd Rather Be Flying, generally playing guitar, although he also plays mandolin, banjo, pedal steel, glockenspiel, and hammered dulcimer among other instruments. He recently worked with Lightspeed Champion, aka Devonte Hynes, former member of Test Icicles, on his debut album Falling Off the Lavender Bridge. He is currently a member of the supergroup Monsters of Folk.

He has two young daughters, Stella and Riley.^[1] Stella appears on the Bright Eyes album Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, with his wife Jessica.

Album appearances[link]

see also albums by Bright Eyes.

1997[link]

• Cursive - Such Blinding Stars for Starving Eyes (1997) - Crank! Records

1998[link]

• Bright Eyes - Letting off the Happiness (1998) - Saddle Creek Records

1999[link]

• Bright Eyes - Every Day and Every Night (1999) - Saddle Creek Records
• Amoree Lovell - The Burning Bush (1999) - Amoree Lovell

2000[link]

• The Gloria Record - A Lull In Traffic (2000) - Crank! Records
• Bright Eyes - Fevers and Mirrors (2000) - Saddle Creek Records
• Cursive - Domestica (2000) - Saddle Creek Records
• Melon Galia - Les embarras du quotidien (2000) - Les disques mange-tout
• Songs: Ohia - Ghost Tropic (2000) - Secretly Canadian

2001[link]

• Cursive - Burst and Bloom (2001) - Saddle Creek Records

2002[link]

• The Gloria Record - Start Here (2002) - Arena Rock Recording Co.
• Bright Eyes - There Is No Beginning to the Story (2002) - Saddle Creek Records
• Bright Eyes - Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground (2002) - Saddle Creek Records
• Cursive - 8 Teeth to Eat You (2002) - Better Looking Records

2003[link]

• Azure Ray - Hold On Love (2003) - Saddle Creek Records
• Cursive - The Ugly Organ (2003) - Saddle Creek Records

2004[link]

• Azure Ray - New Resolution (2004) - Saddle Creek Records
• Bright Eyes - Lua (Single) (2004) - Saddle Creek Records
• Bright Eyes - Take It Easy (Love Nothing)) (2004) - Saddle Creek Records
• Bright Eyes/Neva Dinova - One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels (2004) - Crank! Records
• Broken Spindles - fulfilled/complete (2004) - Saddle Creek Records
• Cursive - The Recluse (2004) - Saddle Creek Records
• The Elected - Me First (2004) - Sub Pop
• The Faint - Wet from Birth (2004) - Saddle Creek Records
• The Faint - I Disappear (2004) - Saddle Creek Records
• The Good Life - Album of the Year (2004) - Saddle Creek Records
• Johnathan Rice - Extended Player 24:26 (2004) - Reprise/WEA
• Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous (2004) - Brute/Beaute Records
• The Saddest Landscape - Lift Your Burdens High for This is Where We Cross (2004)
• Son, Ambulance - Key (2004) - Saddle Creek Records
• Statistics - Leave Your Name (2004) - Jade Tree Records

2005[link]

• Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (2005) · Saddle Creek Records
• Bright Eyes - Digital Ash in a Digital Urn (2005) - Saddle Creek Records
• Bright Eyes - Motion Sickness (2005) - Team Love Records
• Johnathan Rice - Trouble Is Real (2005) - Reprise/WEA
• Johnathan Rice - Kiss Me Goodbye (2005)
• Son, Ambulance - Key (2005) - Saddle Creek Records
• Maria Taylor - 11:11 (2005) - Saddle Creek Records

2006[link]

• The Concretes - The Concretes in Colour (2006) - Astralwerks
• Cursive - Happy Hollow (2006) - Saddle Creek Records
• Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat (2006) - Team Love Records
• Men, Women & Children - Men, Women & Children (2006) - Reprise/WEA
• M. Ward - Post-War (2006) - Merge Records

2007[link]

• Bright Eyes - Four Winds (2007) - Saddle Creek
• Bright Eyes - Cassadaga (2007) - Saddle Creek

2008[link]

• Lightspeed Champion - Falling Off the Lavender Bridge (2008) - Domino Records
• She and Him - Volume One (2008) - Merge Records
• Tilly and the Wall - o (2008) - Team Love Records
• Rachael Yamagata - Elephants...Teeth Sinking into Heart (2008) - Warner Bros. Records

2009[link]

• Alessi's Ark - Notes from the Treehouse (2009) - EMI Records
• M. Ward - Hold Time (2009) - Merge Records
• Pete Yorn - Back and Fourth (2009) - Columbia Records
• Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk (2009) - Shangri-La Music
• Sea Wolf - White Water, White Bloom (2009) - Dangerbird Records
• Julian Casablancas - Phrazes for the Young (2009) - Cult Records via RCA

2010[link]

• She and Him - Volume Two (2010) - Merge Records

2011[link]

• Bright Eyes - The People's Key (2011) - Saddle Creek
• Man Man - Life Fantastic (2011)

2012[link]

• First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar (2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Saddle Creek Records