Many indie kids around Australia clicked their heels and tapped their drum sticks in excitement when the 2008 St Jerome's Laneway Festival line up was announced - featuring Okkervil River for their third Australian tour.

In addition to the Laneway Festival dates, The Texan five-piece will also be doing two very special sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne. The band has been embraced by Australian audiences, both with their live shows and growing discography of guitar biting indie rock drenched in poetic folk charm. The band’s fifth album The Stage Names was released to great reviews in 2007, and is said to be the best yet of a nine-year long career and has drawn comparisons to My Morning Jacket, The Shins and Modest Mouse. After an intense two years of touring the world for their acclaimed album Black Sheep Boy, Okkervil River settled into a new line up featuring Travis Nelsen on drums, Patrick Pestorius on bass, Scott Brackett with his trumpet and keyboards, Brian Cassidy on electric guitar and mandolin, and Will Sheff as frontman and guitarist. The title of the new album, The Stage Names, represents the first accomplishment featuring this new line up. “This is my favorite album we've done. I think of it as a message to myself, from myself, to keep going. And I also think of it as an expression of love and alliance with people who kept going even when they knew it was all over.” Will Sheff.