Over the Rhine (w/Jim Bianco) @ The Bomhard Theatre (Louisville, KY), December 12, 2008

a beautiful show last night @ the bomhard theatre in the kentucky center for the performing arts. a theatre worthy of what happens on it's stage, great sightlines throughout and amazing acoustically, and juicy worked it to perfection., the sound was pristine.

the band was in great spirits and having a lot of fun, coming off a successful west coast swing and getting in a week's rest before yesterday's shows here. the wonderful and lighthearted "WFPK live lunch" got the day started off right and the followed it up with a full-throttled gig @ the bomhard last night. the show had a great feel from the start, when a couple of songs in, karin announced that they were dedicating the "whole show" to patrick and sara (some local fans). as she said "they know why" and that was good enough for her, so i'll leave it at that too.

also, since karin's birthday is today, and in an effort to surprise her...between "northpole man" and "don't wait for tom" on the setlist, linford snuck in a surprise happy birthday wish for karin, the band and audience sang happy birthday to her and i was privledged to take her cake out to her on stage to blow out the candles. (that stage, the lights, all the people, is a scary place)

the set was at times; quiet then rockin', spiritual and bluesy, funny followed by emotional. they hit all of the bases, and hit it out of the park. by far, the best show OtR show i've seen this year...and i've seen a few really (really) good ones.

jim bianco, who opened on the recent west coast leg opened and did a nice job. nice music and a very funny guy...seemed he was "enjoying" being in the heart of "bourbon" country. a lot.


"darlin' christmas is coming" on WFPK Live Lunch earlier in the day

Over the Rhine - WFPK "Live Lunch" - Friday 12.12.2008 @ Noon

once again, louisville's most excellent public broadcasting radio station WFPK will be featuring OtR on it's LIVE LUNCH broadcast.

they will be playing a live set @ noon ('til 1:00) on WFPK 91.9FM or you can stream it for FREE @ wfpk.org

look for me on the radio, for i shall be there.

then they play @ the lovely kentucky center for the performing arts, bomhard theatre @ 8:00 on friday evening.

Free Holiday Music from Ellery & Ric Hordinski

Free Holiday Music from Ellery & Ric Hordinski

Cincinnati based husband and wife duo, Ellery is once again giving away their holiday EP for free. It’s titled December Days. Last year’s was a 3 song EP. This year they have added an additional track, a new collaboration with Ric Hordinski called “We Can Dream Tonight.”

Free Download - Ellery December Days




Also, Ric Hordinski (guitar virtuoso from Cincinnati, founding member of Over the Rhine & Monk) is having his annual holiday show with special guests, Ellery on Dec 12th @ Ric’s Monastery Studio in Cincinnati.



Ric and drummer Brian Kelley will also reunite with Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler (Over the Rhine) for one night only, Friday December 19th, for the first time in over 12 years @ the Taft Theatre in Cincinnati.

for more info:
Ellery

Monk (Ric Hordinski)

Over the Rhine

2 weeks of fine music coming up...

to wrap up the year, i've got a couple of good weeks of fine music coming up.

dec 11 - thurs @ the dame (lexington): ben sollee, daniel martin moore, neva geoffrey
dec 12 - fri @ the bomhard (louisville): over the rhine
dec 14 - sun @ the 20th century (cincinnati): grace potter and the nocturnals
dec 19 - fri @ the taft theatre (cincinnati): over the rhine 20th anniversary celebration (the first 10 years w/ric hordinski & brian kelley)
dec 20 - sat @ the taft theatre (cincinnati): over the rhine 20th anniversary celebration (the second 10 years)
dec 21 - sun @ st. elizabeth (norwood/cincinnati) - over the rhine sunday soiree

wrapping up the year with my 132nd live OtR show.

