Okkervil River Debuts New Material, Terminal 5 In June

Okkervil River @ The Independent, from the HAD Archive

It's been quite a while since we've heard new material from Okkervil River, so we were pretty stoked to discover the band making a very early appearance for their new record I Am Very Far, which drops in May. The band stopped in at Jimmy Fallon and, joined by AC Newman, delivered a solid take on the tromping rocker "Wake And Be Fine".

The track, which is the first single from the record and due on 12-inch next week, is the beginning of what will (presumably) be a big year for the band touring in support of the new record. That support will include a June date at the vacuous T5, which these days seems to be the hotspot of choice for indie bands verging on the bigtime. Stay tuned as the band expands their plans for world domination, and in the meantime enjoy the vid of the new song, above.

Wilco and Okkervil River Played The Greek Theater - Pictures, Review, Setlist

If there was any suitable way to follow up David Byrne's performance on Friday night at the Greek, then this was certainly it. Okkervil River and Wilco joined forces to descend upon the very same venue, and give Byrne an unquestionable run for his money on the superb show from the night before. The two bands both delivered sets that ran the gamut of their catalog, and underscored just how formidable both of those catalogs are. However, even more than that, both bands gave joyous performances that, when combined with the weather, closed out one of the most exciting weekends of music we've seen in a very long time.

Okkervil River took the stage promptly at 7:30, and the Greek was already packed. It was clear that most of the audience had come to see both bands, and they showed it in spades. Will Sheff, for his part, did exactly the same, and managed to squeeze all of his usual passion and antics into a quick 30 minute set.

This was the first time we had seen the band with their new lead guitarist Lauren Gurgiolo, and we have to say we thought that she nailed it. Her style is certainly a little different from the band's older material, but the fact that she was totally shredding on some solos, adding fantastic accents to other songs, and thoroughly multi-instrumental all added up to be super impressive.

While the crowd was enthusiastic across the board, they really dug in for the last two numbers, "Our Life Is Not A Movie (Or Maybe)" and "It's Kicks". Both of the upbeat tunes underscored just how well Okkervil River played as an opening band, and how masterfully they worked such a large venue. We've said it before, but we'll say it again: they're a band who are going to keep getting bigger and bigger - keep your eyes open.

Wilco took the stage right around 8:30, and it was clear from the outset that they were ready to have a good time: everyone was all smiles, and the crowd was eating it up. They led off the set with a old and new mix: "Wilco (The Song)", "Muzzle Of Bees", and "Shot In The Arm". The latter served to really get the crowd going, and proceeded to give way to what would end up being two and a half hours of awesome rock and roll.

At this point, it almost seems moot to mention the technical instrumental wizardry that Wilco brings to the stage, if only because it's such a constant. that being said, they are such a tight unit, that it's still worth bringing up. The onstage rapport, the expert arrangements, and the band's individual talents all serve to create a live awesomeness that really can't be captured outside of being there.

The set list was a healthy mix of new and old material, with a slightly heavier emphasis on the former. The band's forthcoming (as in, this week) new album was well represented, with five tracks accounted for. All of the new material went over extremely well, although for us the highlight was "Bull Black Nova". The song manages to be a bit more edgy than its cohorts on the new record, and in a live setting it was even more so. Definitely tasty.

Of the old material, there were some favorites ("Misunderstood", "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart", "California Stars", and "Jesus Etc" to name a few), and a few surprises. Specifically, we were shocked to hear "Box Full Of Letters" (from AM), and "I Can't Stand It" (the lead off track from Summerteeth). Both of these tracks were somewhat noted in Wilco lore for being radio-friendly, and not particularly loved by the band. That being said, the performances were totally amazing - we're guessing the band's decision to play all of their recorded material in Chicago last year may have been the inspiration. Either way, we were loving it.

At the end of the day, we'll sum it up by saying this: Wilco shows are magical, as are shows at the Greek. Combine the two on a beautiful 70 degree night, and you have about the best dose of entertainment you can get. To get to hear the band tear through such an awesome selection of material, and be smiling while doing it was simply amazing. Nels Cline, as always, delivered knock-you-out guitar solos, and the rest of the band served to provide the pieces for the always-expanding Wilco puzzle. As the night came to a close, and the band tore out some insane solos on "Hoodoo Voodoo", we were left smiling, and knowing we'd be that way for quite a while.

Many more pictures at the HAD Archive

Setlist
--
Wilco (The Song)
Muzzle Of Bees
A Shot In The Arm
At Least That's What You Said
Bull Black Nova
You Are My Face
Deeper Down
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
One Wing
Radio Cure
Impossible Germany
California Stars
I Can't Stand It
Jesus, Etc.
Handshake Drugs
Hate It Here
Walken
I'm The Man Who Loves You
--
You Never Know
The Late Greats
Box Full Of Letters
Misuderstood
Spiders (Kidsmoke)
Hoodoo Voodoo

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2009 Lineup Announced: Steve Martin, Aimee Mann, Neko Case, Okkervil River, Old 97's And More

The always-classic, always-free tradition of San Francisco's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival is back, and this year seems to be more firmly cemented in its country roots. A partial artist lineup has just been announced and the headliners include Steve Martin, Aimee Mann, Neko Case, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson and others.

