While Okkervil River have been known to trot out some weirdly wonderful covers during their live shows, those pleasures have usually been fleeting, disappearing into a haze of Pabst Blue Ribbon for the vast majority of gig-goers. Well, the Austin-via-New Hampshire aggregation decided to dust the cobwebs off a passel of their most karaoke-ready tunes for a mixtape, titled 'Golden Opportunities,' which they're handing out as a freebie to help fans celebrate the season.

The eight-song collection, culled from live shows, rehearsals and impromptu hotel room jam sessions, includes covers of Joni Mitchell's 'The Blonde in the Bleachers' (from which Okkervil frontman Will Sheff cribbed the title of 'You Can't Hold the Hand of a Rock 'n' Roll Man' off his band's recent 'The Stage Names' album), Randy Newman's 'Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear' and John Cale's 'Antarctica Starts Here.' And since 'tis the season for such things, the band also includes one original: a live version of their early favorite 'Listening to Otis Redding at Home During Christmas.' To download the whole shebang, including some snazzy digital artwork, go to http://www.okkervilriver.com/