Show Review: Okkervil River & The New Pornographers

I do often get excited about concerts, but it takes a really special concert announcement to excite me to the point I make sure that tickets can be in my possession the minute they go on sale. This did take place when it came to being able to see a band I have been listening to since my freshmen year of college (see post "to Whom I Owe Credit"), early 2006.

After quite a few listens of the track "Kansas City" from the mix that was largely the taste maker of what I listen to today, I came across some full length records by the band, Okkervil River, through another friend.

Since then, I've listened to a live show that was broadcasted via NPR and lived vicariously through youtube videos and photographs from their live shows, hoping for a Nashville show to arise before too long.

My hope for a show was answered when my good friend, Zach, imed me one day, saying "hey, that River band you like is playing Nashville soon,' causing a torrential fit of excitement on my end, requesting he order tickets the second they go on sale [even though everyone knows Nashville rarely ever sells out a show]. He also mentioned that the band Okkervil was opening for was the New Pornographers. I had heard the name dropped quite a bit across the internet and all, but had never really listened to their tunes.

Onto the actual show... we arrived about an hour before the doors to find not too terribly many folks already lined up and I found a spot at the front of the stage when we walked through the doors. The Okkervil boys opened up with "The President's Dead", as I was hoping, moving into a set of songs off the newer record, "The Stage Names", half off the earlier records. This being my first time seeing the band and being familiar with most of their catalog, I was quite happy with the mix of songs chosen.

The energetic and well executed set was around an hour long, much longer than I had predicted and was about the perfect amount for the songs that they fit in. There wasn't too much talk between songs but they had a stage presence that made the audience feel like they were a part of the set, not just people standing in a room, listening to what this group of guys had to say.

Some of the songs the band played included "The Latest Toughs", "A Stone" (with only Will (vocals/guitar), Charles (guitar) and Scott (playing trumpet) on stage for a stripped down version that was similar to the record, "Unless It's Kicks" and a killer version of "John Allyn Smith Sails". They ended the set with "Our Life is not a Movie (or Maybe)" and "Westfall". I was very pleased to see the mandolin busted out for "Westfall", as it is on the record ("Don't Fall in Love With Everyone You See"), plus it is pretty much my favorite track the band has released.

When the New Pornographers hit the stage, I was excited to hear their songs, particularly those off of "Challengers", which I bought about a month or so before the show to get a feel of their sound (which I totally dug).





After opening with "All the Things that Go to Make Heaven and Earth", one thing was quite evident, the first few rows of the crowd, including myself, could not really hear any of the vocals. After a few more songs, the crowd let Carl know this, to which he commented that we were in the front and the sound is always the worst there. Personally, I was not a fan of this comment from the singer, particularly since most of the folks at the show were there to see his band and they couldn't hear any vocals. Plus, he had his amp up a tad too loud for my taste, realizing I was at a concert and all, so that left a kinda bad taste in my mouth.

Being Neko Case and Dan Bejar-less, some of the songs weren't quite what they could have been, though I definatly give props to Kathryn for being able to take over on songs such as "Challengers" for ankle injured Neko and doing it justice. Having never seen the band before, I honestly didn't miss Case being there, or Bejar for that matter. Infact, in Dan's absence, Will Sheff of Okkervil was brought onto the stage to sing "Myriad Harbor". I was pretty content with this, seeing as it happens to be my favorite track by NP and I would feel as if something was missing if the song was not in the set. Plus, I am pretty biased toward Okkervil, so a little bit of Will Sheff thrown into the NP mix didn't hurt anything.

Overall, the vibe I got at the end of the nite was Okkervil River is a great band, particularly live (though the records still have it, too) and the New Pornographers are a record band, not necessarily a live act. The connection that Will and the Okkervil guys were able to have with the crowd just did not come across with the New Pornos. They felt much more as they were playing for the crowd, as a opposed to playing on a level that the crowd could relate to- they knew they were a pretty big band, in the scheme of things and people were there to see the New Pornographers play songs, regardless of who else happened to play that nite.

Of course, keep in mind, I have quite a history of listening to Okkervil River and that has biased my opinion.

