Here’s the official statement: *Jonathan Meiburg, frontman for Shearwater, has announced that he is leaving Okkervil River to focus exclusively on Shearwater. Meiburg says the split is “completely amicable”, and that Shearwater has grown to the point that it excludes his further participation in Okkervil. “This is just a logical extension of the way things have been going since Palo Santo“, Meiburg adds. “Shearwater’s increasingly demanding schedule has meant that I’ve performed with Okkervil less and less over the past two years, and with Rook coming out in June, we all felt that it would be best if I completely disengaged from Okkervil rather than stretch myself too thin.”* MP3 at bottom.

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MP3: Shearwater – Rooks