Okkervil River

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Biography

Okkervil River is an indie rock band from Austin, Texas . Formed in 1998, the band takes its name from a short story by Russian author Tatyana Tolstaya . They self-released their first album, Stars Too Small to Use, which led them to the South by Southwest music festival. After recording their first album in a garage, they signed with Jagjaguwar . Okkervil River continued by releasing four more albums, including the critically lauded concept album Black Sheep Boy .

After a period of touring for Black Sheep Boy , Okkervil River followed up with The Stage Names . The album sold 10,000 in its opening week in the United States. The group released a free covers album, Golden Opportunities Mixtape from their live performances.

The band has garnered positive critical reception. Especially noted are each song's lyrics, intricate instrumentation, and thematic albums.
In addition, they were featured on the talk show Late Night with Conan O'Brien and have performed with high profile bands such as The Decemberists , The New Pornographers , The National (band)|The National , and Lou Reed .

Okkervil River released the album The Stand Ins on September 9, 2008. They promoted the release with a series of cover songs from the album on YouTube by people they've met as a band. Their 2010 collaboration as a backing band with psychedelic rocker Roky Erickson yielded True Love Cast Out All Evil . On May 10, 2011, Okkervil River released their sixth full-length album, I Am Very Far .

History

Formation

Okkervil River's founding members became friends at Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, New Hampshire , and after parting ways for college moved to Austin, Texas to live together and start a band. The band consisted of singer-songwriter Will Sheff , Zach Thomas on bass and mandolin, and Seth Warren on drums. Their first gig was at Steamboat in Austin on January 11, 1999. http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story? oid=oid:76071

Bedroom EP and Stars Too Small to Use

In 1998, the group self-released their first disc, Bedroom EP . Over the course of two weekends in the summer of 1999, they recorded a seven song self-released album titled Stars Too Small to Use , with recording engineer Jeff Hoskins.

They met Jonathan Meiburg at a gig with his band Whu Gnu at the Waterloo Brewing Company on December 3, 1999. Meiburg subsequently joined the band on accordion and later on pianos and organs.

On the strength of Stars Too Small to Use , Okkervil River was admitted into the 2000 SXSW music festival. Their first major press was a SXSW feature article in the Austin Chronicle on March 3, 2000.

''Don't Fall in Love with Everyone You See and Down the River of Golden Dreams

The band met recording engineer and producer Brian Beattie at their SXSW showcase on March 18, 2000 and soon agreed to make a record together. They spent much of the rest of that year working on '' Don't Fall in Love with Everyone You See . Warren moved to Berkeley, California in December and was replaced on drums by Mark Pedini.

By the time of that year's SXSW festival, Okkervil River had received interest in their new record from the Bloomington, Indiana -based record label Jagjaguwar . The record was released on Jagjaguwar on January 22, 2002.

One year later the band traveled to San Francisco and reunited with Warren to record their third album at Tiny Telephone with engineer Scott Solter at the console. Jagjaguwar released Down the River of Golden Dreams on September 2, 2003.

In 2003, Pedini left the band to pursue his graphic design work, leaving Okkervil River without a drummer for that year's SXSW. They invited Travis Nelsen, fresh off a tour filling in on drums for sister labelmates Secretly Canadian 's Swearing at Motorists , to perform with them. He soon became the band's full-time drummer. The next year, during a long bout of touring, the band added keyboardist and lap-steel player Howard Draper as a fifth member.

Black Sheep Boy , The Stage Names and The Stand Ins

In August 2004, the band began recording with Beattie again, finally putting the finishing touches on their third full-length album, Black Sheep Boy in November. It was released on April 5, 2005. As a result of the album's critical success, Okkervil River followed up with an extended play|EP entitled Black Sheep Boy Appendix on November 22, 2005. This was the first recording with Draper, horn and keyboardist Scott Brackett, guitarist Brian Cassidy, and touring bassist Pat Pestorius, who eventually replaced Zach Thomas in the band. In 2006 the band did a Take-Away Show session with Vincent Moon .
On April 17, 2006, Okkervil River signed with Virgin Records|Virgin / EMI in Europe. The label re-released Black Sheep Boy and its follow-up Black Sheep Boy Appendix as a double disc on April 28, 2006. Jagjaguwar eventually followed suit, releasing the Definitive Edition with extra songs and videos.

The Stage Names , their fourth full-length studio album (produced again by Beattie), was released on August 7, 2007. The disc features the solidified line-up that toured extensively on Black Sheep Boy and the Black Sheep Boy Appendix , with Cassidy replacing Draper who joined Shearwater (band)|Shearwater . The album was met with critical acclaim and debuted at number 62 on the Billboard 200 with 10,000 copies sold.

Okkervil River released their fifth album The Stand Ins on September 9, 2008. In its first week, the album charted at #42 with 11,000 copies sold, according to the Billboard 200 . On December 12, 2007, the band freely released a nine-song mixtape entitled Golden Opportunities Mixtape via their website. These recordings, along with the upcoming appendix, are the first to feature contributions from new touring keyboardist, Justin Sherburn, who joined the band in November 2007.

On March 2008, it was announced that guitarist Brian Cassidy would be stepping down from the band as a full-time touring member and would be temporarily replaced by Charles Bissell of The Wrens (band)|The Wrens for their spring and summer tours. In the autumn of 2008 Lauren Gurgiolo, singer and songwriter of the Austin, Texas band The Dialtones, joined as a permanent member, playing electric guitar, lap steel guitar, mandolin and banjo.

After performing on Late Night with David Letterman in early 2009, the "Pop Lie" single was released backed with the b-sides "Millionaire" and "Pop Lie (One Man Band Version)".

