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Daytrotter, which broadcasts reliably excellent live shows from major and up-and-coming indy bands (and which???bless their hearts???releases tracks as mp3s, free to all) has been a favorite source of new music around the office for some time. In fact, we would go as far as to say that a number of Daytrotter session tracks are superior to the recorded version. A little over a year ago, the site launched a spin-off feature called Bookery, in which musical guests select and read passages from books and the occasional cinema classic. When Okkervil River recorded a session late last year, it seemed natural that the bandleader, Will Sheff would read from the Tatyana Tolstaya story that gave his band its name.
Will Sheff reads from "Okkervil River"
I've been guest blogging at my buddy Bob's music blog (Gimme Tinnitus) all week. So, I've got writing and music on the brain. Here's a taste...
Have you ever read John Berryman's poetry? Half of the indie rock songwriters in the world have been reading his stuff, and you should too. Berryman wrote ragged, emotional poetry, breaking rhyme scheme and rhythm rules in the most amazing ways.
Here's Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds wailing about writing and postmodernism and John Berryman's suicide. We Call Upon The Author (track via Snuh's LiveJournal).
Of course, The Hold Steady needed to talk about Berryman too. Here's a live version of "stuck between the stations," punctuated by the amazing line: "There was that night that we thought that John Berryman could fly. / But he didn't so he died" (track via Captain's Dead)
Finally, here's Okkervil River riffing off the Beach Boys and singing about John Berryman's last days. It's called John Allen Smith Sails, and was one of my favorite songs last year. Go to the band's website for much, much more.
(track via Mixtape 4 Melfi).
I'm not the only person who thought about this. Brandon Stosuy wrote an essay about The Hold Steady and Berryman, called, excellently enough, How a Resurrection Really Feels.
