The Bloomington Voice, Bloomington, IN
April 21, 1993

by John Byrne

OVER THE RHINE
ETHEREAL DEFINANCE OF CONVENTION

There's a certain beauty in defying convention. Though a risky proposition, forging one's own path can be the surest road to artistic reward. This is often accomplished, however, at the expense of commercial success. IRS Recording artists Over the Rhine understand this and embrace the contradiction and possibility that they just might eventually have their cake and eat it too.

Hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio, Over the Rhine is a quartet of startling scope and depth that centers around the melodic and lyrical compositions of bassist Linford Detweiler and the mesmerizing voice of singer Karin Bergquist. The band's sound, while difficult to categorize because of its wide variety of styles, is consistently lush and compelling.

Taking its name from a particularly gamey section of their native city, Over the Rhine formed in the Spring of 1989 and embarked upon a somewhat unconventional musical odyssey. Instead of developing their sound on the road, the band chose to head straight into the studio to record the songs that would make up their first release, Til We Have Faces. After attempts to get that record picked up by an independent label failed, they decided to release it themselves. By this point it was the summer of 1991 and the band had been performing for only the previous nine months before recording their second record, which didn't come out until the following summer.

But the story doesn't end there. Patience, their sophomore effort, was picked up by IRS Records after its initial release and will now be re-released nation-wide on June 29. All of which leaves the band with the enviable dilemma of reveling in their new-found success while also growing antsy to record the stockpile of material that has accumulated in the last year and a half, resulting in a band that feels "pregnant with songs," according to Detweiler. A solution isn't likely any time soon as the band is preparing for the live work that will be required to support Patience nationwide. "I'd like to be recording again soon," he says, "but at least this way we'll be well prepared when we go back in."

While Over the Rhine may have had their beginnings in the studio, it didn't take them long to hone their chops on the road and work their way into some substantial gigs along the way. After vocalist Bergquist and guitarist Ric Hordinski performed an opening set at a Bob Dylan concert as a duo, the full band, which also includes the understated drumming and percussion of Brian Kelley, was asked to open shows later in the tour. Likewise, last fall after a year of regional touring and some more recording, the band was asked by Adrian Belew's management company, also from Cincinnati, to open a few shows. This soon blossomed into an offer to be the support act on 30 dates throughout the tour taking them all over the West Coast, up to Toronto and East to New York City. They even made a stop here in Bloomington with Belew last fall at Jake's, drawing rave reviews.

The band's press pack, while sparse, is solid with critical acclaim for their performances and albums alike. Clipping's from various US and European papers tell a tale of enthusiastic audience and radio support with Patience garnering the most praise.

While Til We Have Faces was an amazingly cohesive effort for a brand new band, the second record finds them less affected and yet more self-assured in their eccentricities. Veering from bonafide (yikes!) art rock to jangly guitar pop that wouldn't be out of place on an REM or Lucinda Williams record, the band mines familiar territory but never overstays its welcome. True to Detweiler's contention that "songs are the focus, not instrumental prowess," each track is a textbook example of the "less is more" theory. This restraint paves the way for Bergquist's entrancing voice to weave Detweiler's haunting imagery in and out of the tunes' loose structure, meriting only somewhat accurate comparisons to Join Mitchell, 10,000 Maniac's, The Sunday's, Cowboy Junkies et al. "Circle of Quiet" would be right at home on Lone Justice's Shelter. "Jacksie" could be a more ethereal Til Tuesday. But that's only part of the story; Patience defies synopsis.

To find out more one need only: 1. Buy the record when it comes out in June (recommended). 2. Go to the Bluebird Tuesday, April 27 (likewise) and see for oneself. Detweiler implores: "Don't be dissuaded by how laid back the records are. Our live show is much more lively."

Over the Rhine is currently looking forward to a fruitful relationship with IRS which, they are hoping, will afford them the kind of gradual growth that the label found successful in the Eighties with another thought-provoking college radio act: REM. Also in the works is a pair of videos to be shot by two different filmmakers. Detweiler hopes that this will further set the band apart from the pack of pre-fab corporate product that makes its way onto MTV. "We just want the videos to show the wider approach we take in making music."