Conspicuously absent are the heavyweight rock figures that have graced the festival in the past couple of years. We found this particularly surprising given Elvis Costello's particularly folky recent release. However, it is worth mentioning that a number of "alt country" bands are putting in appearances, including The Old 97's, Okkervil River, and Dr. Dog. It's nice to see the "rock" side of the festival continue to be represented, even if it's not by such heavyweights as Costello and Plant.

The festival will take place the first weekend in October in Golden Gate Park. Head over to the Hardly Strictly site to check out the full list.

Okkervil River To Join Wilco On Tour

Picture from the HAD Archive

As though you needed more incentive to go see Wilco in June at the Greek: Between the band's stellar live show, and the awesomeness of the new record, it's going to be amazing. Well, now it's going to be even more amazing. We've just gotten a heads up that Okkervil River will be joining Wilco for their late June/early July dates, and that includes the Greek. Killer.

We haven't seen Okkervil River live since 2007, but that was certainly enough to win us over to their sound. Not only is the band a rock solid instrumental unit, but lead singer Will Scheff's persona takes heart-on-the-sleeve to a new level. Given their own level of enthusiasm, it'll be interesting to see what the do with the "opener" slot. Frankly, we'd be lying if we said we weren't hoping for a guest appearance on some Wilco tunes...here's hoping.

Okkervil River Dates Summer 2009
June 14 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo- The Other Tent
June 25 Los Angeles, CA Wiltern Theatre w/ Wilco
June 26 Saratoga, CA The Mountain Winery w/ Wilco
June 27 Berkeley, CA Greek Theatre w/ Wilco
June 28 Stateline, NV Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena w/Wilco
June 30 Jacksonville, OR Britt Pavilion w/ Wilco
July 03 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre w/ Wilco
July 10 Ottawa, ON Ottawa Bluesfest
July 11 Winnipeg, MB Winnipeg Folk Festival

Okkervil River On Letterman: "Pop Lie"

This vid is actually a bit dated (from early January), but we saw it for the first time today, so we figured it was worth a mention. "Pop Lie" is everything that we like about Okkervil River: balls to the wall energy, unabashed screamy vocals, and a complete willingness to rock. While Will Sheff's lyricism is unquestionably solid, we have to admit that it can wear on us when it's rooted in dreary acoustic songs that seem to drag on longer than they should.

By contrast, when Sheff takes his lyrics and allows them to thrive within a solid rock framework, the combination is phenomenal. "Pop Lie", from last year's The Stand Ins is a perfect example. Take that, and combine it with Okkervil's fantastic live presence, and you get the video above. It's not easy to deliver on a late night show, some bands fail and some succeed. In this vid, Okkervil River nails it and then some, which is awesome to see. To be perfectly frank, The Stand Ins didn't have a lot of staying power for us, but after seeing this vid, we're going back for another listen.

mp3: Okkervil River - Pop Lie

Okkervil River's Will Sheff Doing Brief Solo Tour, Two Stops In SF

Picture from the HAD Archive

Okkervil River's European tour will be wrapping up at the end of this month. Once they get a chance to settle down to life back in the states, frontman Will Sheff will be embarking on a brief solo tour. The tour will hit only three cities at this point (New York, LA, and San Francisco), and San Francisco has the esteemed privilege of actually garnering two stops. The first will be at The Herbst Theater as part of the "Talking Music" series, while the second will be a more standard solo show at Cafe Du Nord. For those of you that are fans of Will's more emotive, lyrical side: this whole deal is win-win. For a guy who's heart is so on his sleeve in the full band setting, these live shows can only take it to the next level. Tickets to both shows are available now: Talking Music, Cafe Du Nord.

Will Sheff Solo Tour:
12-11-2008 Music Hall Of Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY #*
12-17-2008 Talking Music Series, Herbst Theater, San Francisco, CA
12-19-2008 Cafe Du Nord, San Francisco, CA *
12-20-2008 Hollywood Forever Cemetary Masonry Lodge, Los Angeles, CA *^

#: With Charles Bissell
*: With Bird Of Youth
^: With The Tallest Man On Earth

Fall & Winter "Talking Music" Features Sheff, Darnielle, Anderson

Well, we admit, we dropped the ball on this one: Stephen Merritt of The Magnetic Fields kicked off this year's "Talking Music" series on September 11th, and it kind of blew right by us. That being said, the series runs through late April, and there are quite a few more interesting folks in the lineup. Okkervil River frontman (and English major) Will Sheff will be in attendance on December 17th. Mountain Goats frontman (and sometimes blogger) John Darnielle will be interviewed by Tobias Wolff on February 24th, and performance artist (and Lou Reed spouse) Laurie Anderson wraps it up on April 27th. It's also worth noting that both Sheff and Darnielle are appearing in "conversation and song" so there should be some tunage there as well. These all take place in the Herbst theater, which in addition to being a great building, has fantastic acoustics. Should be a fun night out.

