TRACER Reviews Okkervil River - Live in Covington, KY (04/24/2008)

In late April, Okkervil River stopped by Covington's Mad Hatter for a headlining gig shortly after concluding their joint tour with The New Pornographers. Amanda and I caught the show and witnessed a band at the top of their form and on the verge of superstardom.

If I had to make a list of five bands to watch over the next five years, Okkervil River would certainly place very near the top. This observation isn't completely fair to the Austin-based band, as they've been working on their craft consistently for the better part of a decade, but the back-to-back excellence of 2005's Black Sheep Boy and 2007's The Stage Names has only cemented Okkervil River's reputation as one of the most exciting bands in recent memory. I'm tempted to equate Okkervil River to a more prolific, more polished Neutral Milk Hotel, but such a comparison is probably more of a disservice to both bands. What I will say is that, like Neutral Milk Hotel, Okkervil River is a strikingly original band that deftly combines folk, indie, lo-fi, alt-country, psychedelic and classic rock influences in consistently refreshing ways.

April 24th marked my first opportunity to see the outfit in person and, despite my enthusiasm for the band's studio output, I wasn't really sure what to expect of Okkervil River's live presence. While both Black Sheep Boy andThe Stage Names have several moments of bombast, I definitely was not expecting the band to rock as hard as they did. Okkervil frontman Will Sheff played guitar and sang as a man possessed, leading the rest of the band (which currently includes Wrens guitarist Charles Bissel) through a perfectly paced set. Sheff's voice was emotive and commanding throughout the evening, while the touring incarnation of the band did justice to his frequently complex arrangements. The Mad Hatter's Thursday night crowd was painfully small, but Okkervil River played as if they were headlining at Madison Square Gardens. Fortunately, the audience that did show up seemed to be intimately familiar with the band, so the consumate musicianship on display did not go unappreciated.

The band opened with the title track from 2006's excellent The President's Dead 12" before proceeding to tear through most of their last two albums. "A Girl in Port," "Unless It Kicks," and "John Allyn Smith Sails," a particularly interesting composition that morphs into the traditional folk song "Sloop John B" in its final moments, were all highlights, but the set was consistently excellent from beginning to end. Sheff skipped the encore waiting game in favor of a solo acoustic number, before being rejoined by the entire band to bring the show to a cathartic finish with "Westfall," one of the highlights from the band's 2002 debut LP, Don't Fall in Love With Everyone You See. I entered the Mad Hatter as an Okkervil River fan, but exited a few hours later as a life-long devotee. Okkervil River are currently touring the festival circuit and will take part in this year's Lollapalooza in early August. If you get the chance to see them live this summer, I would urge you to take it.

- Curt Whitacre

This review was originally published at http://www.tracermagazine.com.