The band self-released their first album, Stars Too Small to Use, which led them to the South by Southwest music festival. After recording their first album in a garage, they signed with Jagjaguwar. Okkervil River continued by releasing four more albums, including critically lauded concept album Black Sheep Boy.
After a period of touring for Black Sheep Boy, Okkervil River followed up with The Stage Names. The album sold 10,000 in its opening week in the United States. The group released a free covers album, Golden Opportunities Mixtape from their live performances.
The band has garnered positive critical reception. Especially noted are each song's lyrics, intricate instrumentation, and thematic albums. In addition, they were featured on the talk show Late Night with Conan O'Brien and have performed with high profile bands such as The Decemberists, The New Pornographers, The National, and Lou Reed.
Okkervil River released their most recent album The Silver Gymnasium on September 3, 2013.
Discography:
* 1998 Bedroom EP – Jound
* 1999 Stars Too Small to Use - Jound
* 2002 Don't Fall in Love with Everyone You See - Jagjaguwar
* 2003 Down the River of Golden Dreams - Jagjaguwar
* 2003 Julie Doiron/Okkervil River (A split CD with Julie Dorion) - Acuarela
* 2004 Sleep and Wake-Up Songs (EP) - Jagjaguwar
* 2004 Sham Wedding/Hoax Funeral (A split CD with Shearwater) - Jagjaguwar
* 2005 Black Sheep Boy - Jagjaguwar
* 2005 Black Sheep Boy Appendix (EP) - Jagjaguwar
* 2006 Overboard and Down (EP) – Inertia, Australia-only tour EP
* 2007 The Stage Names - Jagjaguwar
* 2008 The Stand-Ins - Jagjaguwar
* 2011 I Am Very Far - Jagjaguwar
* 2013 The Silver Gymnasium - ATO Records
* 2016 Away - ATO Records
* 2018 In The Rainbow Rain - ATO Records
Current band members:
* Will Sheff - acoustic guitar, vocals, harmonica (keyboard occasionally)
* Travis Nelsen - drums, misc. percussion
* Scott Brackett - trumpet, coronet, keyboards, organ, tape player, misc. percussion
* Patrick Pestorius - bass, piano, woodblocks
* Justin Sherburn - keys, guitar
* Lauren Gurgiolo - electric guitar, pedal steel, mandolin
Past band members:
* Seth Warren - guitar
* Zachary Thomas - vocals, bass
* Jonathan Meiburg - vocals, banjo, guitar, accordion, piano, organ
* Mark Pedini - drums
* Brian Cassidy - electric guitar, pedal steel, mandolin, melodica (keyboard and accordion when on tour without Jonathan)
The Industry
Okkervil River Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But now it's me against something so big and abstract
That I can't tell what it is
All while you're out there, grinding on some poor girl
Who is backstage at the 6.8 rock fest
I thought that you'd be on our side
I tuned it out when I heard you shit-talking our friends
And everyone's just out to grab what they can get
I thought I had a bunch of friends, I guess
I just had people pissed at me for shit
And the cheaper that the music starts to get
It's like they're trying to make us cheap along with it
I watched you turn into your very opposite
Into everything we were trying to reject
And I figured you had had enough of it
Watching the whole world turn while all you earned was "respect"
And look at us; just two dumb country hicks
Trying to bum-rush that VIP
Up there, out where the beautiful people live
But is that ever who we even wanted to be?
Do you remember, baby, back in '96?
When some record was enough to make you raise your fist?
When some singer'd make you sure that you exist?
Well, I never thought I'd feel like that again
Just let go
In Okkervil River's song "The Industry," the singer reflects on feeling disillusioned and alone in the music industry. They thought that they were in it together with their partner, but now they feel like they are up against an undefined, abstract force that they cannot fight against. Meanwhile, their partner seems to be prioritizing their own success over their relationship, hooking up with someone backstage at a rock festival. The singer also touches on feeling betrayed by their friends, who they realize were never really supportive but rather just angry with them for various reasons. The music industry itself is also changing, with music becoming increasingly cheapened and commodified. The singer watches their partner transform into someone who represents all the negative aspects of the industry that they had once been fighting against, and they wonder if this is who they ever wanted to be.
Overall, the lyrics of "The Industry" speak to the difficulty of staying true to oneself and one's ideals while working in an industry that often values profit over creativity or authenticity. The singer's sense of disconnect and disillusionment feels relatable to anyone who has ever felt like they were pursuing something they believed in, only to be let down by the reality of the situation.
Line by Line Meaning
I thought that it was us against the world
I believed that we were united in our struggles against the world.
But now it's me against something so big and abstract
Now I feel isolated in confronting an immense and nebulous obstacle.
That I can't tell what it is
It's so difficult to identify that I can't even say what it is.
All while you're out there, grinding on some poor girl
At the same time, you're having casual sex with someone backstage at the rock festival.
Who is backstage at the 6.8 rock fest
You are having sex with that girl during a performance at the rock festival.
I thought that you'd be on our side
I expected you to be supportive of our goals.
I tuned it out when I heard you shit-talking our friends
I ignored it when I heard you criticizing our close associates.
Well, I wasn't free-falling, we're terrified
I wasn't simply being reckless, we're genuinely frightened.
And everyone's just out to grab what they can get
Everyone is aiming to acquire whatever they can, for themselves.
I thought I had a bunch of friends, I guess
I believed I had a group of friends, but I was mistaken.
I just had people pissed at me for shit
I only had people upset with me for a variety of reasons.
And the cheaper that the music starts to get
The more affordable that music becomes.
It's like they're trying to make us cheap along with it
It seems like they're attempting to make us devalued alongside the music itself.
I watched you turn into your very opposite
I observed you become completely different from your former self.
Into everything we were trying to reject
You embraced everything that we were attempting to resist.
And I figured you had had enough of it
I imagined that you had become fed up with everything.
Watching the whole world turn while all you earned was "respect"
Watching the world perpetually change while you earned only superficial admiration.
And look at us; just two dumb country hicks
We look foolish as two ignorant rural individuals.
Trying to bum-rush that VIP
Attempting to charge into the VIP area.
Up there, out where the beautiful people live
Where the rich and famous people congregate.
But is that ever who we even wanted to be?
But was that ever who we wanted to become?
Do you remember, baby, back in '96?
Do you recall when we were young, back in 1996?
When some record was enough to make you raise your fist?
When a particular recording was sufficient to make you pump your fist in the air?
When some singer'd make you sure that you exist?
When a particular vocalist made you feel certain of your existence?
Well, I never thought I'd feel like that again
I never thought I'd have that feeling once more.
Just let go
Just relax and release your concerns.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: WILL SHEFF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind