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2008 > September > 28 > Entry
By Peter Mongillo
| Sunday, September 28, 2008, 08:57 PM
Austin-based Okkervil River took the stage before an eager crowd for their 5:30 p.m. set Sunday on the AT&T Blue Room Stage, with lead singer/songwriter Will Sheff in a suit and glasses, looking a little like John Lennon. Okkervil has in some ways surpassed Spoon as Austin’s most recent success story, and “The Stand Ins,” their newly released follow up to 2007’s “The Stage Names,” shows that they aren’t backing down any time soon.
Sheff and the band started off with “Plus Ones” from “The Stage Names,” where he cleverly references a host of classic number-based songs, including “96 Tears” and “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.” Next up was the Dylan-esque “Singer Songwriter,” one of the stronger songs on the new album. The band stuck mostly to tunes from “The Stage Names,” which isn’t a surprise, as it’s the album they’ve been touring on for the last year, and the poppy feel of the material seems more conducive to the festival setting.
Okkervil is a joy to watch live for several reasons. Sheff embraces the rock star role as he bounces around the stage, singing with his bandmates and dancing with the microphone stand. There are a lot of people on stage, and at times the band looked as if they were going to march down through the audience with their maracas and tambourines. Highlights included “John Allyn Smith Sails,” with Sheff’s re-imagining of the Beach Boy’s “Sloop John B.,” and “Unless It’s Kicks,” a fast-paced romp about being on tour.
Photo: Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN
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