Late Sunday night/Monday morning, I posted 3 notable highlights from last weekend’s Concert for Equality rally led by Conor Oberst and featuring a slew of Saddle Creek signed or related bands in Omaha. Included in that post were two performances by the recently reunited Desaparecidos and the new Bright Eyes SB 1070 protest tune, “Coyote Song.” Desaparecidos weren’t the only band reforming for the event, however, as Ted Stevens and the Mogis brothers also played their first Lullaby for the Working Class in about a decade.

Thanks to a few studious attendees, more footage from the event has surfaced, including songs from Lullaby, Bright Eyes performing with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, and the final song of the night: “Building The New Berlin Wall,” written by David Dondero just one week prior and played by a full stage of the day’s various performers.

Check out our follow-up video collection below:

We waited a month (not to mention 8 previous years) for a Desaparecidos reunion and it finally happened this weekend, complete with two excellent videos to prove it. As previously reported, Bright Eyes, Cursive, Lullaby for the Working Class, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, and others joined Conor Oberst’s Desaparecidos in Omaha in support of the ACLU’s fight against a controversial city ordinance recently passed in Fremont, Nebraska, which intends to fight illegal immigration. As Oberst and friends believe the law to be racist and unconstitutional, they gathered for the Concert for Equality on Saturday night, speaking out against injustice between performances of old songs and — as you’ll hear — one brand new Bright Eyes composition.

Thanks to one lucky attendee, we have footage of both the Desaparecidos’ opening song (also the last track off their to-be-reissued sole LP), “Hole In One,” and the first performance of “Greater Omaha” in nearly a decade. What’s more, a quality audio recording (the video for this one includes little coverage of the band) of Bright Eyes playing their new anti-SB 1070 tune, “Coyote Song,” composed specifically for the Sound Strike campaign, has hit the web. Note Oberst’s impassioned rallying call before “Hole In One,” and check out all three pieces of footage below:

In addition to reunion sets from Desaparecidos and Lullaby for the Working Class, as well as previously reported performances by Cursive and Bright Eyes, next week’s Concert for Equality — a benefit concert in support of the ACLU’s fight against a controversial immigration law recently passed in Fremont, Nebraska — will host sets by Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, David Dondero, Simon Joyner, and more.

Per an updated event listing for the sold-out Omaha show, one relatively new band that caught my eye has been added to the roster, as well: So-So Sailors. As their brand new Facebook page indicates, the So-So Sailors are made up of McCarthy Trenching’s Dan McCarthy, Ladyfinger’s Chris Machmuller, Dan Kemp, Brendan Greene, and the Bruces’ Alex McManus. Seeing as how most members have roots within the excellent Saddle Creek/Team Love family, I’m curious to hear what this lineup has in store. (Other than a few shows, they’ve only divulged that “demos are in the works.”) Meanwhile, let’s keep our fingers crossed for more Desa/Lullaby tour dates, not to mention footage from this epic July 31 event. (Photo by Mark Seliger)

**Update: We now have videos from this show here and here.

etween Conor Oberst’s recent mention of upcoming concerts to raise awareness about Arizona’s controversial SB1070 immigration law and his citing Fremont, Nebraska’s “very similar, almost more radical” city ordinance in an open letter for the Sound Strike, we should’ve seen this coming: Old-school Saddle Creek outfits Desaparecidos and Lullaby for the Working Class are reuniting at the Concert For Equality, a concert/rally in Omaha on July 31 to benefit the Nebraska branch of the ACLU’s fight against said Fremont anti-immigration law.

As we have confirmed with Saddle Creek, Bright Eyes and Cursive are also on the bill for the early evening gig, which will be followed by a show at The Waiting Room Lounge later that night. Tickets go on sale this Saturday here.

**Update: We now have audio of Bright Eyes performing this song live here.

As I mentioned in late May, a growing list of top bands and solo artists, which currently includes the likes of Sonic Youth, Kanye West, Massive Attack, Rage Against the Machine, and many more, have organized The Sound Strike, a musical boycott of Arizona over the state’s controversial SB 1070 immigration law. In a video clip uploaded late last week, Sound Strike member Conor Oberst provided more details about the project while on the set of a music video for his new song “Coyote Song,” one of many forthcoming MP3s to be offered in support of the cause from members of the Zack de la Rocha-led effort.

As Oberst revealed, Sound Strike members are also “hoping to do a series of concerts later this year that will be a chance for people to get together and find out about the issues, be educated, and also see some of the best bands play.” It’s unclear if “Coyote Song” — a tune “about two lovers separated by conditions that are out of their control, namely [government immigration policy]” — will be billed as a solo or new Bright Eyes track. Go here for more information about Sound Strike, and watch Oberst’s behind-the-scenes video chat from the El Paso/Mexico border below:

The first time I heard Conor Oberst (or anyone) perform one of John Prine’s songs was during a Bright Eyes show at the Great American Music Hall on the Cassadaga tour. Immediately struck by the lyrics (“You’ll be waitin’ on a phone call at the wrong end of a broom”), I rushed home to look up the tune—now known to be “Crazy As a Loon”—and have been a fan ever since. It came as no surprise, then, to find Oberst and his Mystic Valley Band on the new tribute album, Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine.

This time around, Oberst and co. chose a different live favorite, “Wedding Day In Funeralville,” for their studio-recorded contribution, though a videotaped live session of “Loon” hit the Web last fall. Hear Oberst’s new cover and watch the older AOL session clip below. If you like what you hear, give the entire John Prine tribute record a spin on NPR (via Speakers in Code). Did I mention that Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, Josh Ritter, Lambchop, and the Avett Brothers are also on the record? Good stuff…

Rage Against the Machine’s Zack de la Rocha has been protesting immigration issues in Arizona since long before the state’s government passed its über-controversial SB 1070 immigration law, but now he has a few famous friends along for the ride. Citing the infamous mid-1950s Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott inspired by Rosa Parks during the civil rights movement, the rock singer/activist has recruited 19 other well-known musical acts (plus Michael Moore) for a boycott of the state, aptly dubbed the Sound Strike. In a statement to the press (via Pitchfork), Sound Strike laid out the importance of their cause:

Late last night on Twitter, Bon Iver broke the news about a forthcoming John Prine tribute album featuring cover songs by Conor Oberst, Justin Vernon, Josh Ritter, My Morning Jacket, the Avett Brothers, and 7 others. Dubbed Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, the record will hit shelves via Prine’s record label, Oh Boy, early this summer (June 22).

Until then, you can check out Vernon’s cover of “Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow),” which is streaming at NPR, here, My Morning Jacket’s live rendition of “All the Best” (as well as a slew of other MMJ covers) here, and Conor Oberst with Bright Eyes covering Prine’s “Crazy As a Loon” (he chose a different tune for this tribute album, here.

Tracklist: Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine

Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, M. Ward, and Jim James may be busy attending to their other projects this spring/summer (Bright Eyes, She and Him, and My Morning Jacket, respectively), but the Monsters of Folk aren’t done spreading the word about their eponymous debut LP just yet. In addition to a contest-winning music video to their soulful single, “Dear God,” the trio have uploaded a new semi-animated video by Lauri Faggioni, who has directed similarly styled work for the likes of Devendra Banhart, Iron & Wine, and Bright Eyes in the past.