NEW HAVEN — One of the amazing things about the band Bright Eyes is that to a great degree, they defy categorization.

But no matter what kind of instrumentation the trio of Nate Walcott, Conor Oberst, and Mike Mogis develop to underpin Oberst's deeply affecting lyrical and melodic inspirations, as their advance notes, "Bright Eyes’ expansive catalog has traversed genre, sound, and countless players; unpolished demos or fuzzy folk, electrified rock or country twang. The sharp songwriting and musicianship is all anchored in Bright Eyes’ singular ability to flip deep intimacy into something universal."

The group will be showcasing its latest work along with a promised retrospective sampling from their deep catalog of recorded material when Bight Eyes lands at New Haven's Westville Music Bowl on Wednesday, July 28. That concert will also feature support from Lucy Dacus and Japanese Breakfast.

The all-ages show kicks off nice and early at 6:30, pm leaving plenty of time for both openers and Bright Eyes to weave their musical magic.

For an exclusive interview with The Newtown Bee, Walcott broke away from rehearsal for the tour, which will also make a couple of other regional stops in New York a few days after what he promised would be a one-of-a-kind New Haven set featuring a super-sized chamber orchestra backing the band.

As far as reuniting for the new album last year following a nine-year hiatus, he said it was the right move at the right time as 2020 was full of anniversaries for Bright Eyes. Their Fevers and Mirrors album was released 20 years before, while Digital Ash in a Digital Urn and I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning both turned 15. Walcott said the Westville Music Bowl audience can count on hearing numbers from those and most of the other projects in Bright Eyes 10-album catalog.

During our chat, Walcott also briefly recapped some of the work that kept him busy since the last time Bright Eyes toured together and when they reconvened to record and plan a tour supporting their latest effort, Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was.

Walcott said during the break, he was pleased to team up with up Mogis to write original film scores for the award-winning The Fault in Our Stars, along with the films Stuck in Love, and Lovely Still. Walcott also stayed busy as a solo composer scoring a number of independent feature-length films as well as the CBS mini-series The Stand, based on the Stephen King novel.

But it wasn't just about scoring during the Bright Eyes hiatus. Walcott said he spent extensive time on collaborations.

In addition to his arrangement work for Mavis Staples, First Aid Kit, and M. Ward, he contributed studio work to artists ranging from U2, to jazz guitarist Jeff Parker, and also traveled the world as a touring member of Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Walcott said his work with the Chili Peppers played an important role in recruiting bassist Flea to sit in on the Bright Eyes single "Forced Convalescence," was released as a single ahead of appearing on the new album, as well as the song "Miracle of Life" featuring Phoebe Bridgers, made to benefit Planned Parenthood and released during the nonprofit's "Village Of Love" Virtual Fundraising Festival last October.

Jumping right in to talk about reconvening the trio last year seemed as good a place as any to kick off our interview.

The Newtown Bee: So nine years seems like a really long time for a band to take a break, but it's a testament to your true friendships and the creative chemistry you guys possess that you could reconvene and produce such a fantastic new album.

Nate Walcott: I think that's one of the things about Bright Eyes that we have just come to understand and appreciate because it's good for us creatively both musically and personally speaking, too. We're always in the habit of making a record, and then going into a tour cycle, and then taking a little break. One way Connor likes to put it is "rotating the crops," so for me the break when it happened because I had just moved to Los Angeles, dug into the scene here, putting together a studio and getting more into developing music for films and TV as well as working on lots of records, and starting a family.

TNB: One of the last things you worked on before Bright Eyes got back together was crating music for Steven King's CBS mini-series The Stand. During that process, was it weird to be working on a project about a global pandemic as an actual global pandemic was ramping up?

Walcott: No. I mean it made for a good talking point for sure as we were doing a lot of press on it at the time. And the irony did not go unnoticed, but for me the story was about so much more. It almost seems the virus has a small role in that story. They really hit it hard in the first couple of episodes, but the creative team summed up the pandemic part and got past that aspect pretty quickly.

