DC ROCK CLUB
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Thursday, June 18, 2009

Show Preview: Okkervil River


Tonight is the Austin City Limits taping of Okkervil River. The band has come quite a long way since I first saw them. In 2003 they played Common Grounds (a.k.a. Murky Coffee) in Arlington in support of their second album, Down The River Of Golden Dreams. There was maybe 40 people there. I caught them again a few years later at Iota, along with Jimbromski and Sacklunch, when they toured with Earlimart. THAT was a great show. Last year we saw them at the Austin City Limits festival. It was cool to see them in front of thousands and think back to that show at a local coffee house.

It may seem like I'm an Okkervil River superfan but I'm not. I just respect them a lot. I think they've put out one great album (The Stage Names) and some very good albums (Black Sheep Boy, The Stand Ins). They're an excellent live band so I expect the show tonight to be even better than the Heartless Bastards ACL taping I saw a few weeks ago.

Have you seen Okkervil River in concert? If so, what did you think? I believe the only DC show I missed was their Iota show with Man Man. All my friends in attendance agreed Okkervil River was fantastic and that Man Man was one of the worst bands they had ever seen. I can buy that.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

saw them open for ... new pornographers? to use internet parlance, they were "teh suck." keep yr drama school out of my rock-n-roll!

Jumbo Slice said...

Okkervil River and New Pornographers? The Monsters of Adult Alternative Rock tour.

I agree with the "keep the drama school" out of rock yet I find myself liking Okkervil River and the new album from the Decemberists. Either I'm getting older or dorkier. Probably both.

heather said...

haven't seem em but would like to (love all three albums you mention). a friend caught will sheff opening for neko case at the 930 a few months ago and said it was basically unlistenable (solo, side project? i'm not sure). i won't let that discourage me though! there's something about his voice that makes me giddy.

erinhazel said...

saw them a couple of yrs ago at the hogg auditorium on ut campus (before it was remodeled) backed by a full symphony. THAT was a good show.