Particularly vocal has been Conor Oberst, who recently penned an open letter to Stateside Presents promoter Charlie Levy, in which he stated, among many other things, plans to organize a fundraiser for the Nebraska chapter of the ACLU.

Seems he went through with the plan, and on July 31 will gather not just his Bright Eyes troupe, but also the Desaparecidos crew, from whom we haven’t seen a performance since Conor et al. were thrashing around onstage back in 2002. Also on board for the event is another oldie-but-goodie, indie-folk band Lullaby for the Working Class, as well as Cursive. It’s a hell of a cause when you gather more or less the best of the Saddle Creek back catalog, and expect the amps to be cranked full-blast. (Is it too much to ask we get these guys on board too?)

Proceeds from the concert go to the ACLU Nebraska, currently preparing to file suit against the town of Fremont, Nebraska, who recently passed a measure prohibiting businesses from hiring illegal immigrants.

Grab tickets here.

Read more about ACLU Nebraska right here.

Kid Cudi started his weekend off on the wrong foot, apparently. The rapper was arrested in New York Friday and charged with criminal mischief and possession of a controlled substance.

But he still made it to Bonnaroo, along with the dozens of other artists scheduled to play the Manchester, Tennessee festival. The three-day annual event celebrated its 10th anniversary, and there’s a boatload of photos from the weekend up and ready for viewing.

Think you’ve heard every song in the Ryan Adams vault? Of course not! According to a post at Rawkblog, the prolific DRA has two previously unreleased albums he’ll put out through his Pax Americana label, 2005′s Blackhole and 2006′s III/IV. This follows on the heels of his recent vinyl-only metal album, Orion, and Adams is, according to his Facebook page, at work on some demos as well.

More news from the Conor Oberst camp: The bright eyed singer-songwriter recently gathered his Mystic Valley Band together to play John Prine’s “Wedding Day in Funeralville” as part of a new tribute album, Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine. The album also sees contributions from Jim James, Lambchop, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and others. Here’s that Conor track:

Oberst has decorated his Fender Strat, while Lewis, No Doubt, and The Strokes designed tote bags. Devendra Banhart donated his own artwork, and there are tons more currently involved with the project. M. Ward, The Black Keys, the Mars Volta’s Cedric Bixler-Zavala, and Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold are all on board for the project.

Proceeds from the auction will go towards Crash director Paul Haggis’ charity organization, Artists for Peace and Justice, which is currently mobilizing relief effort in Haiti.

Keep tabs on the artists involved, as well as the time and place of the auction here. Peep a few of the projects below.

Conor Oberst’s Fender Stratocaster

Le Tigre’s JD Samson

Jenny Lewis

Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold

Norah Jones

Meanwhile, Tim Goldsworthy, who, along with James Murphy, founded DFA Records and has played a vital role in its growth and success, has reportedly split from the label, leaving New York for the UK. Label manager Jonathan Galkin told Resident Advisor that “Tim Goldsworthy moved away to somewhere in the United Kingdom, without informing anyone here at DFA. We have had no word from him since he left the United States. So we moved on with our lives and our business. Simple as that. He most definitely took a piece of us when he left, but we wish him the best with whatever he gets up to next.” Hostile split? Goldsworthy told Resident Advisor he left because of work and family obligations in the UK, and that he would be willing to do more work for the label “if something good came along.”

DFA isn’t the only US record label having a slightly chaotic week. Indie rap imprint Definitive Jux was at the epicenter of internet hype yesterday, when rumors that it would fold arose. Label boss and rapper/producer El-P has posted a statement clarifying the situation. “As a traditional record label, DEF JUX will effectively be put on hiatus. We are not closing, but we are changing,” he writes. He adds, in his statement, that the label is busy “re-imagining” its future. Its website and merch catalog will continue to exist in the meantime.

In brighter news, Jack White is still with us and going strong. Music’s busiest man promises a new album with his band The Dead Weather, a follow-up to last year’s Horehound. A Dead Weather tour is set to kick-off in mid-March, right around the time The White Stripes live film, Under Great White Northern Lights, gets release in box set form.

Midlake’s latest album, The Courage of Others, was released this week on Bella Union. The Guardian asked the band to perform the album as part of its Denton Sessions. You can download the set here.

Finally, Bright Eyes is back. Sort of. News in 2009 suggested that Conor Oberst and Co. will make one more album under their famed indie moniker. There are no album details yet, other than an unamed 2010 release date, but Saddle Creek is reissuing the Bright Eyes/Neva Dinova split, One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels, this March (pre-orders are available right now). Four new Bright Eyes tracks, written in fall 2009, will be included in the release.

Put in simpler terms, they’re holding a video contest. M. Ward, Conor Oberst, Jim James, and Mike Mogis have asked fans to create a “compelling” video for the song “Dear God,” first track off the band’s self-titled album. Post the video to YouTube with the tag “Dear Folk Monster.” One winner gets $5,000, a signed Gibson acoustic, and a copy of Final Cut Pro.

Get thee to the editing desk and have all videos submitted no later than January 1.

Follow this for rules, details, and a not-so-eloquent announcement from the guys.