When Conor Oberst fled the midwestern winter for Tepoztlán, Mexico, in early 2008, his plan was to record a collection of songs in beautiful surroundings with some friends. The band he put together for the recording sessions (all done in an adobe house halfway up a mountain) was released in 2008 as Conor Oberst, his first non-Bright Eyes release since 2001. The band then took to the road as Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, named for Valle Místico where the recording took place.
