When Jason Boesel went down to Mexico in 2008 with Conor Oberst, his objective was simple: play drums. That's one thing he knew he could do. After all, Boesel had been hitting the skins for Oberst both in Bright Eyes and the Mystic Valley Band and others such as Rilo Kiley for 15 years. But as recording sessions for Oberst's self-titled solo disc unfurled, Oberst increasingly looked to his band for collaborative support, loosening up his role as a solo artist and even giving the group their own name -- the Mystic Valley Band. For Boesel, the experience proved to be cathartic.

"I've learned so much from Conor over the last five years," Boesel tells Spinner. "Being able to observe his songwriting process over the course of a few records has been really inspiring. I've been a big fan of his songs for a long time now. I've always really liked his intense passion for words and what they mean, and how they can mean many things at once."

Boesel took what he learned from Oberst and, with gentle prodding from his friends and bandmates, began to try his own hand at songwriting. This past March, he went into the studio determined to cut his own solo album. With a cache of newly written tunes, he enlisted the talents of some of his cohorts, including -- take a deep breath -- Nik Frietas (Mystic Valley Band), Blake Mills (Band of Horses), Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), Orenda Fink (Azure Ray), David Rawlings (Gillian Welch), Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes) and Blake Sennet (Rilo Kiley).

While the finished album, 'Hustler's Son,' is filled with the kind of Americana that informed Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band's 'Outer South,' Boesel's songwriting has rapidly come of age. And the student does, of course, honor the teacher. "Witnessing Conor's taking of experience and transforming it into deeply meaningful verse that transcends its origins was a great course in songwriting," says Boesel. There's no pop quiz to follow but we're guessing a full-on album release earns bonus points? If so, Boesel's in good shape -- 'Hustler's Son' will be released on Jan. 12, 2010.