Okkervil River Tour & Other Thoughts

‘Silver Gymnasium’

Austin, TX based, Okkervil River, have announced some much needed European tour dates on their outing to support, recently released, Silver Gymnasium (ATO Records).

Silver Gymnasium, simply put, is an interesting, if not self-indulgent masterwork of band ‘intellectual ringleader
William Scheff. The album is more of a grand art school project by Scheff than a straight-up OR release.

The whole project is seemingly based on his, Scheff’s, hometown of Meriden, NH. There is all sorts of throwback references to a place you and I have never been and probably don’t care about. But hey, that doesn’t make this release a bad one. In fact, It is a good one. Something about it makes it hard for me to get more deeply involved in. Most likely its too much of Scheff’s “Me, me, me” for me. 

Please find a dandy/proper review of Silver Gymnasium here.

It is clearly true that Okkervil River have delivered some fantastic works in the past and deserve a good portion of the critical praise given to them over the years. Case in point, I’d spend my money on their, out of this world, collaboration with Austin’s psychedelic music legend and troubled soul, Roky Erickson. 

This album, True Love Cast Out All Evil, is a haunting, honest and rich example of why you pay good money in the record shop for muisc. Okkervil River plays backing band for Roky with Will Scheff acting as producer and the results are astonishing. This is the place to drop your coinbag. Run, don’t walk!

Where were we when this all started? Oh, yes, Okkervil River is hitting some European dates this November. Mostly in the good ol’ Deutschland, which is wildly great! The band will also make stops in France, the Netherlands and the UK. Please go and enjoy! 

Tour Dates

16 Nov – Hamburg
17 Nov – Berlin
18 Nov – Frankfurt
19 Nov – Cologne
24 Nov – Amsterdam
25 Nov – Paris
27 Nov – London

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