By: David Schultz

Okkervil River’s Will Sheff isn’t impressed with perfection. Much like Wes Anderson’s cinematic explorations of the flawed beauty of the insecure personality, the Austin-based singer-songwriter writes literate songs from the point of view of the distinctly non-Alpha male (and female) as well as those with a distinctly “Positively 4th Street” edge to them. Singing in an imperfect voice, Sheff doesn’t hide much when he’s on stage. Wearing his emotions on the sleeve of his natty attire, Sheff’s unreserved performance was the most memorable part of Okkervil River’s return to New York City for two shows at Webster Hall.

Okkervil River’s Monday night show was hardly a pretext for a Will Sheff showcase. Compelling as they are, Sheff’s astute observations and captivating stage presence may account for a great deal of Okkervil River’s growing appeal but they aren’t enough to carry an entire two hour set. When left to bear the brunt of song, Sheff’s limitations become more pronounced: the cracks in his voice are more noticeable and less endearing and the simplicity of the song structure is a little more evident. That’s why Okkervil River is a great band, though. When bolstered by Charles Bissell – The Wrens’ guitarist who’s filling in while a permanent replacement for Brian Cassidy is being sought – bassist Patrick Pestorius, Justin Sherburn, Scott Brackett, Laura Gurgiolo’s mandolin and Travis Nelson’s drums, Sheff can play to his strengths, allow his idiosyncrasies to evolve into endearing charms and let the rest of the band brilliantly gel behind him. It's also why Okkervil River has endured over the past decade and attained their current level of success.

Along with the Crooked Fingers, Black Joe Lewis and The Honey Bears opened the night. Reviving the wonderful traditions of James Brown’s rock and soul revue, Lewis provided a real treat for those who arrived early. A star in the making, Lewis sang with the fervency of Otis Redding on “Bitch I Love You” and brought the Bar-Kays drenched soul with “Gunpowder” all while laying down concise blasts of R&B guitar with masterful skill. The room might have been a little bit large for the band but Lewis & The Honey Bears had the crowd dancing and whooping it up with them. Along with Eli Reed & The True Loves, Lewis & The Honey Bears are at the forefront of a veritable soul revival.

Okkervil River’s set focused on the recently released The Stand-Ins but the finest moments came during The Stage Names material with the best reactions occurring when they offered selections from Down The River Of Golden Dreams and Don’t Fall In Love With Everyone You See. The Stand-Ins resumes the discussion begun in 2007 on their critically beloved The Stage Names. The portions of the show devoted to the new album had their moments, significantly a moving rendition of “Blue Tulip,” and fine renditions of “Starry Stairs” and “Lost Coastlines” that received a boost from The Honey Bears’ horn section joining Becket to add the proper flourishes and embellishments. However, it fails to live up to the bar they’ve set for themselves on The Stage Names. On the opening “Plus Ones” and the set closing versions of “Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe” and “Unless It Kicks,” the music pulsed with an energy absent from the others. To wit, “A Girl In Port,” with the full horn section bittersweetly complementing Sheff’s baleful wail, provided the night’s emotional high point.

It’s probably blogging blasphemy to praise an artist’s previous album at the expense of their latest, although I think legions of bands would love to be able to rest their laurels on a disc as fine as The Stage Names and generate that type of excitement. Sheff and Okkervil River have such a wealth of material at their fingertips and such a bright future that it will hardly be a burdensome cross to bear.

Labels: Black Joe Lewis, Okkervil River

By: David Schultz

Even though it was only two months ago, it seems like ages since Okkervil River released their refreshingly articulate and heartfelt fourth album, The Stage Names So it goes with our accelerated culture, we rush to laud lavish praise upon an artist and just as quickly move on to the next talented group that catches our fancy. With Okkervil River, it feels like we’ve moved past them a little too quickly. A little less trivia-oriented than their last New York appearance (in opening for Lou Reed this past April, they became the first artist to perform on the HighLine Ballroom stage), the Austin-affiliated band returned to New York City this past Friday for a headlining stint at Webster Hall.

With singer and songwriter Will Sheff and keyboardist Jonathan Meiburg acting as anchors, Okkervil River’s lineup has evolved slowly. Over the past couple years they have solidified into their current six piece with Brian Cassidy (guitar), Patrick Pestorius (bass), Scott Beckett (trumpet/keys) and Travis Nelson (drums) rounding out the group. Although they wore their rough edges proudly at Webster Hall, they seemed like a band that’s just hitting their stride.

If a great deal of Sheff’s lyrics didn’t paint a portrait of an uncertain soul whose constantly disappointed in his search for meaningful interpersonal contact, the slight awkwardness Sheff exhibits on stage would seem a tad affected. To the contrary, Sheff puts himself out there, finding solace in the release of the song. Singing with an emotionally naked voice, Sheff gives you an idea of what Robert Smith would sound like had he stopped whining or even what Morrissey could have done if he just got over himself. In another era, Okkervil River might have been tempted to follow the path of The Cure or The Smiths and wallow in self-pitying moody anthems. In this one, Sheff confronts his uncertainties head on with a dry Ray Davies style analysis and Okkervil River bottles the resultant energy into slowly building tunes that ultimately burst free from their restraints.

The eighty minute set primarily revolved around its singer/songwriter. Sheff is wordy fellow and he packs a good deal of verbiage into his often alliterative lyrics. He also has a pretty sharp wit; their opening number, “Plus Ones,” makes reference to such inanities as the 51st way to leave your lover, the fourth time a lady and that elusive 100th luftballoon. A great number of the songs centered on Sheff’s vocals and distorted acoustic guitar with Beckett offering plaintive backing on his trumpet and Cassidy contributing nice contrasts on his guitar or mandolin.

The show’s climax featured fantastic runs through the best numbers from The Stage Names: the rambunctious “Unless It’s Kicks,” “Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe” and “John Allyn Smith Sails,” which segues into a wonderfully electrified interpretation of The Beach Boys “Sloop John B.” Their restrained encore, which included “A Stone” and “Westfall,” didn’t have the same energetic rush, though the diehards were thrilled.

Okkervil River will be playing a few more shows in the United States before heading overseas to embark on a lengthy European tour.

Labels: Live Reviews, Okkervil River