Interview: Peter Silberman (The Antlers) & Will Sheff (Okkervil River)
For much of the 21st century, Okkervil River and The Antlers have stood as pillars of indie rock, each fronted by a songwriter known for deeply emotive, narrative-driven work. In 2024, Will Sheff of Okkervil River and Peter Silberman of The Antlers took their respective projects on the road together — but instead of simply delivering separate sets, the two acts fused into something more collaborative and fluid.
Performing as duos — Sheff joined by bassist Julian Cubillos, and Silberman by drummer Michael Lerner — the musicians blurred the lines between bands each night when performing each other’s songs within a set as a full quartet. While it's not uncommon for artists to join forces for an encore or a song or two, building an entire set around mutual collaboration requires a rare kind of artistic chemistry — and a willingness to let go of ego.
What began as a bit of a creative experiment has turned into something more enduring. The initial tour resulted in a new live album, Band Together, which will be released on Friday, June 6. And after having such a great time on the road together last year, Sheff and Silberman are hitting the road once again, bringing the joint tour to new cities — including a stop at Asheville’s Grey Eagle Music Hall on Monday, June 16.
Asheville Stages caught up with both singer/songwriters to talk about the origins of their partnership, how they choose each night’s songs, and potential future collaboration.
Jonny Leather: How did the idea for your initial collaborative tour first come together? Was there a specific moment or conversation that kicked it off?
Peter Silberman: Will and I had met a few years prior and kept in touch about various things. Somewhere in that time, our respective managers had the idea of this joint tour, which we were both down with. We didn’t know what shape it would take, but over time that came together.
Will Sheff: What was funny was that we were just sort of trying to come up with a tour idea that would work and be fun enough, but I don’t think either of us expected for it to feel as right as it did. At least speaking for myself, I feel a bit like I kind of stumbled into one of the coolest live things I’ve done. Peter and I have quite different singing voices but we blend well together, and our sensibilities are the same enough to work together but also different enough to also be a pleasing contrast. And I think there’s something spiritually at the heart of what each of us do that’s sort of similar and makes it feel very natural. And it’s sort of the same with the rhythm section — Julian and Michael groove really well together in a way that feels very engineered but just fell together naturally.
JL: What’s the process been like for deciding which songs to perform together? What makes a song feel like a good fit for the collaborative part of the set?
PS: The songs that seem to work best are the ones that have some duet component — either one where we can trade verses, or an anthemic singalong. And if a song doesn’t have a natural duet quality, then it becomes more about the support of a full band behind the lead.
WS: It seems to me that Peter came at this with more of an eagerness to tackle his recent material, where I perhaps took a more (small c!) conservative approach and kind of picked some “sure things” that I played a lot in the past — except I tried to reinvent them a bit, and they became semi-“Antlerized” in the process.
JL: Peter, have there been any Okkervil River songs Will suggested that you felt were off-limits or didn’t quite feel right to tackle?
PS: No, I don’t think so. Will has a pretty solid sense of which songs of his make sense for the joint portion of the show. We both write intensely personal songs, and some feel like they should only be sung from an individual perspective.
JL: Will, same question — has Peter suggested any Antlers songs you’ve hesitated to take on?
WS: Peter suggested their song “Putting the Dog to Sleep.” At the time, I told myself maybe it wasn’t as good a fit as some others because it feels so tied to a very specific perspective — i.e. it doesn’t feel like two people make sense expressing the sentiment. I’ve since kicked myself because I love hearing it backstage when they play it. I’ve also since decided that the secret real reason I didn’t want to play it was because I didn’t want to think sad thoughts about my own dog — which is in keeping with what the song is about, of course.
JL: Band Together features live recordings from your last tour. Was that album something you planned from the beginning, or did it come together organically after hearing the recordings?
PS: Will has been recording all of his shows for a long time, so capturing these performances was a natural continuation of his process.
WS: I love recording everything. It’s a kind of Neil Young impulse I have. It comes in handy because I have a Patreon, but it’s also a fun way of feeling engaged even in shows where it’s a kind of odd audience or some aspect of the present moment is bumming me out. I get a whole separate theoretical audience in the future on-board, and they’re on my side! Theoretical audiences are so forgiving.
JL: Were there any challenges or debates when it came to choosing which performances made the final cut?
