Okkervil River Debut New Song at Musicfest NW

Posted on Sep 11th 2010 10:00AM by Garin Pirnia
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Jason Merritt, Getty Images

With the exception of a few shows supporting their album with Roky Erickson, Austin group Okkervil River hasn't played many shows together in the past year. Last year at Musicfest NW in Portland, Ore., lead singer Will Sheff performed a solo show comprised of a few Okkervil songs, but at the Crystal Ballroom Friday night, Sheff and the full band rejoined for the second night of Musicfest NW 2010.

Sheff announced the band is halfway finished recording a new album and stated they had about 27 songs to narrow down for the record, so the brand new song they were about to perform might not make the cut. In typical Okkervil fashion, the new song was a twang-meets-rock number. Throughout their 90-minute set, the band dug into older folk songs such as 'Red' from their 2002 debut 'Don't Fall in Love with Everyone You See' mixed with rockier fare like serrated opener 'For Real.'

During 'A Stone,' a solo Sheff challenged the crowd to be very quiet: "Stop the conversation you're having and tell it from the beginning so we can hear the '80s dance party," he said, referencing the pulsating bass coming from the dance party at the club one floor below. Sheff got most of the crowd to hush, but some chatter and thumping beats were heard over the serene song. The entire band came back and rocked 'John Allyn Smith Sails' and the banjo-driven 'Lost Coastlines' where the crowd pounded on the floorboards so hard, the entire venue seemed to vibrate. Sheff and band cajoled the enthusiastic crowd to raise their hands in the air for a clap-a-thon on the final song of the regular set, 'Unless It's Kicks' and practically everyone in the house listened and smacked their hands together.

The band returned for a three-song encore, which included another solo acoustic performance by Sheff. He joked the cover he was about to play was by Laura Branigan, but it actually was 'Black Sheep Boy' originated by folk maestro Tim Hardin. Once 'Plus Ones' and 'Blue Tulip' had rounded out the night, Sheff introduced their new drummer, Cody, who hails from Joshua Tree, CA.

The band profusely thanked the crowd for coming and told an anecdote how one time they played Portland, they were afraid "the volume of the human voice would make their bodies explode," but no explosions occurred and Okkervil River escaped unscathed.