story by Jeremy Piniak
Looking at photographer Michael Wilson's photo that graces the cover
of Over the Rhine's tenth album, OHIO, is a gateway both into the album's
contents and into the band's current state. The picture gazes from a
far-off riverbank of the Ohio River, overlooking the band's central
base of Cincinnati, framed by two trees, which could be representative
of the 2-CD, 21-song offering.
"Michael Wilson's photographs are just so charged with stuff that's
hard to put into words," says pianist and songwriter Linford Detweiler.
"[Vocalist/Guitarist] Karin [Bergquist] cites him as our greatest influence,
but I always feel that his photographs are hard to live up to musically,
because they resonate quietly on so many levels."
Quietly resonating on deep levels is something Detweiler should feel
familiar with. Over the Rhine has managed to quietly fly under the radar
of mainstream America for its 13 years of existence, yet has consistently
been growing a loyal and devoted fan base that stretches across the
country and into Europe.
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DETWEILER'S INNER VIEW
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"I think ultimately our humanity is
what connects us, and part of being human is making a mess
of things from time to time — having the best intentions,
but falling on our faces somehow."
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Detweiler and Bergquist will crisscross the Midwest this month on a
tour to showcase OHIO to its fans and to its new converts, including
two shows Sept. 19 and Sept. 20 at Schubas, a favorite venue of the
band Drummer Will Sayles, who played on the new record. Guitarist/multi-instrumentalist
Paul Moak and bassist Rick Plant will augment the married couple on
tour.
Detweiler's worries of not being able to musically live up to the beauty
of the cover photo are unwarranted - if anything, the two are paired
together hand in hand. Bergquist's vocals hauntingly wrap around sparsely
layered guitar and piano to create an ambitious, diverse album that
mines styles from roots and folk to blues and up-tempo pop. The result
is a jaw-dropping mélange of sweet and sorrow that lures the audience
in listen after listen.
While both the album's title and cover art would lead the listener
to assume the songs contained within to be a heartfelt offering of praise
and love of the band's home, that's only a partial truth. How Wilson's
photo relates to the album becomes clearer after listening to the album.
The stark, disparate texture of the photo provokes a deeply introspective
ache, while the winding bend of the Ohio River toward the city draws
notice to water's symbolic nature of rebirth and revitalization.
Likewise, Bergquist's tales of pain and heartbreak backed by the mellow
melodies of Detweiler and supporting cast are interspersed with references
to faith and redemption, creating two disparate themes that are intertwined
in the two discs. Which is no coincidence, according to Detweiler.
"There is a line in ['Nobody Number One'] on OHIO that states, 'Pain
is our mother, she makes us recognize each other.' I think ultimately
our humanity is what connects us, and part of being human is making
a mess of things from time to time - having the best intentions, but
falling on our faces somehow," Detweiler tells Chicago Innerview. "When
an artist can capture some of that longing to do better, or that bittersweet
feeling of being hopeful but sort of busted up on the inside, I usually
find myself getting interested, drawn in, because it feels real to me.
"On the other hand, I have this undeniable feeling in my life that
I've been and continue to be 'watched over.' There's a whole range of
responses to this feeling. I grew up in 'the church' and we believed
that one day everything would be put right - the lion would lie down
with the lamb, the hungry would be fed, hatred would be an obsolete,
irrelevant force in the universe. I still believe that there is something
ultimately redemptive going on in the world, but I guess I'm still coming
to grips with how I put all that into language, and more importantly,
into action."
After releasing 2001's Films for Radio and touring across the United
States and Europe, Over the Rhine reconvened in the studio unsure of
the direction, if any, they were heading at all.
"We were feeling a lot of self-doubt actually. It was our tenth project,
and the questions tended to come fast and furious: Do we have anything
new to say? Do we still have our spark? Do we still believe in Over
the Rhine's music?" Detweiler says. "Once we began recording in Bloomington
with Paul Mahern, our producer, we quickly realized that the answer
to all of the above was a resounding, 'Yes.' We were saying 'Yes' to
the above with everything we had to offer as human beings, and we came
to believe all over again that our music has a lot to do with why we're
here."
