Conor Oberst tried to stop his label from signing Creed, thought they were a “really bad Pearl Jam”

nme.com:

Conor Oberst has admitted that he once tried to stop his label from signing Creed, as he felt at the time that they were a “really bad Pearl Jam“.Per Exclaim, Oberst – best known for his projects Bright Eyes and Desaparecidos – was a member of the short-lived emo band Commander Venus from 1995 to 1997.

Their second album ‘The Uneventful Vacation’ was released on independent label Grass Records.The label was acquired in 1997 by Alan and Diana Meltzer, who would change its name to Wind-Up Records, the label that would issue the debut album by Creed, 1997’s ‘My Own Prison’.Prior to signing the post-grunge band, the Meltzer duo played some of Creed’s music to Oberst, who recalled the moment on podcast Broken Record. “They were sweet, but I remember them showing me Creed before it even came out.

And I was like, ‘You guys — it sounds like a really bad Pearl Jam'”, Oberst said, adding that the duo disagreed with the singer-songwriter.“The lady, Diana, she was like, ‘He’s like Jim Morrison.

He’s the new Jim Morrison.’ I was like, ‘Guys…’ And then, sure enough, they put it out, and it’s the biggest thing in the world.