I Am Very Far

Okkervil River's new album, I Am Very Far , was announced during their performance on NBC 's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on January 2011. It was released on May 10, 2011.. To promote the album, the band went on tour in 2011 with Titus Andronicus , Julianna Barwick , Future Islands and NewVillager .

Other projects

In 2001, Meiburg and Sheff founded a second band known as Shearwater (band)|Shearwater . Originally an outlet for Meiburg songs and some Sheff songs that didn't fit the Okkervil mold, Shearwater has gradually evolved into a full fledged band. The band's 2006 release, Palo Santo (sans Sheff's vocals, but including his musical input), has seen Meiburg receive great critical acclaim. The groups still share many fans, and, while on tour together in 2004, they released a limited edition split-CD entitled Sham Wedding/Hoax Funeral . In 2008, Meiburg left Okkervil River to focus exclusively on Shearwater.

On April 20, 2010, former 13th Floor Elevators singer-guitarist Roky Erickson released the album True Love Cast Out All Evil , produced by Will Sheff and backed by Okkervil River.

Notable performances

On April 30, 2007, the band played at the grand opening of New York's Highline Ballroom at the request of Okkervil River fan Lou Reed , who headlined the show.

On July 14, 2007, the band played the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, New Hampshire . This was the first time Will Sheff had played live in New Hampshire, where the band was originally formed.

On August 28, 2007, the band performed "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe" on NBC 's '' Late Night with Conan O'Brien .

On March 12, 2008, Okkervil River performed as the backup band for legendary Austin musician, and psychedelic pioneer Roky Erickson at the Austin Music Awards.

On January 7, 2009, the band performed "Pop Lie" on CBS 's Late Show with David Letterman .

On October 30, 2009, Okkervil River appeared on Austin City Limits . at Public Broadcasting Service|PBS Video . Retrieved November 10, 2009.

On January 10, 2011, Okkervil River performed "Wake And Be Fine" off their upcoming album, I Am Very Far, on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon . http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/okkervil-river-11011/1269103/

On May 13, 2011, the band performed "Rider" on CBS 's Late Show with David Letterman .

Discography

Albums

2002 '' Don't Fall in Love with Everyone You See - ( Jagjaguwar )

2003 Down the River of Golden Dreams - (Jagjaguwar)

2005 Black Sheep Boy - (Jagjaguwar)

2007 The Stage Names - (Jagjaguwar) #62 US

2008 The Stand Ins - (Jagjaguwar) #42 US, #57 Sweden|SWE

2011 I Am Very Far - (Jagjaguwar) #32 US, #66 UK

Split albums

2003 Julie Doiron / Okkervil River – Acuarela, split with Julie Doiron

2004 Sham Wedding/Hoax Funeral – Jound, split with Shearwater (band)|Shearwater

EPs

1998 Bedroom EP – Jound

1999 Stars Too Small to Use - Jound

2004 Sleep and Wake-Up Songs - ( Jagjaguwar )

2005 Black Sheep Boy Appendix - ( Jagjaguwar )

2006 Overboard & Down – Inertia Distribution|Inertia , Australia -only tour EP

Other

2007 Black Sheep Boy (Definitive Edition) - Double album of Black Sheep Boy and Black Sheep Boy Appendix (Europe and US, Jagjaguwar )

2007 Golden Opportunities Mixtape - A collection of eight covers and one original song released on the band's website

2010 True Love Cast Out All Evil backing Roky Erickson - ANTI-|Anti-

2011 '' Golden Opportunities 2 - EP with four covers and one traditional song, released via the band's website on Nov. 28,2011

Singles

1999 "The Velocity of Saul at the Time of His Conversion" – Jound, CD single

2000 "Kansas City Single" – Jound, CD single

2002 "Split single with South San Gabriel" – Tight Spot, Gramophone record|7”

2005 " For Real (There's Nothing Quite Like the Blinding Light) "' - Jagjaguwar , CD single

2006 "The President's Dead"' - Jagjaguwar , Gramophone record|12”

2007 "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe" - Jagjaguwar Gramophone record|12”

2008 "Lost Coastlines" - Jagjaguwar , Gramophone record|12”

2009 "Pop Lie" - Jagjaguwar , CD single

2011 "Mermaid" b/w "Walked Out on a Line" Jagjaguwar , 12" vinyl/digital single

2011 "Wake and Be Fine" b/w "Weave Room Blues" Jagjaguwar , 7" vinyl/digital single

2011 "Rider" b/w "I Guess We Lost," Jagjaguwar 7" vinyl/digital single

2011 "Your Past Life As a Blast" b/w "Gold Faces," Jagjaguwar 7" vinyl/digital single

Compilation contributions

1999 "Omie Wise" (Live) - Aural Fixation: Local Live Vol. 5

2002 "Disfigured Cowboy" - Comes with a smile|Comes With A Smile CD

2003 "Riot Act" - Glurp / Almost You: The Songs of Elvis Costello

2004 "My Bad Days (Live)" - Comes With A Smile CD

2005 "Nancy (Live)" - I Eat Records / Appetizers & Leftovers

2005 "Your Other Man" - Summersteps Records / Down in a Mirror: A Second Tribute to Jandek

2005 "Westfall (Live)" - Workplay / Workplay Live

2009 "All You Little Suckers" ( East River Pipe cover) - Merge Records / Score& #33; 20 Years of Merge Records: The Covers!

Copyright Citations

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1. Charlie Sexton 2. Roky Erickson 3. Julie Doiron 4. Austin City Limits Festival 5. Jobriath 6. The Robot Ate Me 7. Tim Hardin 8. Virgin Festival 9. Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears

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