Okkervil River announces tour, details of The Stand Ins

Maybe you've heard something about this band with the awkward name—Okkervil ("ocker-ville") River—in the last 12 months. The band is, after all, one of the most engaging live acts around, able to transcend power failures, perform in locker rooms and the backseats of cabs, share recipes and impress even the codgiest of codgers, Lou Reed.

Happily, now is a fantastic time to set sail on the River. Since the August '07 release of the band's latest LP, The Stage Names, the Austin-based sextet has traveled around the world, lost a guitarist (to domestic life) and a keyboardist (to his primary band, Shearwater), given away a free EP for the holidays, watched some Pornos and—somewhere amidst that flurry of activity—found the time to slip into the studio and record an entire album.

The result is the 11-track The Stand Ins, a follow-up of sorts to The Stage Names, set to step into the spotlight on Sept. 9. Pitchfork points out that the new album's artwork (see above), hand-embroidered by William Schaff, is a companion to last year's reaching hand.

Ironically, considering lead singer Will Sheff's way with lyrical phrasing, it's difficult to capture with words just how captivating and unique Okkervil River's rock-folk-punk music can be. There's just no substitute for catching an actual show—so hopefully, this fall, Okkervil River will be flowing through your town. In the meantime, try this video of the band (including the now-skedaddled Jonathan Meiburg) performing three songs on a rooftop for Pitchfork.tv's Don't Look Down series.

The Stand Ins track listing:

Stand Ins, One
Lost Coastlines
Singer Songwriter
Starry Stairs
Blue Tulip
Stand Ins, Two
Pop Lie
On Tour With Zykos
Calling And Not Calling My Ex
Stand Ins, Three
Bruce Wayne Campbell On The Roof Of The Chelsea Hotel, 1979

Dates:

May
31 - Barcelona, Spain @ Parc del Fórum (Primavera Sound)

June
26 - Calgary, Alberta @ Sled Island Festival
27 - Calgary, Alberta @ Sled Island Festival
28 - Calgary, Alberta @ Sled Island Festival

July
18 - Bristol, England @ Trinity Arts Centre
19 - Steventon, England @ Truck Festival
20 - Suffolk, England @ Latitude Festival

August
2 - Chicago, Ill. @ Lollapalooza
7 - Oslo, Norway @ Øya Festival
8 - Gothenburg, Sweden @ Way Out West Fstival
9 - Haldern, Germany @ Haldern Pop Festival

September
12 - Lawrence, Kan. @ The Bottleneck
13 - Omaha, Neb. @ Slowdown
14 - Madison, Wis. @ Barrymore Theater
15 - Fargo, N.D. @ Aquarium
17 - Seattle, Wash. @ The Showbox
18 - Vancouver, BC @ Richards on Richards
19 - Portland, Ore. @ Crystal Ballroom
21 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Treasure Island Festival
23 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ Henry Fonda Theatre
24 - Solana Beach, Calif. @ Belly Up Tavern
26 - El Paso, Texas @ The Blue Iguana
28 - Austin, Texas @ Austin City Limits Festival
30 - New Orleans, La. @ The Republic

October
1 - Birmingham, Ala. @ Matthew's Bar & Grill
2 - Athens, Ga. @ 40 Watt Club
4 - Richmond, Va. @ The National
6 - New York, N.Y. @ Webster Hall
7 - New York, N.Y. @ Webster Hall
8 - Northampton, Mass. @ Pearl Street Nightclub
9 - Millvale, Pa. @ Mr. Smalls Theatre
10 - Buffalo, N.Y. @ Tralf Music Hall
11 - Montreal, QC @ Les Saints
12 - Toronto, Ont. @ Phoenix

November
5 - Norwich, England @ Waterfront
6 - Manchester, England @ Academy
7 - Dublin, Ireland @ Academy
9 - Glasgow, Scotland @ Oran Mor
10 - Wolverhampton, England @ Wulfrun
11 - London, England @ Shepherd's Bush Empire
12 - Brighton, England @ Concorde 2