Coming to grips with the concept that Detweiler and Bergquist's calling
was to present their artistic vision loosened up the recording process
and the duo's comfortability with the paths that Over the Rhine have
been traversing for more than a decade.
".There was a strong sense of coming home on this record, and we realized
that writing and recording our songs and spreading them around to whoever
has ears to hear is just what we do. I think we gained a lot of confidence
recording OHIO," Detweiler says. "We make peace from time to time with
who we are, and I think there's a confidence and a maturity and a sense
of throwing caution to the wind that comes through on these new songs."
The breakthrough in the studio became a creative catharsis for songwriting
partners Detweiler and Bergquist, as the songs being recorded quickly
ballooned into double digits. Although at first the group discussed
breaking the songs apart into two separate offerings, they quickly realized
the batch seemed to fit too well together.
"The process of recording the songs on OHIO seemed to set us free somehow,
and once we realized that we wouldn't have to break the songs apart
into two different records, it was a huge relief," Bergquist said in
a press release for the album. "We didn't set out to make a double album.
If that had been the plan, it would have been a disaster."
While overcoming their personal doubts on Over the Rhine's future,
Detweiler and Bergquist also found inspiration and solace in their roots
to the past, specifically those that tie them to the state and city
that provided both the title to the new album and the band.
The pair initially met at Malone College, a small Christian school
in Canton, Ohio, where their paths crossed as students in the music
department. After running into each other again after graduating in
the late '80s, they began writing songs together, eventually forming
Over the Rhine, named for the run-down area of Cincinnati they were
living in at the time.
After a pair of independent albums, the band signed to IRS in 1992.
After that label's dissolvement in 1996 when it was bought out, the
band returned to their independent roots to ensure their artistic autonomy,
releasing the critically acclaimed Good Dog Bad Dog that same year,
along with a Christmas album.
After a couple of years searching for the right fit and touring as
both an opening act and secondary members of the Cowboy Junkies, the
duo signed with Back Porch, a subsidiary of Virgin, in time for 2001's
Films For Radio. Meanwhile, Detweiler and Bergquist were married in
1996, and have called the city on the banks of the Ohio River home since
the band's inception.
Although the duo has seen their fan base swell over the years on both
sides of the Atlantic, they still remain cognizant of the grassroots
loyalty from fans in their home state.
"Ohio fans have been very supportive over the last decade, but we've
worked very hard to transcend a local or regional presence. On Films
For Radio we toured 15 countries in Europe and the UK, and even as an
unsigned band, we toured nationally and internationally," Detweiler
said. "But Ohio is in our blood somehow. We live here. Our friends live
here. Karin and I met at a small college in Ohio. We're not Cincinnati
natives, so some question whether or not we're a Cincinnati band. But
we're definitely an Ohio band - no getting' around that."
Of course, that won't stop the band from spending most of fall on
the road, first hitting the Midwest in September and then separate East
and West Coast swings a month later. Despite the busy schedule, Over
the Rhine is hoping to enjoy their time in some of their familiar haunts,
including Chicago.
"We love hanging out in Chicago, that's one reason we decided to do
two nights at Schubas, instead of trying to fit two shows into one night
like we usually do," Detweiler said. "Hopefully we'll be able to steal
some time by the lake, look up a few of our favorite restaurants, and
used bookstores, and not spend too much money..."
On the tours, the pair hopes to continue compiling footage for a possible
future DVD release that has been a slow burning project.
"We've gathered a bunch of footage, but we feel a bit out of our element,
frankly. Every time we see ourselves on screen, it's either geek overload,
or we feel like Christopher Guest is secretly directing," Detweiler
said. "But I guess we'll try to be brave and continue to gather footage
and probably next year we'll work on cutting something together."
As for other plans for after the New Year, Detweiler can't find himself
looking that far in the future when the present is so exciting. "I can't
think about future albums just yet. Right now, I'm still drunk on OHIO.
This was an important record for us," he said.
If the trend continues, more and more fans will be taking the intoxicating
trip to the lush and atmospheric world of Over the Rhine.