The Legend that is BEN KWELLER and CONOR OBERST

Stelios Phili EDITOR
Photos by Amanda Elmendorf.

Let us take a moment and marvel at the redheaded glory that is Ben Kweller. With fire red locks, he had the energy of a cougar and the prescence of a lion. Any man that forces me to draw animal comparisons to describe is undoubtedly awesome. As a newcomer to Ben's brand of alt-folk/country pop I was pleasantly surprised by his performance at Terminal 5. There's something very charming about Ben's awkard rock star appeal - he acts out his lyrics with his hands and he sometimes breaks into an Angus Young strut while rocking out.

The pairing of Conor Oberst (the brooding artist of Bright Eyes fame) and Ben Kweller was no mistake. Each performer has adopted a pseudo alt-country sound. Ben's entire set was performed with the aid of a slide guitar, giving each song a distinct southern twang. The classics, such as "On My Way" and "Family Tree," were countrified. And it worked. It made me dance and croon in a made-up language (my attempt to sing lyrics that I didn't know). Ben's song-writing is spectacular, you can check out a sample from his new EP below.

Conor Oberst was insane. Gone are the days of the meek, tormented poet who hid behind the moniker of Bright Eyes. Conor is now a fidgety, spraying-spit-everywhere-when-he-sings type of guy. He looks like he's going to explode. What I found most strange about Conor and his Mystic Valley Band was that a majority crowd was comprised of beer-swigging bros., raising their cups in the air at who used to be the poster-child for emotional, indie folk music. The Conor I'm familiar with came through on "Cape Canaveral," and that's when I enjoyed the band most. I am just a wussy Bright Eyes fan at heart.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Allo! You're pop-ing nicely. Need to