Report on TBAG Ride to Okkervil River Concert

Way back on September 25th Jeremy organized a TBAG ride to the Okkervil River show at the Clubhouse in Tempe. Unfortunately his report on the ride got lost in the pre-Tour de Fat craziness and we never got it posted. So, here it is…better late than never right?

Recently, TBAG had an opportunity to hook up with Austin-based indie rock band, Okkervil River, to organize a ride to their tour stop in Tempe on Thursday, Sep. 25th.

It was Okkervil’s idea to have fans try to use eco-friendly choices on getting to their performances and they contacted TBAG about hosting a table at the concert. Not a bad idea, considering so many more people getting on bikes for reasons ranging from the rising cost of driving to improved health to a cleaner environment and this was excellent timing with ASU back in session for the fall

The Ride was a mini-tour of Tempe, starting from Tempe Beach Park and heading south on Mill Avenue, the eclectic center of Tempe’s downtown scene, which was actually pretty busy for a warm Thursday night. We took Apache east to Rural, zig-zagging our way to The Clubhouse Music Venue at Broadway & Dorsey, about three miles altogether. We had a small number of riders, just 6, but another 8-10 I talked to came separately to the event based on the flyers and web invites that were sent out. The management at the Clubhouse was cool enough to save us some premiere parking right in front of the door, so we made a bike pile and got in line for tickets.

Supporting acts Zykos and Sea Wolf made some incredible sounds that had us taking turns at the table so we could each get over to the stage to check it out. With complex arrangements using banjos, horns, accordion, and electric piano adding to the guitars and drums, they really set the mood well for the headliners Okkervil River. If you don’t know their music, Okkervil is rootsy, tender, and artful, with complex and thoughtful lyrics. Check out their website www.okkervilriver.com for more, and definitely scope the “Green Tour” page for details on what they’ve got going on in other cities.

The TBAG information table looked great; we even had kids taking pictures of the booth with their cell phones… maybe they thought the name was funny? Eugenia and Stretch from The Clubhouse management were awesome; very accommodating. And so was Will from Okkervil management!

Our only incident involved yours, truly. When I got outside, the Hot Rod had gotten a front flat. Bummer. Oh well, Scott had a pump and all was well. Not bad for any night.

I want to thank The Clubhouse for their hospitality and Will and Malia from Okkervil for their efforts in putting this show together. And extra special, critical thanks go to Rebecca, Scott, Jeff, and Clint for helping me run the table and organize the Ride. Thanks so much, you guys! Looking forward to doing this again.

-Jeremy Deatherage

Tempe Bicycle Action Group

Social Events Committee