In the future, I go see Okkervil anytime they got within a feasible radius of my location, the New Pornographers, eh, it would depend on who else they were touring with.

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Any thoughts on the show or any of the shows put on by these folks? Feel free to share your highly opinionated [or not] thoughts!

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The Week in Jenny

Admittedly I'm borrowing this run down/list style entry from what I've seen on USA Today's actually pretty good blog, Pop Candy

I feel this is ok, because I have many short things to share, which if you are interested, follow the links and see where you end up. (I don't have that many friends I see during the week. I have even fewer of said friends who are interested in the same things I am. Hence, you, small number of blog readers, are the winners of the rundown of things I have heard/learned/discovered this week.]


- The Nashville Scene, one of my favored "alternative" papers in music city has a very much overdue cover story this week, Not Playing Here. Many times have I (and others) made comments about bands skipping Nashville on their tours, opting for Atlanta and other cities that are not necessarily as big as the Nashville market. On top of the story, the cover design is pretty sweet, too.

-There was a casting call for a Hannah Montana film in Nashville this week. My good friend Heather wound up rolling out of the bed really early and trekking it to the Sommet Center to, as she put it, 'stand in line for four and a half hours between some know it all teenagers, just to fill out a piece of paper and give them a headshot.' Hopefully she gets the spot in the crowd of a Hannah concert and can be seen for .39 seconds. I mean, it'd be a reason for me to go see it...(not saying that I secretly might go to the movie or anything anyways. Maybe if the Jonas Brothers make a cameo...).


-The film Juno comes out next week. I never got around to seeing it before it left theaters. Just saw Ellen Page on Leno and according to Zach, she's the most adorable thing ever. I don't know if I'd say ever, but she has a cute sense of style and I dig her sarcastic side.

[photo from Paste Magazine, which includes an article about the band]

- Clearly I'm slacking on my indie cred, never having seen Juno and also I'm just now getting into The National and their record, "Boxer". It was on pretty much at the top of all the top record lists of 2007 and has been sitting on my computer forever, admittedly coming back to mind after seeing the video for "Apartment Story" in American Eagle a few weeks back. I've yet to really get into the whole record, but I'm working on it. I'm about half way through and I'll be sure to post my thoughts when I get them in some organized fashion.


-Jay Reatard is playing Chattanooga. I am not 21 yet (oh, just 2 more months...) and cannot get in the door. If you can and are in town and like good music, show up at JJ's Bohemia on April 29th.

He's playing with Giant Tigers (from Chattanooga- I actually heard about them first through the Grand Palace guys and that's usually a good sign) and Cheaptime.


-Speaking of Grand Palace, my dinosaur enthusiasts friends, Happy Birthday Amy have finally released their full length record. They are touring, like, starting tomorrow, kicking off the jaunt with a house show in Murfreesboro (April 10th) at a house on Greenland.

Check out their myspace for some tunes and if you want to see where they are playing, the exact address of the Boro show or to just buy the record. It should be available in the normal places before too long, I'd assume (ie Grimeys in Nashville, Grand Palace, etc.). Ask for it by name, "Sue".

I've known Amy for a few years now and she's a pretty rad lady- and can definitely sing. They work hard for the money and you should drop a little on the record.


-Okkervil River/New Pornographers show countdown: 8 days. Show up. Sing along with me. It's a Friday nite, Nashville never gets good shows (though I will excuse you if you are Rites of Spring, seeing the Avett Brothers), you know you didn't get Raconteurs tickets because they sold out so quickly.


- One more thing- NPR is amazing. Seriously. I've been overlooking my ipod in the car this week to listen to the interviews, news and random things they share with the world. One of the coolest things I've heard so far is a three part story about this "spiritual cult" from the 70's in L.A.
Part One as linked there, has tons of videos and photographs of the whole ordeal. Biblical-like robes and long flowing hair and 100 people+ living in one huge house- you have to be interested. The main guy, Father Yod, had 13 wives. "Spiritual wives" of course, but wives. Check it out if you are at all interested in any of the counterculture of the 1970's.

Elsewhere on NPR's website, just dig around. Search for an artist you like, they might have a live concert or interview with them. The folks that put the radio shows together, they know what's up in the "cultured" world.

Until next time-