The collaboration "One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels" is the fruit of a long-time musical appreciation. This unique release is a rare gem, a perfect fusion of like-minded talents and a precious piece of musical magic. Not only will it delight fans of both artists, it is sure to enchant a whole new batch of music lovers not yet familiar with either.

Featuring six brand new songs performed by musicians from both bands, "One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels" is less of a split and more of a bona fide collaboration. After splitting the songwriting duties, the tracks were recorded by Conor Oberst and Jake Bellows in basements of houses on quiet, leafy streets in Omaha in the fall of 2003. The EP was mixed, tweaked, and sprinkled with magic dust by famed producer-in-residence Mike Mogis, at his renowned Presto! Studios in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Here's what the guys had to say about it:

How did the Bright Eyes - Neva Dinova collaboration come about?

Jake Bellows:
"I think it was 1996 when we met for the first time. We played a show with Norman Bailer and Commander Venus and I forgot the words to one of our songs. Conor was in the audience and hollered out the next line of the song. I couldn't believe that someone in town knew our music. Maybe it was a year or two ago that we first talked about doing some kind of split or something. This was our first time collaborating with anyone and we wanted to see if we could make some music with our friends. We think Conor is a great songwriter and we were honored to work with him. Also, we had a shit-ton of fun."

Conor Oberst:
"There's a feeling I get when I hear Jake sing that is rather addictive. It runs the length of my spine and makes me feel as if I were living some wonderful life long ago...maybe the roaring twenties...smoking strong cigarettes in a red tinted parlor with a record player you have that winds like a watch by turning a crank, but the music beneath that voice is more familiar.. It sounds like Omaha - a decade of house shows and warped seven inches and drunken band practices that we have all shared. Making this record was something Jake and I had talked about many times over the last few years but every time our schedules allowed we preferred glorious drinking binges and nonsense conversations over getting anything done.. But finally we did it. Recording Jake singing one of my songs is one of the most special things that has ever happened to me musically. It was so much fun recording these songs. We seamlessly moved from Heath & Jake's basement to mine to Presto!, the whole time feeling motivated by the songs and having a great laugh along the way."

In the "inquiring minds want to know" category, let's just answer the most important question right now: Between Bright Eyes and Neva Dinova, who would win in a tug-of-war? Says Neva Dinova's Jake Bellows: "Bright Eyes may have more people, but we definitely weigh more and I think, if we continue to eat like we have been, we will come out victorious."

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