This weekend, Adriene and I attended the Paste Rock n’ Reel Festival. Paste Magazine has set up a new office in a new work/live/play area in Decatur and it was the perfect grounds for a festival. The area had a couple buildings for movie screenings. Resturaunts, a flea market, and a coffee shop also complimented the normal festival vendors (any place that has Newcastle and Sweetwater on tap is my kind a festival) The festival had a main stage and a new artist stage. For a first year festival, there was a modest crowd, but certainly room for more people. By the time Over the Rhine took the stage in the evening, there were a couple hundred people present to see the show. The weather was a pleasant fall day in the afternoon, but as the sun set, the wind did make things a little chilly.

When we arrived on the grounds, we saw Tyler James at the New Artist Stage. He was a singer-songwriter that played guitar and piano and was accompanied by a cello player. His songs reminded me strongly of the prevalent Coldplay/Damien Rice sound.

One of the highlights of the festival was the screening with the creators of the popular homestarrunner.com website, Mike and Matt Chapman. The Brothers Chaps entertained the audience with some of their more popular cartoons, previously unplayed movies, and a question and answer session with the audience, including anwsering some of the questions in some of their character’s voices. I was amused by their humble self-deprecating humor and their mom-and-pop environment given their expolding popularity.

We enjoyed some dinner and then arrived at the stage in time to catch the end of Brandi Carlile’s set. The best surprise of the evening was Erin McKeown. I had enjoyed her set when she opened for Over the Rhine at the Taft Theater in 2001, but tonight she was even better as she was accompanied by a drummer and playing an electric hollow-body Gretch guitar that gave a full tone in a REM/Peter Buck sound. Though small in stature, she had no problem keeping the crowd involved with her charisma and sound.

Over the Rhine was the reason that came to the festival and they delivered. During the past year, Over the Rhine has toured with Kim Taylor and she joined the band on guitar and background vocals. Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler have also been touring with Devon Ashley on the drums and Rick Plant on the electric guitar and bass guitar.

Set List:
Hometown Boy
Born (/w Kim Taylor)
Spark (/w Kim Taylor)
Lookin’ Forward (w/ Kim Taylor)
Jesus In New Orleans (w/ Kim Taylor)
I Want You To Be My Love
Drunkard’s Prayer
Firefly
Show Me
Latter Days

Linford played bass on “Lookin’ Forward”, “Firefly” and “Show Me.” Rick Plant played electric on all those songs and also on “Born” Plant also played an acoustic bass on “Drunkard’s Prayer”

The band came out dressed warmly. Karin wondered if this really was Atlanta, given how chilly it was. Humorously, the house PA played a mix of music between the performances on the stage, including the song “Born” only moments before Over the Rhine took the stage. Someone requested “Etcetera Whatever” and Karin commented that people there that weren’t familar with their body of work must think that someone was bored with their music. Karin also commented that apparently “I Want You To Be My Love” is becoming a popular song for weddings and they are becoming competition for “The Wedding Song.” They don’t currently play at weddings.

Fun show. Very relaxed atmosphere all around at the festival which I thought reflected the attitude and personality of Paste Magazine pretty well.