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Conor Oberst and Dawes perform in The Current studio

  Play Now [26:05]

by Mark Wheat, Dawes and Conor Oberst

June 02, 2014

conor oberst and dawes in studio 1
Conor Oberst and Dawes perform in The Current's studio.
MPR photo/Leah Garaas

Conor Oberst and Dawes? Conor Dawes? CoDa? "It's probably like some kind of hyphenated last name now," Conor Oberst jokes about his collaboration — now into its third week of touring — with Los Angeles-based Dawes.

In town for back-to-back nights at First Avenue in Minneapolis, Oberst, along with Taylor Goldsmith, Griffin Goldsmith and Wylie Gelber of Dawes, stopped in to The Current's studio to play an acoustic set and to chat with Mark Wheat.

Oberst and Taylor Goldsmith describe how their collaboration came to fruition, with Oberst adding that he loves collaborating with different people (such as The Roots, which Oberst describes when talking about his recent appearance on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon).

Listen to the full interview to hear about how Oberst's album, Upside Down Mountain, came together; about Oberst's experience in New York during Hurricane Sandy and its role in a music video; and about how Dawes feel like they "know more Conor songs than Dawes songs."

Songs Performed


"Time Forgot"
"Danny Callahan"
"Artifact #1"
Songs 1 and 3 off the album Upside Down Mountain, out now on Nonesuch Records. Song 2 from the 2008 release, Conor Oberst, from Merge Records.

Hosted by Mark Wheat
Produced by Derrick Stevens
Engineered by Michael DeMark