Oberst's solo effort leads to a rock band

In 2008, Conor Oberst went to Mexico to write a solo album in an attempt to step away from his Bright Eyes persona and accidentally started a band in the process.

Nik Freitas, a songwriter and musician, became friends with Oberst and was invited to play guitar on the solo album "Conor Oberst."

"He's the coolest boss I've ever had," Freitas said. "It's a democracy in this band. Everyone has a huge amount of respect for each person and values their opinions. Conor is the same way."

Freitas said that the five or six months of touring to promote "Conor Oberst" really solidified that they were a real band and not just playing backup for Oberst.

As a result, the Mystic Valley Band was formed and produced its first collaborative album titled "Outer South."

"This album is very band oriented," Freitas said.

Each band member contributed to the songwriting, adding an element of eclecticism to the album. Freitas penned "Big Black Nothing," "Bloodline" and co-wrote with Oberst on the track "Nikorette."

"We all collaborate and that is what is cool about this band." Freitas said. "It's also kind of rough. You are up against one of the greatest songwriters out there in indie rock," he said, referring to bandmate Oberst.

Aside from playing in the Mystic Valley Band, Frietas also has a blossoming solo career but he said he doesn't mind taking some time off from his solo efforts to play with the Mystic Valley Band.

"This is the best band I have ever been in. It's pretty easy to balance. You are always working on your own stuff," Freitas said.

"Outer South" has received early criticism for being merely a collection of songs and not a solid album.

Historically, Oberst has taken risks with each album he has produced. From the shrill potential of "Fevers and Mirrors," and then growing into the well-written "Lifted" for his second album, Oberst seemed to be pushing the boundaries of indie songwriting.

Continuing with a double release of "I'm Wide Awake It's Morning" and "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn," Oberst again proved his talent for writing, as well as his range for doing so. The different styles of the two albums were only magnified with the simultaneous release date.

The last album Oberst made under the name Bright Eyes was the semipopular "Cassadaga," which, like "I'm Wide Awake It's Morning," experiments with country-folk and can be considered a precursor to his solo endeavors.