PS: Will did the lion’s share of the selection process from the massive trove of recordings. Once he narrowed down the best candidates, there were only a few to choose from. And usually the winners were fairly obvious.
WS: I was sort of bummed out by physics — you can literally only fit so many seconds of music on one side of a 12-inch circle of vinyl. In Europe, we did an 11-minute version of my recent song, “Tommy McHugh,” with our European [backing] band Declan Haughian and Lily Wolter, but it would have gobbled up more than half a side. So. I saved that for the private reserve, i.e. my Patreon. Honestly, Band Together flows so much better without it, too.
JL: The original recording of “Lost Coastlines” features an iconic vocal performance from Jonathan Meiburg. Peter, did you feel any pressure stepping into that role? Or was there a kind of freedom in approaching it with your own distinct voice?
PS: I think I felt both. Jonathan has such a special voice and one that’s fairly different from mine, so I didn’t even try to imitate him. I did wonder how Okkervil fans would feel about me singing his parts, but I figured the best I could do was sing it with conviction.
WS: I have a relationship with that song that I think audiences feel but necessarily can’t have, because it’s kind of personally become about all of my memories with the band and all the people who have sung that with me over the decades. But that’s sort of what made it so joyous every night with Peter — like, he was invited into this thing. We were sort of inviting each other into our own worlds and lives for this prescribed window, which I guess is always what a tour is, and it’s always special. And I think maybe that’s why you end up bonding with tourmates in a way that can be pretty profoundly lasting. But it’s even cooler to be singing about that while it’s happening.
JL: Will, do you have a favorite Antlers song? What stands out to you about it?
WS: I mean, especially coming out of the tour, it’s “Green to Gold.” I already love that song because I’m from New England — the land of dramatic season changes — and “Green to Gold” is about that: about living your life through the turning course of the year. But also, there are certain songs in a set that become your anchor points, the songs you know are always going to work. No matter how the rest of the set goes, they’re always going to connect with the audience and always going to be fun to play. And “Green to Gold” was that song for me, so it’s become kind of personally precious.
JL: Peter, same for you — what’s a favorite song of Will’s that’s really meant something to you?
PS: Really hard to choose a favorite. I think “So Come Back, I Am Waiting” was my favorite for a long time, and one that heavily inspired my own songwriting early on. But I’ve found new favorites along these tours. “Blue Tulip” is probably my current favorite.
JL: Spending time on the road together, you get to know someone’s quirks pretty well. What’s something endearing or unexpected you’ve learned about each other?
PS: I’ve gotta say I was most surprised by Will’s archive of copious notes about every show he’s played. That’s come in so handy when playing a venue I’ve never played before, or jogging my memory about one I played a long time ago.
WS: The way the rock world is set up somewhat encourages a kind of glibness; it sometimes seems to me like not a lot of thought is put into honoring the reasons why musicians have chosen this not especially comfortable or lucrative life, or why audiences love seeing music enough to spend their hard-earned cash on tickets. I mean, I know it sounds kind of pompous, but I consider music to be a kind of calling, and I mean that on a spiritual level. Or else why would I be still doing it when music is under such assault from the tech robber barons?
I mean, I think most working musicians feel that way, but they’re maybe a little shy to say it out loud for fear of looking un-fun or full of themselves or something. Anyway, I feel like Peter and I have a lot of fun and make a lot of jokes on tour, but I think there’s an understanding of this being a deeply special and, frankly, kind of sacred thing we get to do, and I felt like I never had to dance around that with Peter. I felt that from him from the beginning, which is maybe why we got along so quickly when we met.
JL: Do you see the potential for writing and recording a full-length album of new collaborative material down the line?
PS: We’ve already collaborated a little bit on one of Will’s forthcoming releases, and I’d expect more of that to come in the future.
WS: Yeah, sure! There’s a song Peter sings with me that I can’t wait to come out. The crazy part is that it was recorded way before we went on this adventure.
IF YOU GO
Who: The Antlers & Okkervil River
When: Monday, June 16, 8 p.m.
Where: Grey Eagle Music Hall, 185 Clingman Ave., thegreyeagle.com
Tickets: $30.75
(Photos: Peter Silberman by K Hover; Will Sheff by Bret Curry)
