Watch Okkervil River’s Will Sheff Bring ‘Nothing Special’ To KEXP

Okkervil River frontman Will Sheff brought his solo band to the studios of Seattle-based independent radio station KEXP on January 20. Sheff led the group through four songs from his debut solo album, Nothing Special, the day after his show at Seattle’s Madame Lou’s.

The singer/songwriter and guitarist tracked Nothing Special over the course of three distinct sessions each held with a different producer. John Congleton (St. Vincent, The War On Drugs), Matt Linesch (Edward Sharpe, Gil Landry) and Marshall Vore (Phoebe Bridgers, Conor Oberst) worked with Sheff on the material featured on the eight-track effort, which arrived on October 7, 2022 via ATO Records.

Will Sheff’s (vocals, guitar, keyboards) ensemble at KEXP saw him joined by Will Graefe (guitar, vocals), Julian Cubillos (bass) and Ross Chait (drums, vocals). Grafe was among contributors to Nothing Special.

The quartet opened their session with the album’s title track. Sheff then helmed performances of “Estrangement Zone,” “The Spiral Season” and “Like The Last Time.” Will went on to introduce the members of his band and discuss Nothing Special with host Troy Nelson. He explained Okkervil River turned into a catch-all for music he created and he wanted to move beyond the sound many associated with that name by releasing songs as a solo artist.

Check out Will Sheff’s KEXP set below: