Head of Femur

In late 2001 the Chicago-based trio Head of Femur assembled around three Nebraska natives: Mike Elsener on vocals and guitar (also of Solar Wind), Ben Armstrong on vocals, keyboards, and drums (formerly of Commander Venus), and Matt Focht on vocals and guitar (also of Bright Eyes). Greyday signed the indie rock supergroup in 2002 and issued its debut album, Ringodom or Proctor, whose wide-ranging influences encompassed the Zombies, the Talking Heads, the Flaming Lips, and Brian Eno. Current and former members of Bright Eyes, Lullaby for the Working Class, Commander Venus, Plastik Trumpet, and Ugly Casanova augmented the core trio on the recording and in concert. Their second album, Hysterical Stars, appeared in spring 2005 and was followed by a year of touring. The next spring they returned briefly to the studio for the six-song EP Leader and the Falcon, then pared the lineup back to its original members. A less orchestrated Great Plains arrived in March 2008.