Okkervil River is an American indie rock band from Austin, Texas. Formed in 1998, the band takes its name from a short story by Russian author Tatyana Tolstaya set on the river in St Petersburg. They 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 the 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. They have appeared on the talk show Late Night with Conan O'Brien and have performed with acts such as The Decemberists, The New Pornographers, The National, and Lou Reed.
The Okkervil River (Russian: Оккервиль) is a river in Leningrad Oblast and the eastern part of the city of Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is the largest left tributary of the Okhta River. It is 18 kilometres (11 mi) long and 1.5 to 25 metres (4.9 to 82.0 ft) wide.
The name Okkervil appeared in the 17th century, after the Swedish colonel who owned an estate on the bank. On some ancient maps of Saint Petersburg, the river is called Little Okhta (Russian: Малая Охта) as opposed to Big Okhta. Yet other times it is called Porkhovka (Russian: Порховка).
"Okkervil River" is the title of a well-known short story by Tatyana Tolstaya. The Austin, Texas-based indie rock band named Okkervil River takes its name from the story.
Bridges
There are eight bridges across Okkervil River:
References
Tatyana Nikitichna Tolstaya (Russian: Татья́на Ники́тична Толста́я; born 3 May 1951) is a Russian writer, TV host, publicist, novelist, and essayist from the Tolstoy family.
Family
Tolstaya was born in Leningrad into a family of writers. Her paternal grandfather, Aleksei Nikolaevich Tolstoy, was a pioneering science fiction writer, and Natalia Krandievskaya, his wife, was a poet. Mikhail Lozinsky, her maternal grandfather, was a literary translator. Tolstaya's sister, Natalia was a writer as well. Her son, Artemy Lebedev, is the founder-owner of Art. Lebedev Studio, a Russian web design firm.
Life and work
Tolstaya received her education at the department of classical philology of the Leningrad State University. She moved to Moscow in the early 1980s and started working in the Nauka publishing house.
Her first short story, "On a Golden Porch" (На златом крыльце сидели), appeared in Avrora magazine in 1983 and marked the start of Tolstaya's literary career. Her novel The Slynx/Kys (Кысь, 2000) is a dystopian novel filled with literary allusions. She co-hosts a Russian television programme, The School for Scandal (Школа злословия, named after a play by Richard Sheridan). She conducts interviews with representatives of contemporary Russian culture and politics.
Podcasts:
Okkervil River
ALBUMS
- The Silver Gymnasium released: 2013
- I Am Very Far released: 2011
- True Love Cast Out All Evil released: 2010
- The Stand Ins released: 2008
- Golden Opportunities Mixtape released: 2007
- The Stage Names released: 2007
- Black Sheep Boy released: 2007
- An Okkervil River Primer released: 2006
- Sham Wedding / Hoax Funeral released: 2004
- Julie Doiron / Okkervil River released: 2003
- Down the River of Golden Dreams released: 2003
- Don't Fall in Love With Everyone You See released: 2002
- Live at Schubas 05/09/2004 released:
- Live at Schubas 05/13/2005 released:
- Live in Austin, Texas (11-15-2003) released:
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Your Past Life As A Blast
by: Okkervil RiverThe way that sunlight flits across your skirt,
makes me feel I'm from another world,
To touch your face in the morning light.
I hope you're always gonna be around.
The times I struggle to understand why,
The ancient proverbs like Who am I?
Why am I here and What have I done?
I see the answer's place my trust in you
Trust in you love, be with me then,
That's when I want you, that's when I need you the most.
I want us to be like Peter Pan
But dreams it seems are weightless as sand,
And man's supposedly is made of sand
It seems that man cannot survive at all
Let's disappear love, let's fly away
Into the demi-monde, into the twilight zone
The times inside I spent screaming at you
Release me please from this mortal jail
One shrug or smile can determine my fate,
I'm lost for days and have myself to blame
Something I'm giving, is yours for the taking,
Something like sunlight, Love is a spotlight
Love is all sorrow, still I'll meet you tomorrow