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)
You Can't Hold the Hand of a Rock and Roll Man
Okkervil River Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
While you sit in the van and wait
Gassed and trashed and smashed, young cads roasting away
On a sunny summer day or, okay, an August night anyway
And you're living on air, while on the 25th floor up there
They'd fan a million bucks before your face
Marie's passed out in a chair with her once fussed-over hair
Just an hour before, she crashed, all cashed
She said, I'm done with looking back, and you look your age
Which is thirty-seven, by the way, and not twenty-eight
And fucking let them stare because at this point I don't care
I have been your bride stripped bare since ?98
And our silver-screen affair, it weighs less to me than air
It's a gas now, it's a laugh, just how far several mil can take it
This week's fast as last week's flash of interstate
When you starved and never ate
This week's splashed a sick, gold cast across your face
As you roam on silk, ripped tippy-toe alone through Silver lake
Splayed astride a snow-white mare, on a non-stop all-night tear
What a ghastly sight you smear in every face
In that fat, fur-trimmed affair that your lawyer lets you wear
You'll destroy your chance to ever get repeatedly engaged
The lyrics of Okkervil River's "You Can't Hold the Hand of a Rock and Roll Man" paint a vivid picture of the excesses and illusions of the music industry. The song opens with a scene of drug-dealing and partying, contrasted with the life of luxury that the musician is supposedly living. The first verse highlights the contradictions and hypocrisies of this lifestyle, as the singer watches his crew work for cash while he lounges in the van, and his wife is passed out after indulging in excesses. The second verse continues this theme, focusing on the false glamour and disconnection of success, as the singer describes himself on horseback, dressed in furs, and compares himself to a character in a silver-screen romance that has lost its power.
The lyrics suggest that despite the apparent glamour of the rock and roll lifestyle, there is a hollowness and emptiness to it. The singer seems aware of this, acknowledging that his silver-screen romance is now just a gas, a laugh, and that the excesses of "several mil" can take him only so far. There is a sense of disillusionment and cynicism as the singer reflects on his past and his present, aware that he has lost touch with reality and that his grand gestures and pretensions are ultimately meaningless.
Overall, the song is a powerful critique of the music industry and the illusions of fame and fortune that it can create. The lyrics suggest that success comes at a price, and that the rock and roll lifestyle is ultimately unsustainable, even destructive. It is a poignant and powerful reflection on the cost of chasing dreams and illusions.
Line by Line Meaning
This week's cash for last week's grass your crew collates
You're trading money earned from selling drugs last week for cash this week while your crew is putting it together.
While you sit in the van and wait
You're sitting in the van waiting while your crew puts the drugs together.
Gassed and trashed and smashed, young cads roasting away
The young guys are getting high and wasted in the summer heat.
On a sunny summer day or, okay, an August night anyway
The scene is set in the summer, either during a sunny day or a warm night in August.
And you're living on air, while on the 25th floor up there
You're barely scraping by, while the rich people on the 25th floor live in luxury.
They'd fan a million bucks before your face
The rich people have so much money that they could fan a million dollars in front of your face without batting an eye.
Marie's passed out in a chair with her once fussed-over hair
Marie is passed out in a chair with her hair looking disheveled.
All mussed into an? I've just been fucked shape
Her hair looks like she just had sex and didn't bother to fix it.
Just an hour before, she crashed, all cashed
Marie had just finished spending all of her money before passing out.
She said, I'm done with looking back, and you look your age
Marie is over the past and is telling you that you look older than you claim to be.
Which is thirty-seven, by the way, and not twenty-eight
You're actually thirty-seven, not twenty-eight like you told Marie.
And fucking let them stare because at this point I don't care
Marie doesn't care anymore if people stare at her or judge her.
I have been your bride stripped bare since ?98
Marie has been your wife since 1998 and has been through everything with you.
And our silver-screen affair, it weighs less to me than air
The romanticized version of your relationship means nothing to Marie now.
It's a gas now, it's a laugh, just how far several mil can take it
The fact that you have several million dollars now and can do whatever you want is amusing to Marie.
This week's fast as last week's flash of interstate
This week is just as fast-paced as last week's rush to get from state to state.
When you starved and never ate
When you were struggling and couldn't afford to eat.
This week's splashed a sick, gold cast across your face
You have a sickly, golden glow on your face this week.
As you roam on silk, ripped tippy-toe alone through Silver lake
You're walking alone on silk in Silver lake, trying to blend in with the crowd.
Splayed astride a snow-white mare, on a non-stop all-night tear
You're riding a white horse all over town, partying non-stop all night long.
What a ghastly sight you smear in every face
Everyone you encounter is disgusted and put off by your wild and out-of-control lifestyle.
In that fat, fur-trimmed affair that your lawyer lets you wear
You're wearing a big, fur-trimmed coat that your lawyer advised you to get.
You'll destroy your chance to ever get repeatedly engaged
If you keep living this way, you'll never be able to settle down and get married more than once.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: WILL ROBINSON SHEFF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind