Desaparecidos (band)
Encyclopedia
Desaparecidos was a short-lived American emo
/post-hardcore
band. It was a side project headed by singer/guitarist Conor Oberst
, the frontman of the indie folk
band Bright Eyes.
The band's sound was labeled "full-on emo-in-the-garage
" by Alternative Press, "the sort of howlingly tuneful Midwestern punk that disappeared with Hüsker Dü
" by Entertainment Weekly
, "anthemic thrash" by Rolling Stone
, and as such is noted for its sonic differences from Oberst's primary band. They have also been hailed as the "Saddle Creek
supergroup
". Hailing from Omaha
, Nebraska
, Desaparecidos' lyrics are mostly about the sociopolitical state of affairs in America.
The band has been both lauded and criticized for its intentionally raw sound following the release of Read Music/Speak Spanish. In sharp contrast to Bright Eyes' confessional, even sometimes mournful vocals, Conor Oberst
's vocals in Desaparecidos' songs were much more characteristic of post-hardcore
: angular, energetic and engaging.
"Desaparecidos" means literally "the ones who disappeared" in Spanish
and Portuguese
, and is a reference to people who were arrested by various South America
n military governments and then vanished without a trace. From 1976 to 1983 in Argentina
, for example, 30,000 people vanished without a trace as part of the Dirty War
driven by the military junta that was in power.
Desaparecidos broke up in 2002 while the band was attracting an increasingly large following, especially touring with Jimmy Eat World
and The Promise Ring
and being the feature of an MTV
You Hear it First episode. However, Oberst did not have the time to dedicate to the band with the continually increasing success of Bright Eyes. Oberst continued to record with Bright Eyes, while the other members of Desaparecidos went on to form other projects. Matt Baum was in The '89 Cubs
, but currently drums for Race for Titles and the Coffin Killers; Ian McElroy
is Rig 1; Denver Dalley
is in Statistics and Intramural; Landon Hedges
is currently in Little Brazil
; and Casey Scott is Goldensection.
Desaparecidos reunited for a single show at the Concert for Equality in Omaha's Benson neighborhood on July 31, 2010.
Both EPs contain the same tracks in a different order.
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
/post-hardcore
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
band. It was a side project headed by singer/guitarist Conor Oberst
Conor Oberst
Conor Mullen Oberst 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 , Commander Venus, Park Ave., Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, and Monsters of Folk.-Musical career:Oberst began...
, the frontman of the indie folk
Indie folk
Indie folk is a music genre that arose in the 1990s from singer/songwriters in the indie rock community showing heavy influences from folk music scenes of the 50s, 60s and early 70s, country music, and indie rock. A few early artists included Lou Barlow, Beck, Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith...
band Bright Eyes.
The band's sound was labeled "full-on emo-in-the-garage
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
" by Alternative Press, "the sort of howlingly tuneful Midwestern punk that disappeared with Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü was an American rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer Grant Hart....
" by Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, "anthemic thrash" by Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, and as such is noted for its sonic differences from Oberst's primary band. They have also been hailed as the "Saddle Creek
Saddle Creek Records
Saddle Creek Records is an American record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started as a college class project on entrepreneurship, the label was founded by Conor Oberst and Justin Oberst in 1993 . Conor soon turned over his role in the company to Robb Nansel...
supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
". Hailing from Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, Desaparecidos' lyrics are mostly about the sociopolitical state of affairs in America.
The band has been both lauded and criticized for its intentionally raw sound following the release of Read Music/Speak Spanish. In sharp contrast to Bright Eyes' confessional, even sometimes mournful vocals, Conor Oberst
Conor Oberst
Conor Mullen Oberst 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 , Commander Venus, Park Ave., Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, and Monsters of Folk.-Musical career:Oberst began...
's vocals in Desaparecidos' songs were much more characteristic of post-hardcore
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
: angular, energetic and engaging.
"Desaparecidos" means literally "the ones who disappeared" in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, and is a reference to people who were arrested by various South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n military governments and then vanished without a trace. From 1976 to 1983 in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, for example, 30,000 people vanished without a trace as part of the Dirty War
Dirty War
The Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
driven by the military junta that was in power.
Desaparecidos broke up in 2002 while the band was attracting an increasingly large following, especially touring with Jimmy Eat World
Jimmy Eat World
Jimmy Eat World is an American alternative rock band from Mesa, Arizona, that formed in 1993. The band is composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Jim Adkins, guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch and drummer Zach Lind....
and The Promise Ring
The Promise Ring
The Promise Ring is an American emo band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In their early years, their music was usually classified as emo, but their later albums could be described more accurately as indie pop. They split up in 2002 and temporarily reunited in 2005...
and being the feature of an MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
You Hear it First episode. However, Oberst did not have the time to dedicate to the band with the continually increasing success of Bright Eyes. Oberst continued to record with Bright Eyes, while the other members of Desaparecidos went on to form other projects. Matt Baum was in The '89 Cubs
The '89 Cubs
The '89 Cubs are a power trio hailing from Omaha, Nebraska. The band features members from Bright Eyes, Desaparecidos, and The Good Life, all bands that are signed to Saddle Creek Records...
