For what we think is a web first, Okkervil River are not releasing their new album, I Am Very Far, today, but instead will perform it live, song for song, on KUT in Austin in collaboration with NPR. You can listen to the live cast at 7 pm EST Wednesday evening. The Foo Fighters recently performed their entire new album, Wasting Light, on a special web-only live cast, which you can still stream here. However, Foo Fighters had already released Wasting Light prior to the performance.
Although the new Okkervil River album doesn’t officially drop until May 9th (pre-order here), it will mark the band’s first album since 2008’s The Stand Ins. So, it has been a long time and waiting for fans of one of the best indie folk rock bands of the past decade.
Compared to a relative blitz of releases early on in the band’s career, Okkervil River has released just two LPs in the past six years. But the idea to perform the album live first is a great marketing event, and also a nice treat for hard-core fans. Here’s the first single from the album.
“Wake And Be Fine” – Okkervil River from I Am Very Far (2011)
Okkervil River formed when former high school friends from New Hampshire, vocalist Will Robison Sheff and drummer Seth Warren decided to meet in Austin after college to work on some music they had been discussing. The duo added bassist Zachary Thomas soon after and recorded several EPs, including Stars Too Small to Use, in early 2000. About the same time, multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Meiburg joined the band just in time for the band’s SXSW debut in March 2000.
Producer Brian Beattie agreed to produce the band’s debut LP, Don’t Fall in Love with Everyone You See. During the recording of the album, Warren left the band to move to California and was replaced by drummer Mark Pendini. The band then signed to Jagjaguwar Records who released the debut LP in 2002. The next year, the band released their sophomore LP, Down the River of Golden Dreams. In 2005, Okkervil River broke out big time to the national stage with the release of Black Sheep Boy, and several months later, the Black Sheep Boy Appendix EP. In 2007 and 2008, the band released The Stage Names and The Stand Ins, respectively.
“Lost Coastlines” – Okkervil River from The Stand Ins (2008)
Okkervil River will officially drop I Am Very Far on May 9th. The following week, the band will headline at Heaven in London, and then at Gota Kallare in Stockholm on May 20th. On May 31st, the band will kick off their 2011 summer tour at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta.
The three week tour, according to the band’s MySpace page, will take the band across the U.S. (and Canada), but no shows are scheduled for California, which is a bit bizarre. The tour will end up at the magnificent Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon – yes that gigantic room up the top of the stairs with the bouncing floor. We saw Panda Bear there last fall during MFNW. If you’ve never seen a show there, this would be a good reason to go, and you might just get to see the ghosts.