Cincinnati Entertainment Awards @ The Emery Theatre (11.23.2008)

seems that at the end of the day, they, just like us, are geeky fans of great music too. =)

kim taylor - the cincinnati entertainment awards "singer/songwriter of the year" / ralph stanley - the newest member of the CEA "hall of fame" / karin bergquist - presenter, past CEA "hall of fame" inductee and "2007's music ambassador to the city" (photo taken w/karin's i phone, i believe)

i was invited by karin bergquist and linford detweiler of over the rhine to attend the cincinnati entertainment awards last night at the emery theatre in over the rhine. the emery, much like the over the rhine neighborhood seems to be under perpetual renovation. but it was great to see the old place get some much needed love and attention. hopefully, someday soon it will be a fully functioning venue once again (with heat and running water).

the show was a blast, opened by a band assembled to honor the late james brown and king records and led by the legendary bass player, bootsy collins. that they were dead on, the singer had brown's vocals and stage presence nailed, and the 12 pc band with a full horn section and back up singers were amazing. a helluva way to kick off the show. the "headliner" and hall of fame inductee, closing out the evening was the legendary country/bluegrass singer, ralph stanley and the clinch mountain boys.

bootsy and company brought down the house with a stunning tribute to JB to kick the night off and stanley was the absolute personification of professionalism and dignity. at 81 years old and 42 years on the road and just out of the hospital the day before with vocal problems, he and his "clinch mountain boys" gave a courageous and classy performance to close the evening out. he struggled but gave it his best, which was more than good enough for everyone there. it was a honor to see this man perform.

karin and linford both presented and it was a pleasure to watch as karin got to present her friend, kim taylor (or kim-FUCKING!-taylor, as she announced it) the singer/songwriter of the year award. linford said while presenting the electronica/experimental music award to: "chick pimp, coke dealer at a bar" (which i think he just enjoyed saying), "you've got to love and be proud to be from a city that puts on a show that opens with a bootsy collins tribute to james brown and closes with ralph stanley..."

despite there being no heat in the theatre, no running water (ie:port a potties in the alley outside) and sound & technical problems galore...ther was a great vibe in the goint and it was a great night (even though you can't find a damn thing to eat in downtown cincinnati on a sunday night).

performers: Bootsy Collins, Ralph Stanley, Eclipse, The Seedy Seeds, and The Sundresses



the winners:
BEST LIVE ACT
Foxy Shazam

BEST MUSICAL AMBASSADOR
Bootsy Collins

BLUEGRASS
Rumpke Mountain Boys

BLUES
Sonny Moorman Group

COUNTRY
The Turkeys

EXPERIMENTAL/ELECTRONIC
Chick Pimp, Coke Dealer at a Bar

FOLK/AMERICANA
Jake Speed & the Freddies

HARD ROCK/METAL
Foxy Shazam

HIP HOP
Eclipse

INDIE/ALTERNATIVE
The Seedy Seeds

JAZZ
Faux Frenchmen

PUNK/POST PUNK/HARDCORE
Knife the Symphony

R&B/FUNK
Daughters and Sons

ROCK
500 Miles to Memphis

SINGER/SONGWRITER
Kim Taylor

WORLD MUSIC/REGGAE
Super-Massive

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Daniel Martin Moore

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Barkinghaus, The Sundresses

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Seabird

Over The Rhine Turns Twenty + New Video For "Desperate For Love"

*clicking on the picture above will take you to OtR's online ticket page, in many cases ordering directly from them will save you the TicketBastard (tm) fees.

Over The Rhine Turns Twenty
Saturday, Oct 25, 2008 6:11AM
If fans bump into husband and wife Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler shopping for china, its not to mark their wedding anniversary.

The pair is actually preparing to celebrate their twentieth year together as Over The Rhine.

The duo will mark the occasion with a five part tour, the first leg of which kicks off November 7 at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C., and will hit Athens, Ga.; Charlotte, N.C.; and Madison, Wis.

The second run of shows covers the West Coast, launching with a pair of shows November 29-30 at The Triple Door in Seattle and moving on to Portland, Ore., Klamath Falls, Ore.; San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Part three of the anniversary trek will see Over The Rhine playing shows in Louisville, KY. on December 11 and Chicago on December 12.

The journey will culminate with a trio of shows in Cincinnati. A December 19 show at the Taft Theatre will cover music from the band's first decade, with a December 20 show at the same venue featuring tunes from the second.

Finally, Bergquist and Detweiler will throw an afternoon soiree at the city's St. Elizabeth's Cathedral December 21, featuring wine, festive food, conversation and a special acoustic performance.

