Will Sheff /  Okkervil River

Taking their name from a short story by Russian author Tatyana Tolstaya, Okkervil River are a Lone Star State-based indie rock outfit led by erudite tunesmith Will Sheff, who has remained the sole constant member throughout the band’s tenure. Employing a wide range of styles that veer from vivid Americana and pastoral folk to rowdy indie rock and electronic-tinged psych-pop, the band became a regional fixture before finding national success in the mid- to late 2000s via acclaimed LPs like Black Sheep Boy and Stage Names, and subsequently with late-career highlights such as Silver Gymnasium.