Over the Rhine is an American, Ohio-based folk music band, the core of
which is the husband-and-wife team of pianistbassist Linford Detweiler and
vocalist/guitarist Karin Bergquist. The band began as a quartet with guitarist
Ric Hordinski and drummer Brian Kelley. Hordinski left the band in December
1996, and Kelley continued to play into 1997 before departing. The original
foursome reunited in December 2008 at The Taft Theatre to celebrate the 20th
Anniversary of the formation of the band, and again in the summer of 2010 at
Ric's studio, "the Monastery", to play the album "Good Dog Bad Dog" live, in
its entirety. The band's namesake and place of origin
is the Cincinnati, Ohio neighborhood Over-the-Rhine. Karin attended school in
Barnesville, Ohio and graduated from Barnesville High School in 1984. She
then went to Malone College, located in Canton, Ohio, where she met Linford.
Karin and Linford were married in the fall of 1996 in Cincinnati and several
years ago relocated to a pre-Civil War farm outside of town.
Over the Rhine is now primarily Bergquist and Detweiler accompanied by
complementary musicians on albums and tours. Over the years, they have toured
and recorded in many variations. They have shared the stage with Bob Dylan,
John Prine, Adrian Belew, Squeeze, Ani DiFranco, My Morning Jacket, Hem, and
toured as "adjunct" members of Cowboy Junkies.
History Formed in the spring of 1989, at a time
when Detweiler, Hordinski, and Kelley were also touring as part of the final
incarnation of Servant, Over the Rhine released independently their first two
albums, Till We Have Faces, in 1991 and Patience in 1992, before eventually
signing with label giant I.R.S. Records later in 1992. IRS acquired both "Till
We Have Faces" and "Patience," issuing them as the first two releases from the
band, and later in 1994 would fully fund the band's third LP release Eve to rave
reviews. When I.R.S. records was bought out in 1996, Over the Rhine was released
from their five-album contract and went on to independently release Good Dog,
Bad Dog and The Darkest Night of the Year, both of which outsold the three
previous IRS releases combined. In 2001, Over the Rhine signed with Virgin
Records/Back Porch and released Films for Radio to near universal acclaim
before releasing double album Ohio in 2003. Paste Magazine granted one of its
first five-star reviews to "Ohio", released on Virgin Records' Back Porch
Records label. Over the Rhine's next album, Drunkard's Prayer, was released
on March 29, 2005. A limited edition live album titled Live
From Nowhere, Volume 1 was released in April 2006. A second limited edition
live album, Live From Nowhere, Volume 2 was released in March 2007, just over a
month from Discount Fireworks. The Trumpet Child and the "Live From
Nowhere" series have been released on their own independent label, Great
Speckled Dog. Linford has also recorded and released
three solo projects composed of home-recorded acoustic, piano-based
music. In January 2008, Paste Magazine's video
podcast interviewed Over the Rhine and featured a live performance.
Paste Magazine named Over the Rhine's The Long Surrender one of the Top 50
Best Records of the year. Over the Rhine's album The Long
Surrender was released nationally on February 8, 2011 on OtR's own Great
Speckled Dog label. It was recorded in California with Grammy-winning producer
Joe Henry, and contains a duet with Lucinda Williams on "Undamned" and two
songs co-written with Joe Henry. Over the Rhine's album Meet Me at the
Edge of the World is a double album that is produced by Joe Henry. The songs were
recorded in two sessions. Disc one, Sacred Ground, March 28–30, 2013 and
disc two, Blue Jean Sky, April 1–3, 2013 at The Garfield House in South Pasadena.
Aimee Mann appears as a special guest vocalist on "Don't Let The Bastards Get
You Down". The album was released nationally on September 3, 2013.
Studio albums 1991 - Till We Have Faces
1992 - Patience 1992 - Patience
1994 - Eve 1995 - Till We Have Faces
1996 - Good Dog Bad Dog: The Home Recordings
1996 - The Darkest Night of the Year 2000 - Good Dog Bad Dog: The Home
Recordings 2001 - Films For Radio
2003 - Ohio 2005 - Drunkard's Prayer
2006 - Snow Angels 2007 - The Trumpet Child
2011 - The Long Surrender 2013 - Meet Me at the Edge of the World
2014 - Blood Oranges in the Snow) Live albums
2004 - Changes Come: Over the Rhine Live 2006 - Live From Nowhere, Volume 1
2007 - Live From Nowhere, Volume 2 CD copies of Live From Nowhere Volumes 1
and 2 are out of print and only available via iTunes Store.
2008 - Live From Nowhere, Volume 3 2009 - Live From Nowhere, Volume 4
2010 - Good Dog Bad Dog Live Compilations
1997 - Besides 1999 - Amateur Shortwave Radio
2000 - Roaring Lambs Over the Rhine contributed the song "Goodbye" for this
compilation album. 2002 - The Cutting Room Floor
2002 - "Hidden Treasures: Cincinnati's Tribute to King Records' Legacy" Over
the Rhine contributed the song "Fever" for this compilation album.
2006 - The Message: Psalms Over the Rhine contributed the song "Flown Free"
based on Psalm 124 & 129 for this compilation album.
2007 - Discount Fireworks 2007 - "For The Kids Three" Over the
Rhine contributed an original tune titled "Poopsmith Song" for this
compilation. 2009 - Notes from the Monastery" and a
new version of "Flown Free" which was a digital only bonus track)
2011 -"Paint it Black: An Alt-Country Tribute to the Rolling Stones" Over the
Rhine contributed the Rolling Stones cover "Waiting On a Friend"
Special releases 1994 - Serpents and Gloves
2006 - Snow Angels 2010 - "OTR 2010 Demos"
Solo albums by Linford Detweiler 1999 - Solo Piano: I Don't Think There's
No Need to Bring Nothin' 2001 - Grey Ghost Stories
2004 - Unspoken Requests Albums by Ric Hordinski, solo and as
Monk 1997 - Quiver
1998 - Hush 1999 - Blink
2000 - "O" 2001 - How Like a Winter
2003 - When I Consider How My Light Is Spent
2005 - 12/05 2007 - The Silence of Everything Yearned
For 2009 - Notes from the Monastery
References External links
Official website Over the Rhine at AllMusic