, but currently drums for Race for Titles and the Coffin Killers; Ian McElroy
Ian McElroy
Ian McElroy is a musician from Omaha, Nebraska, who played keyboards for Desaparecidos from 2001 to 2003 and was one of the founding members of the group. He played keyboards for Bright Eyes at one time and contributed to Criteria's album En Garde. Bright Eyes, Sorry About Dresden, Cursive, and...
is Rig 1; Denver Dalley
Denver Dalley
Denver Dalley is an accomplished singer-songwriter who got his start in Omaha, Nebraska.Dalley collaborated with Conor Oberst of the band Bright Eyes in the politically-charged indie rock band Desaparecidos. Dalley was the main songwriter while Oberst provided lyrics. The band released one album on...
is in Statistics and Intramural; Landon Hedges
Landon Hedges
Landon Hedges is a musician from Omaha, Nebraska. He played bass guitar and sang in the band Desaparecidos. He was also in The Good Life. He currently plays guitar and sings in a band called Little Brazil on Mt. Fuji Records.-Album Appearances:...
is currently in Little Brazil
Little Brazil
Little Brazil is a four-piece rock band that formed in 2002 in Omaha, Nebraska. It was first created by Landon Hedges, formerly of The Good Life and Desaparecidos. Originally he intended to use the name Little Brazil for his solo work, he recruited his friends Dan Maxwell on bass and Corey Broman...
; and Casey Scott is Goldensection.
Desaparecidos reunited for a single show at the Concert for Equality in Omaha's Benson neighborhood on July 31, 2010.
Band members
- Conor Mullen Oberst - vocals, guitar
- Landon HedgesLandon HedgesLandon Hedges is a musician from Omaha, Nebraska. He played bass guitar and sang in the band Desaparecidos. He was also in The Good Life. He currently plays guitar and sings in a band called Little Brazil on Mt. Fuji Records.-Album Appearances:...
- bass guitar, vocals (later replaced by Casey Scott) - Matt Baum - drums
- Denver DalleyDenver DalleyDenver Dalley is an accomplished singer-songwriter who got his start in Omaha, Nebraska.Dalley collaborated with Conor Oberst of the band Bright Eyes in the politically-charged indie rock band Desaparecidos. Dalley was the main songwriter while Oberst provided lyrics. The band released one album on...
- guitar - Ian McElroyIan McElroyIan McElroy is a musician from Omaha, Nebraska, who played keyboards for Desaparecidos from 2001 to 2003 and was one of the founding members of the group. He played keyboards for Bright Eyes at one time and contributed to Criteria's album En Garde. Bright Eyes, Sorry About Dresden, Cursive, and...
- keyboards
Singles and EPs
- The Happiest Place on EarthThe Happiest Place on Earth (single)The Happiest Place on Earth is a single from the Desaparecidos album, Read Music/Speak Spanish. It was released December 11, 2001 on Saddle Creek Records.-External links:**...
(2001 · Saddle Creek RecordsSaddle Creek RecordsSaddle Creek Records is an American record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started as a college class project on entrepreneurship, the label was founded by Conor Oberst and Justin Oberst in 1993 . Conor soon turned over his role in the company to Robb Nansel...
) - What's New For Fall (2001 · Wichita RecordingsWichita RecordingsWichita Recordings is an independent record label located in London, founded in 2000 by Mark Bowen and Dick Green. Its most notable signees are Bloc Party, The Cribs, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Her Space Holiday, Los Campesinos! and Peter Bjorn and John...
)
Both EPs contain the same tracks in a different order.
Compilations
- NE vs. NC (2002 · Redemption Recording Co.)
-
- song: "What's New for Fall"
- Saddle Creek 50Saddle Creek 50Saddle Creek 50 is a compilation by Saddle Creek Records in honor of being the label's 50th album release. It was released in 2003 and features one album track and one non-album track by each of the bands then recording for the label.-Disc 1:...
(2002 · Saddle Creek RecordsSaddle Creek RecordsSaddle Creek Records is an American record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started as a college class project on entrepreneurship, the label was founded by Conor Oberst and Justin Oberst in 1993 . Conor soon turned over his role in the company to Robb Nansel...
)
- Saddle Creek 50
- songs: "Man and Wife, the Latter (Damaged Goods)," "Popn' Off at the F"
- Punk Rock Strike Volume Three: Third Strike (2002 · Springman RecordsSpringman RecordsSpringman Records is an independent record label founded in 1998 by Avi Ehrlich that was run out of his parent's garage in Cupertino, California until late 2005, when Ehrlich moved the label to Sacramento...
)
- Punk Rock Strike Volume Three: Third Strike (2002 · Springman Records
- song: "The Happiest Place On Earth"
- Liberation: Songs to Benefit PETALiberation: Songs to Benefit PETALiberation: Songs to Benefit PETA is a compilation album released on the Fat Wreck Chords record label in 2003. As the title implies, it is a benefit album for the animal rights organization, PETA.-Track listing:# "Remedy" - Hot Water Music – 2:38...
(2003 · Fat Wreck ChordsFat Wreck ChordsFat Wreck Chords is a San Francisco, California based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by Fat Mike and his ex-wife, Erin, in 1990....
)
- Liberation: Songs to Benefit PETA
- song: "Man and Wife, the Latter (Damaged Goods)"
- song: "What's New for Fall"
See also
- The '89 CubsThe '89 CubsThe '89 Cubs are a power trio hailing from Omaha, Nebraska. The band features members from Bright Eyes, Desaparecidos, and The Good Life, all bands that are signed to Saddle Creek Records...
- Bright Eyes (band)
- Little BrazilLittle BrazilLittle Brazil is a four-piece rock band that formed in 2002 in Omaha, Nebraska. It was first created by Landon Hedges, formerly of The Good Life and Desaparecidos. Originally he intended to use the name Little Brazil for his solo work, he recruited his friends Dan Maxwell on bass and Corey Broman...
- Statistics