And how does the couple feel about two decades as Over The Rhine? A little overwhelmed.

"Almost 20 years, it's just sort of hard to take in," Detweiler said on the band's web site. "There are days when we feel utterly blessed and charmed."

"That this labor of love could continue for 20 years, that our audiences still continue to grow, that this music continues to get spread around by people who are often in the process of becoming life-long friends - it all smacks of the miraculous."

and
over the rhine has completed a very cool animated video for "desperate for love" from their lastest studio release, "the trumpet child." click on the link below and give it a peek.

Over the Rhine - Upcoming Tour Plans & 20th Anniversary "Reunion" Plans

as anyone who know me and has read this blog often knows that over the rhine is my favorite band and i also feel lucky to consider them my friends. this year they are celebrating their 20th anniversary as a band.

over the rhine has gone through many changes over the years, the original foursome; karin bergquist, linford detweiler, brian kelley and ric hordenski formed in 1989. in the fall/winter of 1996, ric left the band and brian followed soon after, karin and linford continued on with the name over the rhine.

after ric and brian's departure karin and linford performed as over the rhine using several different configurations; as a duo, tro including jack henderson and as full band with with several different bass players and drummers and terri templeton on backing vocals.

the taft show this year will feature the first reunion of the original foursome in 13 years (btw, this is a reunion, they are not reuniting permanently) along with several other variations with former and current members of the band. friday night will consist of music from the first 10 years, saturday night will feature the second 10 years.

below is a letter from linford to their fans filling them in on the details. enjoy, his letters a really a fun read...

Greetings dear listeners,

This first day of September feels like a new beginning. Here we are hunkered down on our little farm in Southern Ohio. What will happen next?

Some of you no doubt heard that we cancelled our recent trip to Colorado because of a health setback. We missed you. But there’s no place as welcome as home when it comes to recovery, and we continue to learn about the importance of rest, and slowing down, and recognizing the need for a break. Maybe we’re still waiting for our souls to completely catch up with our bodies. Sometimes our bodies make the decisions for us.

Yes, The Trumpet Child=2 0chapter is winding down. It’s been a full year with thousands of miles covered, hundreds of interviews given, and so many memorable evenings of music with all of you who we continue to think of as our extended musical family. Some highlights that come immediately to mind: our recent appearance at The Newport Folk Festival. (Standing side stage and watching Levon Helm sing and play The Weight is something we’ll never forget.) Playing to amazing outdoor crowds at some beautiful summer sheds this summer was a whole lot of fun for us. (We hope the trend continues!) And we had a fantastic time leading another songwriting workshop this past August in Santa Fe with 16 people who taught us so much. (We listened to songs, but we talked about life.) We could go on.

Yes, now we’re out here under a familiar Ohio sky, a few familiar trees. Many of the hundreds of birds that nest here on the farm are getting ready to fly South. Elroy and I watched in disbelief as a few dozen cedar waxwings flew down on both sides of the path all around us yesterday and began eating ink berries. The male indigo buntings are starting to fade, their blue a little less miraculous everyday. We’re still picking plenty of late-coming ripe tomatoes out of the garden, both yellow and red. (I’m still convinced that cupping a hand beneath a plump, vine-ripened tomato in summer is a par ticular pleasure that the church must have forgotten to forbid.) But the golden rod is yellowing, and will soon announce in earnest that ready or not, fall is coming. You can hear it out here in the night orchestras of insects: Sing like your life depends on it, it won’t last forever.

One significant mile marker which makes our own heads spin is the impending 20th Anniversary of Over the Rhine. We recorded our first demos in the Spring of 1989. Those songs eventually became the record, Till We Have Faces, and now almost 20 years later, it’s just sort of hard to take it all in. There are days when we feel utterly blessed, charmed. That this labor of love could continue for 20 years, that our audience still continues to grow, that this music continues to get spread around hand to hand by people who are often in the process of becoming life long friends – it all smacks of the miraculous.

But then there are days when we feel like we’re auditioning for a starring role in the book of Ecclesiastes. Did any of it matter at all? Did we accomplish anything even remotely unique, or worthwhile, or useful? We know the work did matter to us and to others. We know the music at times played a life-giving role in some of our stories. We know some folks listened to the songs during their last few days on earth. But some days are a drawn veil: we just can’t seem to access the meaning in any of it.

