Okkervil River has released the first song off their much anticipated album, The Silver Gymnasium. The song, entitled “It Was My Season”, gives fans a glimpse of what to expect from the album. Set to release in September, “The Silver Gymnasium takes place in 1986 in a small town in New Hampshire”, says Will Sheff.
Okkervil River’s own Will Sheff has openly expressed his excitement for their upcoming album. “It Was My Season” was the commencement to the new musical chapter in each band member’s life. The lyrical video holds a deep meaning for Sheff and his band mates. Filmed near his hometown, the video took place in the Town Hall of Plainfield, NH. In the video, long-time town librarian, Nancy Norwalk, demonstrates a light show on a stage painted by well known artist, Maxfield Parrish.
Some might wonder why he chose to incorporate the town’s librarian in the video, but her personal history with the town and the stage are apart of what makes the video personal to the band. “For the first song from the record I wanted Nancy to give everybody out there in internetland a chance to see her run the beautiful times-of-day lightshow by hand to the accompaniment of the music.”
When asked what his inspiration was for the setting of the video, Sheff referred to his childhood and the way the Maxfield Parrish backdrop was apart of his daily hangouts. People around Plainfield would use the stage as a sanctuary, performing there and selling through concession windows.
“I wanted to go back to film it to see if it was really there and was as cool as I remember it. It’s even cooler now thanks to the great work of Nancy Norwalk and a group of Plainfield preservationists who cleaned and restored it.”
says Sheff.
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