Over the Rhine For Christmas

I love live music so little excites me more than discovering that an artist whose recordings I have long enjoyed is even better live. I had that pleasure yesterday, when I attended WFPK's Live Lunch concert with Over the Rhine. The bonus was discovering new, creative Christmas music that includes blues, sex, and death (not necessarily in that order, according to the drummer).

Cincinnati based husband/wife team, Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler are the core of Over the Rhine, an independent musical group that performs and records sometimes as a duo, and sometimes as a larger band. Karin and Linford will celebrate twenty years in musical bliss later this month and, I believe but don't know an exact wedding date, nearly as many in what appears to be blissful weddedness. Yesterday, Linford played keyboard, Karin added acoustic guitar and cookie sheet (only on "Don't Wait For Tom"), and an extremely accomplished and enjoyable trio of musicians joined them, on upright bass, electric guitar, mandolin, dobro, drums and assorted percussion instruments.

I'm a relatively new Over the Rhine fan, owning only The Trumpet Child but hoping some day to catch up on the nineteen years of albums I missed. The writing-all songs written by one or both Karin and Linford-is outstanding. I am a little partial to Linford's songs because he uses more words (Karin says she keeps hers simple because she's the singer and has to remember them), but I enjoy every song on this album and those I've heard from other albums.

Sample lyrics:

(If a song could be president*)

We'd vote for a melody
Pass it around on an MP3
All our best foreign policy
Would be built on harmony

If a song could be president
We could all add another verse
Life would teach us to rehearse
Till we found a key change

(Don't Wait For Tom)

He wears a tuxedo made of sackcloth and ashes
Has a tattoo of a girl who can bat her eyelashes
Down on the river he was fishin' with a sword
He knocked off John the Baptist for a word from the Lord

(I Don't Wanna Waste Your Time)

I don't wanna waste your time
With music you don't need
Why should I autograph the book
That you won't even read
I've got a different scar for every song
And blood left still to bleed
But I don't wanna waste your time
With music you don't need

(I'm on a roll)

This oyster is my world
My oyster's got a pearl
This ain't no dress rehearsal
I'm a very lucky girl

(Nothing is Innocent)

Silence is loud
Humility is so proud
Nothing is innocent now

(Entertaining Thoughts)

I've been entertaining thoughts
Of what I wanna say to you
I've been entertaining thoughts
Of what I'm gonna do
I've been saving what I got
And wondering who to give it to
I've been entertaining thoughts all over you

My daughters say Over the Rhine is folk. I say they are a combination of folk, blues, and gospel. Karin's voice-hints of Emmy Lou Harris and Vonda Shepherd with undeniable classical training--and her use of it are as close to perfect as any I've heard. Since I usually value lyrics as much if not more than music, I'm surprised to admit that I would listen to this woman sing her signature ahs, ohs, and oohs and never miss the lyrics if that was all she wanted to sing.

Every minute of this relaxed, intimate (50 seat) concert was enjoyable but if I had to choose a highlight, it would be watching Karin play the cookie sheet and the personalities of the band come alive during "Don't Wait For Tom".

Over the Rhine on MySpace

Over the Rhine Lyrics

In case you don't know the difference between a bass and a cello. My first answer was, "The same as the difference between a violin and a fiddle." My second guess was, "Strings and how it's played?" I'm still not sure and would appreciate the correct answer from someone who is.