press
Live show review from MusicFest Northwest performance in Portland, OR:
"The band's post-recording musicianship shines through on tracks new and old; guitarist Brian Cassidy, in particular, absolutely tears it up on damn near everything (most notably "For Real" and "A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene"), playing melodic, intricate leads on a grizzly, distorted electric that's tone is perfectly in tune with and complementary to the rest of the band's sound. As if that's not enough, he rips out a tight-fingered, intricate solo on mandolin-led "Westfall," too, which serves as the second-to-last song before encore-closer "Okkervil River Song" (predictably but awesomely, the band finished its set proper with The Stage Names closer "John Allyn Smith Sails")..." AMY MCCULLOUGH (Willamette Week) 9/07
Review of Okkervil River's The
Stage Names:
"This doesn’t imply
that the band traded its on-stage passion for cold professionalism. With the
addition of veteran Austin guitarist Brian Cassidy, the sextet now has the “mixture
of good technique and sloppy energy...”
(Harp Magazine) 10/07
Review of a live show in Wellington,
NZ:
"It turned out to be guitarist Brian Cassidy’s last performance with
the band, and his furious guitar-work will be surely missed by audiences. The
drumming was pounding, the interplay heart-attack tight, the riffs anthemic,
the miscellaneous instrumentation adding colour at the right moments."
(lumiere.net) 3/08
Live show review from Sydney, Australia:
"Brian Cassidy is superb, sliding
from guitar to pedal steel to mandolin with consummate skill and ease."
(OceansNeverListen.com) 3/08