I know it’s a cliché, and this paragraph will be wasted on the young, but now, looking back from this vantage point, 20 years seems like a snap of the fingers, gone. I’m sure this has something to do with the fact that we buried my father this Spring. But there are days now when we pan back on a chapter that’s ending, and the overwhelming feeling is, We had so little time. The years vanished. Take care what you hang a life on.

So we hope to live in the present. There’s a goldfinch sitting on her new nest on the other side of the locust grove even though summertime is running out. There’s a thick, cream-colored mug of fresh coffee on the desk. We’re still here. There’s still time. I’ll bet good money the September moon will rise with her full-lipped face and drench us in her sacred light.

When we least expect it, in our hearts we’ll come to find, a tiny, insubstantial spark of hope.

So what kind of beautiful ruckus will we make in the next 20 years? How will that look? How should we join in, play our small part in the everywhere, always going on song? Good questions. We’ll have to find out. But first we’re going to have a little fun.

Join us if you dare.

***

Over the Rhine in Concert (Please see OvertheRhine.com for details. All concerts below will feature full band performances.)

OCTOBER
October 11, Elk Creek Vineyards, Owenton, KY. Pour me a glass of wine, talk deep into the night, who knows what we’ll find… Join Over the Rhine at a fabulous winery during the prettiest month of the year for an outdoor concert under October skies. It’s a short drive from Cincinnati, and we’d love to make this an annual tradition. Don’t miss this very special evening – a first for us. (Yes, we’ll think of this as the unofficial kick-off of our 20th Anniversary festivities. We’ll lift a glass of something good together.)

NOVEMBER
November 7, Guilford College, Greensboro, NC
November 8, Melting Point, Athens, GA
November 9, Visulite Theatre, Charlotte, NC (We thought we’d check in again on our friends in the Southeast before the year got completely away.)

November 15, Majestic Theatre, Madison, WI (Lookin’ forward to returning to this lovely, historic venue…)

WEST COAST CHRISTMAS TOUR
November 29, The Triple Door, Seattle, WA
November 30, The Triple Door, Seattle, WA
December 1, Aladdin Theatre, Portland, OR
December 2, Ross Ragland Theater, Klamath Falls, OR
December 4, The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
December 6, The Troubadour, Los Angeles, CA (We promised we’d head West and find all y’all this December…)

MIDWEST CHRISTMAS DATES
December 12 - Louisville / Bomhard Theatre (Friday) [*revised/corrected]
December 13 - Chicago / Double Door (Saturday) [*revised/corrected]

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF HEARTACHE: A Special 20th Anniversary Holiday Celebration of the Music of Over the Rhine:

December 19, The Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, OH: An evening with Over the Rhine. featuring music from decade one.

December 20, The Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, OH: An evening with Over the Rhine, featuring music from decade two.

Here’s the skinny folks. The first night, we are going to delve deeply into the early recordings which include Till We Have Faces, Patience, Eve, Good Dog Bad Dog, and our first Christmas record, The Darkest Night of the Year. We will enlist the help of various musicians and guests for this first evening, but are very excited to announce that Ric Hordinski and Brian Kelley will be joining us to revisit many of the early songs which launched our career.

The second night will focus on songs from the last ten years, drawn from the recordings Films For Radio, OHIO, Drunkard’s Prayer, The Trumpet Child, and our most recent Christmas record, Snow Angels . Again, look for various guests and key contributors to Over the Rhine’s recordings as the night unfolds.

Sound like a party? Yes it does. (Discounted tix for those attending both nights are available at OvertheRhine.com.)

And we will bring the year to a close once again at St. Elizabeth’s in Norwood, Ohio, with our Sunday Soiree, on December 21st at 3pm. God willing, we’ll bask in the afterglow of a two night stand, another amazing year, share some wine and refreshments, and conjure up some acoustic music in this ragged, sacred old cathedral. More info and tickets will be made available soon at OvertheRhine.com.

We’ve got some other 20th Celebration plans up our sleeves for 2009, including Cayamo Cruise in February of 2009 with Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, John Hiatt, Buddy Miller and others.

And we’re working on our first round of deluxe Over the Rhine songbooks. Finally.

Well, we hope you can share the above with us. It’s no fun at all without you. Thanks again for being part of this ongoi ng adventure.

All the good stuff your way,

Linford and Karin

Over the Rhine announces "Special 20th Anniversary Celebration!" & Christmas tour dates

cincinnati based "over the rhine" has announced their annual christmas tour plans culminating with a two date, 20th anniversary celebration @ the taft theatre in cincinnati. looks like it's going to be a fun run of shows...

Sat, 2008-11-29 Seattle, WA - Triple Door
Sun, 2008-11-30 Seattle, WA - Triple Door !
Mon, 2008-12-01 Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater
Tue, 2008-12-02 Klamath Falls, OR - Ross Ragland Theater - On Sale Now!
Thu, 2008-12-04 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
Sat, 2008-12-06 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
Fri, 2008-12-12 Louisville, KY - Bomhard Theater - On Sale Now!
Sat, 2008-12-13 Chicago, IL - Double Door
Fri, 2008-12-19 Cincinnati, OH - Taft Theater
Special 20th Anniversary Celebration!
Sat, 2008-12-20 Cincinnati, OH - Taft Theater
Special 20th Anniversary Celebration!
Sun, 2008-12-21 Norwood (Cincinnati), OH - St. Elizabeth's

obviously, of special note are the first ever west coast christmas tour dates and the two "special 20th anniversary celebration!" dates @ the taft on 12-19 & 20, which should be a very special weekend.

as far as ticket info, only the ross ragland theater and bomhard theater tickets are on sale now and more info will be released in the near future. stay tuned for more info.

Over the Rhine - Live From Nowhere (Volume 3)

every year during late november and early december, over the rhine does a series of dates throughout the northeast and midwest that have become known by their fans as the christmas tour. the tour culminates a week or two before christmas at cincinnati's beautiful "taft theatre." for the past couple of years they have followed the taft show (on saturday night) with a sunday late afternoon/early evening informal and intimate gathering of music, friendship, wine and cheese by candlelight at a beautiful yet tired, worn and previously abandoned church in their old neighborhood of norwood. recently the church, st. elizabeth's (aka: st. e's) has been reclaimed, rejuvinated and in is in the process of restoration by many of karin and linford's friends from the neighborhood, it's new life seems to be serving and suiting both it and the community well.

the "taft weekend" has become the big event of the year for OtR and their fans with people travelling in from all over the country and the world (seriously) for these shows. along with the music there are group dinners, late night drinks and early morning breakfasts and coffee. over the years it has become a great gathering of friends and like minded people who really enjoy sharing their time, interests, stories and their lives together. it is really an amazing, inspiring and life affirming couple of days.

three years ago, OtR had the idea of capturing some of the more special moments from these shows, at times mixing in a couple of previously unreleased studio gems and putting out limited edition, "fan" only series titled "live from nowhere" (named after their ohio farm, "nowhere farm"). volume one sold out quickly and has become very rare, with copies on e-bay auctions fetching in the $75-100 range. volume two is getting hard to track down but a limited number are still available... if you look hard enough. and after several unavoidable delays and a setback due to the unexpected passing of linford's father, volume three started hitting mailboxes today.

the players on volume three are the current touring band; karin bergquist (vocals, guitar, piano), linford detweiler (piano, acoustic guitar, electric bass, vocals), jake bradley (upright bass, electric bass, lead guitar), mickey grimm (drumkit)and violinist, paul patterson (from the cincinnati symphony orchestra) guesting on a couple of tracks. the setlist, this time culled exclusively from live shows, was mixed & produced by david "too damn juicy" foreman. dave is a master behind the soundboard and always maxes out OtR's sound, regardless of the venue and these mixes come directly from his 4 track masters and his production on this disc is simply amazing.
track listing
1. Motherless Child
2. Angel Band
3. Hush Now (with Fantasia Cadenza)
4. Trouble
5. Nothing Is Innocent
6. I'm On A Roll
7. Don't Wait For Tom
8. Drunkard's Prayer
9. Who'm I Kiddin' But Me
10. Northpole Man
11. Snow Angel
12. Latter Days

'nuff said.

do yourself a favor...

live from nowhere - volume three can be ordered directly from the band @: overtherhine.com - featured products

and volume one and volume two are also available directly from the band via download @ overtherhine.com - downloads

on a personal note, i am proud to have been fortunate enough to have my photographs featured in each of the live from nowhere releases. it's very rewarding to have your work used by artists that you respect both personally and professionally. here are the pics from this year.

over the rhine - fraze pavilion/dayton, oh (07.23.2008)

beautiful show on a beautiful night night in a beautiful venue full of beautiful people.

last night, once again, OtR delivered bigtime. a killer show at the fraze pavilion in kettering, oh (south of dayton). it was a beautiful night for an outdoor show, not too hot or humid, nice breeze, the only negative was that as the sun set it was very bright and directly in the eyes of the band (but they all looked pretty hip in their shades). this show was a part of a summer series of free wednesday night shows sponsored by the venue, the city and several local businesses. personally, i'm always leary of these types of shows, since they are free the crowd has no "investment" in the show, many times they are filled with people that are not really fans of the artists or of music in general and they tend to be a place to just hang out for the evening. thankfully, that was not the case last night. great crowd.

the venue holds around 4,000 with a variety of seating; comfortable fixed "stadium type" seating up front, a nice casual lawn in the middle and aluminum bleacher seating in the rear. my guess is that there was well north of 3,000+ people there. the audience was great, quiet, attentive, respectful and appreciative. since OtR has played in dayton pretty much since their beginning and had many a sold-out night @ the canal street tavern, there also was a nice awareness of them and the music. the fraze is a nice, small outdoor "shed" or ampihtheatre in the middle of a large park/green space with much better acoustics than most. maybe it's the size and/or it being surrounded by trees rather than a sea of asphalt and parking lots. and as usual "juicy" had it dialed in perfectly.

the band was in great sprits and having a lot of fun playing and enjoying the crowd. while introducing "trouble" and playfully (and "suggestively") dedicating it to those out "on a date," karin spotted a young married arriving a little late, just spreading out their blanket on the lawn and had a little fun with them. soon the whole crowd was turning back and looking at them.

they played two sets, mostly from "ohio" and "the trumpet child" with a couple of covers thrown in;

set one
i don't wanna waste your time
born
trouble
i'm on a roll
miss ohio (gillian welch cover)
cruel & pretty
the trumpet child
who'm i kiddin'
changes come

set two
ohio
professional daydreamer
show me
drunkard's prayer
if a song could be president
don't wait for tom
b.p.d.
my city was gone (pretender's cover)
encore
orphan girl (gillian welch cover)
latter days (K&L Only) *not originally on setlist

everything was great, but they really rocked it on "miss ohio" & "my city was gone" and you could have heard a pin drop during "latter days." kenny is a nice addition to the usual foursome and as i joked with karin after the show, the lynyrd skynyrd dual lead guitar thing works well for them.

apparently everyone liked what they heard too. i jumped in and helped @ the merch table both during the break and after the show and we were slammed, i've never seen it that busy. they sold out of a couple of cd's and tees and still had people buying as security was hustling everyone out of the venue.

as i said; beautiful show on a beautiful night night in a beautiful venue full of beautiful people.


the line-up was:
karin bergquist (vocals. acoustic guitar, piano, cookie sheet) | linford detweiler (piano, acoustic guitar, backing vocals) | jake bradley (upright bass, electric bass, electric guitar) | mickey grimm (drumkits) | kenny hutson (electric guitar, pedal steel guitar, electric mandolin)

kudos to karin for her "this cookie sheet kills fascism" note on the bottom of her cookie sheet. the spirit of woodie guthrie lives on in these trouble times, he would be proud. =)

and congrats to jeanne on #75

featured artist - over the rhine

written and submitted by: bill ivester

over the rhine

karin bergquist

linford detweiler, karin bergquist

over the rhine is a paradox of sorts, beautiful words and music from people that were inspired by and named themselves after a tired, worn and violent inner city neighborhood. they have an intensely loyal following, yet until recently, it wasn't out of the norm to see them play to a well attended but less than capacity audience in their own hometown of cincinnati. their home audience may have taken for granted or been slow to recognize what they had, but many others weren't. they may not be a household name, but it is not uncommon to attend a sold-out show in new york, atlanta, massachusetts or new zealand. and at those shows, in casual conversation it is commonplace to strike a chat with someone who may be attending far from their home, like hawaii, colorado, california, texas, new york, florida, toronto, belfast or even katmandu (yes, katmandu). while their cd's can be hard to find through chain & "big box" stores people seek & find their music at independent retailers and via the internet and traditional channels, they have sold well over a quarter of a million albums, with one of them selling more copies in paris (france, not kentucky) than in the state of ohio. they are known for introspective and inspiring songs sung by their beautifully voiced co-founder and singer, karin bergquist, and two of their more recognizable and popular songs in concert are light-hearted songs with their keyboardist and other co-founder, linford detweiler taking the lead on vocals. i could go on…

OtR has gone through many changes and line-ups since the original foursome of mostly college acquaintances; karin bergquist, linford detweiler, ric hordenski, and brian kelly formed the band 20 years ago this fall. at the end of 1996 the band went through major changes, ric and brian moved on and karin and linford emerged as over the rhine, and carried on with the name. since that time they have performed as a duo, trio and with several varying configurations and styles of music. during these years there have been many great players (jack henderson, matt slocum, byron house, devon ashley & brad jones to name a few) joining and supporting karin and linford on stage and on record. the current line-up is primarily a four piece band consisting of karin (vocals, guitar, keyboard), linford (keyboards, guitar, bass, backing vocals), jake bradley (bass, guitar) and mickey grimm (drum kit).

over the rhine: linford detweiler, karin bergquist, mickey grimm, jake bradley

karin and linford were recognized by paste magazine as part of a very exclusive group that they considered "america's 100 greatest living songwriters," an acknowledgement they richly deserve and earned. over the years they have shared the stage with artists the likes of; bob dylan, john prine, cowboy junkies, ani difranco, buddy miller and have played in smokey dive bars, the ryman auditorium and pretty much everything in between, and in couple of weeks they have been invited to play at the legendary "newport folk festival."

they write music from their own lives and life experiences, the results are deeply personal and come from a place of both joy and fear; “the saddest songs are the happiest, the hardest truths are the easiest.”(long lost brother-ohio). their songs are ripe with both spirituality and doubt and they comfort and assure those that are dealing with personal doubts and fears with affirmation, joy and love. "yeah, we’re gonna be alright/you can close your eyes tonight/‘cause we’re gonna be alright" (etcetera whatever-good dog bad dog). their style continues to evolve, they consistently seem to reinvent themselves and remain relevant, fresh yet familiar to their fans.

in order to remain true to their music, their vision and most importantly, themselves... they recently left their label to form their own imprint, "great speckled dog" (named after their great dane, elroy), to ensure that they can make and release music that they want to make, on their own terms. the first release on the label was the well received, "the trumpet child" and their second, the limited edition, "live from nowhere volume 3" will be shipping shortly. a couple of years ago, they were challenged by david foreman, their sound engineer to "go deep...go deep or don't go at all." in my opinion, and that of many others, not only heve they met and exceeded dave's challenge, they have left it in the dust.

i feel blessed to have stumbled on a used copy of their first record, “till we have faces” 17 years ago and again to have wandered into "the wild beet" on a cold winter night where they were playing 12 years ago to hear them live for the first time. in the years since, they have become the soundtrack for my life. they have given me peace, joy, laughter and brought more than a tear or two to my eyes also. their music has helped introduce me to people that have become great, lifelong friends that i have shared bread, wine and my home with on many occasions in the past and look forward to doing so again in the future. i have seen them 126 times since that first night in bloomington 12 years ago, to steal another line from one of their songs, "i need thousands more, at least."

and more importantly than everything said above, they are damn fine people that i am proud to call my friends.

i hope you’ll give them a listen and maybe find some of what i’ve found, if not from them, from someone…

to find out more visit:
overtherhine.com
over the rhine (myspace)
over the rhine (facebook)
*music is posted on the myspace & facebook pages

"i don't wanna waste your time" - flevo festival

"if a song could be president" @ WUTK Radio/knoxville