Okkervil River: New Record, Treasure Island Festival

You may remember that last fall we had quite an infatuation with Okkervil River's record The Stage Names. Well, the guys are back with a new one this Fall: The Stand Ins was released last week. The record (as many reviews have suggested) is certainly cut from the same cloth as The Stage Names. That being said, it seems to be making a turn for the more country side of the band. Both "Singer Songwriter" and "Calling And Not Calling My Ex" are firmly in traditional country territory. The more "rock" moments on the record, like "Pop Lie" and "Lost Coastlines",also seem more firmly traditional in their execution. The epic garage sound that filled out "Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe" and "Unless It's Kicks" on the last record, are sadly absent.

While the new record does seem to be missing some facets of the band that we really enjoy, it's not really enough to make us shy away just yet. In particular, one of the things that got us hooked on the band was their live show at the Independent. It's for exactly that reason that we have high hopes for the band's show this weekend at the Treasure Island Festival. They go on relatively early on Sunday, but we're guessing that they'll really slay the crowd. See you there!

mp3: Okkervil River - Lost Coastlines

A Gift From Okkervil River

The nice guys in Okkervil River have decided to bestow a gift upon their fans: They've posted a Christmas Mixtape EP on their website, complete with cover art. The EP consists of 8 covers and a live original, so check it out. Who doesn't love free music?

Okkervil River Show From September 5th Available For Download!

Some kind soul was good enough to tape September 5th's fantastic Okkervil River show, and it's now up for download at fan site Down The Oubliette! It is definitely an audience recording, but in general the quality is fantastic. Enjoy!

Click To Download: Okkervil River 09-05-2007

If you need help with the flac file format: FLAC homepage

09-05-2007: Okkervil River Storms The Independent

There are so many reasons why I could be skeptical of Okkervil River. Their unassuming attitude, their innocent bewilderment at being put on Conan O'Brien, the heart-on-the-sleeve lyrics, the more earnest than earnest delivery of straight up rock and roll: it all seems so innocent and too good too be true. And yet, it all works. The band simply gets on stage and delivers a fantastic set of rock and roll melodies. Ranging from quiet ballads, to kick ass rockers, to epic tales of woe, the band grabs the audience in a new way with each tune they deliver.

The band hit the stage around 9:45 and delivered a set that started out on the more mellow side: Will Sheff was clad in a suit (that he gradually lose over the course of the night) and crooned ballads under the blue lights.

However, as the show continued, the most recent album's influence came out to show its colors, culminating in what the singer described as "Okkervil River's new anthem": Unless It's Kicks. The song rocked the crowd and left me wondering what the band would do to top it, and finish the show.

The answer is that they dug into the back catalog for some jams of epic proportion. The first was a version of So Come Back I Am Waiting (Black Sheep Boy II) that wore its heart on its sleeve. This type of thing doesn't typically draw me in, but this time it did. The song simply begged to be listened to, and the crowd acted in kind. The band closed with the (much requested) song Westfall, and it was a great way to close out the night: the fans wanted it, the band killed it, and everyone went away sweaty and happy.

So there you go: my first Okkervil River live experience. My impression of the band on record was an aping of 70's Bowie, but Okkervil River delivers something more their own than that. At first I thought of local band Beulah, but as the show continued it grew even more dynamic, to a point where it was recalling most vividly the notorious talent of The Band. While that's saying a lot, it's ultimately not really descriptive enough. In all reality, Okkervil River delivers something that is very distinctively Okkervil River. Go see for yourself.

Okkervil River plays a short set tonight @ 6 at Amoeba Music.

Many more photos on the h.a.d. flickr feed.

Okkervil River: The Stage Names, Independent Wednesday, Amoeba Thursday

Austin band Okkervil River have been making quite a stir with their latest release, The Stage Names. The album immediately drew me in on first listen: lead singer Will Sheff's voice is at once desperate and powerful, in some ways aping off of a late 70's Bowie(there are also shades of the Killers' Brandon Flowers, and The Strokes' Julian Casablancas, but then aren't they really aping from Bowie as well?). Scheff even lyric-checks Bowie's "TVC-15" in "Plus Ones": "your eyes dilated as light plays upon the sight of TVC16 as it sings you goodnight".

The overall sound is powerful and forthright, mixing solid acoustic-driven songwriting with experimental and dischordant electric guitar and keyboards. One of the most inviting parts of the record is that when you think the band is blindly pushing forward towards a traditional rock climax, everything dissolves into a cacophony. Now, don't get me wrong: these guys aren't pushing crazy, unexplored sonic boundries, but it's nice to see a rock band trascending what has become a sort of defacto-standard for the garage indie rock sound.

Now, you're thinking, "Great, I'll give the record a listen, but what does this all mean for me?". Well, you're in luck! This coming Wednesday Okkervil River are going to be at The Independent. Unfortunately for you, the tickets have already sold out, so you're going to have to do some hunting on craigslist to get into the show. Still, if this album is any indicator, the show promises to be completely killer, and worth the effort. In the meantime, go buy the record. See you there!

UPDATE: Okkervil will also be playing an acoustic set at Amoeba on Thursday @ 6PM!

mp3: Okkervil River - Unless It's Kicks