TNB: I have to ask about working with Flea. You guys recorded "Miracle Of Life" that helped support Planned Parenthood, he's also on the new record, and you backed him for several years on tour with the Chili Peppers. Can you offer a couple of observations about Flea as a musical collaborator?

Walcott: Flea approaches pretty much everything he comes across, especially collaborations, with huge ears and a huge heart. He is so eager to approach things with openness to what will make the song the best in the end. I could go on and on, but his sense of harmony, melody, and rhythm are deep and vast. And he uses those skills with such a sense of gratitude and with a willingness to put anything and everything aside in service to the song.

TNB: As the three of you were developing and releasing Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was, were you already talking about hitting the road again?

Walcott: They kind of go hand in hand I suppose. Making the record as Bright Eyes and getting together to do some writing is step one. But there's kind of an assumption that once we make the record that we're going to go and do shows — and at some point in the process that reality set in. And since the process of making a record for us goes really slow, that reality sets in about a year in when people start calling asking to firm up a release date, and promos, and a tour.

TNB: But the record isn't done yet.

Walcott: Right, so having to think ahead to that other stuff does bring a certain amount of added pressure, but getting together in the studio is where our collaboration is really at its peak. So I guess for us, getting the band back together and then making a decision about taking that next step is a process. I remember the question of touring came up. We were about halfway through making the record and we actually had to check in with ourselves to say, "We want to go on tour, right?" It's kind of a given, but in this day and age maybe not really.

TNB: So since the eventual tour decision was affirmative, the 2021 touring band will be you three, Down in the Weeds contributors Jon Theodore (drums), Macey Taylor (bass) and Miwi LaLupa (guitar /vocals), along with a chamber orchestra. Talk more about your backing players and coordinating the chamber ensemble.

Walcott: It's exciting, but it's a lot. I mean once I get done talking with you I'm going right back to working on finishing up charts for the orchestra. I'll probably be working on it until the day we start the tour. But in New Haven we have a nice large stage, so I'm doing a special set of arrangements for New Haven and the Queens show in New York, because we'll have an even larger group than anywhere else on the tour — 13 strings, horns, and woodwinds.

TNB: Are you adding to the same smaller core ensemble that will be on each of the other shows?

Walcott: We're hiring local musicians everywhere we go, and one great thing about that is supporting some local musicians and the local economy. We're putting some of these musicians to work and we hope they will have a good time, and that they can use the work right now. New Haven is close enough to New York that we may have some of the New Haven group coming to New York and vise versa.

TNB: So in reality, we'll never see the same exact group of musicians backing Bright Eyes anywhere else.

Walcott: This is true.

TNB: As you guys are working up the tunes you're taking out this summer, was there a must play song or two from the Bright Eyes catalog that you really wanted to perform on this tour?

Walcott: I think from the back catalog, not so much. There are so many, it's hard to name some of the songs we like the best. But there are some on the new record — "Dance and Sing," and "Mariana Trench" — those two jump to mind. There are a couple of other songs from the new record we're really looking forward to sharing in their full glory. We've been doing kind of stripped down versions over the last year, so giving them a full airing in a live setting will be great.

That said, we definitely will be doing a wide selection of songs from pretty much all the records going back to Fevers and Mirrors...and maybe even before that.

TNB: As you finished up sessions for Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was, did you find yourselves with any abundance of material that didn't make the record that might show up on the tour before being released?

Walcott: There were a few odds and ends lef tover, but as you probably heard, the new record is not short. We erred on the side of including pretty much all the material we really loved from the two years we were working on it. Maybe one of those odds and ends will end up on a future project, because there is a limit on time on stage, we do want to check all the boxes from the back catalog as well as playing some new songs. So there probably won't be any brand new material that nobody has heard. But, you never know — stranger things have happened.

For tickets to see Bright Eyes ($65 - $49.50) visit westvillemusicbowl.com. Gates open at 5:30 pm and the music begins at 6:30 pm.

Check out Bright Eyes performing "I Believe In Symmetry" recorded live from Austin City Limits Music Festival, September 16, 2011:

Listen in as Bright Eyes lays down "Soul Singer in a Session Band" at the Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco - 2013: