Okkervil River celebrated the 10 year anniversary of Black Sheep Boy last year and are now giving listeners something to celebrate in 2016 with the announcement of a new record. Titled Away, the latest effort from Will Sheff and company will arrive on September 9 through ATO.
As a press release explains, the album was recorded in Long Island, NY, using the same Neve 8068 console on which Steely Dan's Aja and John Lennon's Double Fantasy were recorded. Sheff explained the album's genesis in a statement:
2013-2015 had been a strange time for me. I lost some connections in a music industry that was visibly falling apart. Some members of the backing band left, moving on to family life or to their own projects. I spent a good deal of time in hospice sitting with my grandfather, who was my idol, while he died. I felt like I didn't know where I belonged. When there was trouble at home, a friend offered me her empty house in the Catskills where I could go and clear my head. New songs were coming fast up there, so I set myself the challenge of trying to write enough to make a whole record. I didn't really think about what the record was going to be or if I'd even release it — the idea was just to write quickly and directly. Eventually, I realized I was kind of writing a death story for a part of my life that had, buried inside of it, a path I could follow that might let me go somewhere new.
Along with the album announcement, the band have revealed a lengthy run of tour dates, which will take them throughout North America and Europe. The lone Canadian stop at this current time sees them take the stage in Montreal at the Fairmount Theatre.
Find the tracklisting for Away, the complete tour itinerary and a stream of album opener "Okkervil River R.I.P." below.
Away:
1. Okkervil River R.I.P.
2. Call Yourself Renee
3. The Industry
4. Comes Indiana Through The Smoke
5. Judey On A Street
6. She Would Look For Me
7. Mary On A Wave
8. Frontman In Heaven
9. Days Spent Floating (In The Halfbetween)
Tour dates:
06/30 Austin, TX - Stubb's Bar-B-Q %
07/01 Dallas, TX - The Bomb Factory %
07/02 Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall %
07/03 San Antonio, TX - Aztec Theater in San Antonio %
07/14 Portland, ME - Port City Music Hall
07/15 Portsmouth, NH - 3S Artspace
07/16 Hudson, NY - Club Helsinki
07/17 Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
07/20 Brooklyn, NY - National Sawdust
09/14 Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair *
09/15 Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair *
09/16 Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount
09/19 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club *
09/20 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle *
09/21 Atlanta, GA - Terminal West at King Plow Arts Center *
09/23 Memphis, TN - 1884 Lounge *
09/24 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks *
09/30 Phoenix, AZ - The Crescent Ballroom *
10/01 Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern *
10/04 Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom
10/05 San Francisco, CA - The Independent
10/07 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom *
10/08 Seattle, WA - Neptune Theatre *
10/10 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge *
10/11 Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater *
10/13 Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Music Café *
10/14 Chicago, IL - Metro #
10/15 Ferndale, MI - The Magic Bag ^
10/16 Millvale, PA - Mr. Small's Theatre ^
10/18 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer ^
10/30 Oslo, Norway - Parkteatret
10/31 Gothenburg, Sweden - Pustervik
11/02 Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser Strand
11/03 Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega
11/04 Weissenhauser Strand, Germany - Rolling Stone Weekender
11/05 Amsterdam, Holland - Paradiso Nord
11/07 Paris, France - Petit Bain
11/08 Brussels, Belgium - Botanique Rotonde
11/10 London, England - Islington Assembly Hall
11/11 Bristol, England - Thekla
11/12 Manchester, England - Gorilla
11/13 Glasgow, Scotland - Stereo
* with Landlady
# with Lip Talk
^ with Landlady & Lip Talk
% with Shovels & Rope, Matt Vasquez, and Girl In A Coma
As a press release explains, the album was recorded in Long Island, NY, using the same Neve 8068 console on which Steely Dan's Aja and John Lennon's Double Fantasy were recorded. Sheff explained the album's genesis in a statement:
2013-2015 had been a strange time for me. I lost some connections in a music industry that was visibly falling apart. Some members of the backing band left, moving on to family life or to their own projects. I spent a good deal of time in hospice sitting with my grandfather, who was my idol, while he died. I felt like I didn't know where I belonged. When there was trouble at home, a friend offered me her empty house in the Catskills where I could go and clear my head. New songs were coming fast up there, so I set myself the challenge of trying to write enough to make a whole record. I didn't really think about what the record was going to be or if I'd even release it — the idea was just to write quickly and directly. Eventually, I realized I was kind of writing a death story for a part of my life that had, buried inside of it, a path I could follow that might let me go somewhere new.
Along with the album announcement, the band have revealed a lengthy run of tour dates, which will take them throughout North America and Europe. The lone Canadian stop at this current time sees them take the stage in Montreal at the Fairmount Theatre.
Find the tracklisting for Away, the complete tour itinerary and a stream of album opener "Okkervil River R.I.P." below.
Away:
1. Okkervil River R.I.P.
2. Call Yourself Renee
3. The Industry
4. Comes Indiana Through The Smoke
5. Judey On A Street
6. She Would Look For Me
7. Mary On A Wave
8. Frontman In Heaven
9. Days Spent Floating (In The Halfbetween)
Tour dates:
06/30 Austin, TX - Stubb's Bar-B-Q %
07/01 Dallas, TX - The Bomb Factory %
07/02 Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall %
07/03 San Antonio, TX - Aztec Theater in San Antonio %
07/14 Portland, ME - Port City Music Hall
07/15 Portsmouth, NH - 3S Artspace
07/16 Hudson, NY - Club Helsinki
07/17 Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
07/20 Brooklyn, NY - National Sawdust
09/14 Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair *
09/15 Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair *
09/16 Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount
09/19 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club *
09/20 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle *
09/21 Atlanta, GA - Terminal West at King Plow Arts Center *
09/23 Memphis, TN - 1884 Lounge *
09/24 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks *
09/30 Phoenix, AZ - The Crescent Ballroom *
10/01 Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern *
10/04 Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom
10/05 San Francisco, CA - The Independent
10/07 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom *
10/08 Seattle, WA - Neptune Theatre *
10/10 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge *
10/11 Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater *
10/13 Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Music Café *
10/14 Chicago, IL - Metro #
10/15 Ferndale, MI - The Magic Bag ^
10/16 Millvale, PA - Mr. Small's Theatre ^
10/18 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer ^
10/30 Oslo, Norway - Parkteatret
10/31 Gothenburg, Sweden - Pustervik
11/02 Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser Strand
11/03 Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega
11/04 Weissenhauser Strand, Germany - Rolling Stone Weekender
11/05 Amsterdam, Holland - Paradiso Nord
11/07 Paris, France - Petit Bain
11/08 Brussels, Belgium - Botanique Rotonde
11/10 London, England - Islington Assembly Hall
11/11 Bristol, England - Thekla
11/12 Manchester, England - Gorilla
11/13 Glasgow, Scotland - Stereo
* with Landlady
# with Lip Talk
^ with Landlady & Lip Talk
% with Shovels & Rope, Matt Vasquez, and Girl In A Coma
