What's your favorite Over the Rhine memory? It could be a show you saw, the first time you heard that song that got into your brain & heart, or something else entirely.

Share here!

Easy. I still think about this sometimes, and it always brings a smile.

Backstory: We talked with the band after the Lexington show, which is cool enough, but nothing new. They thanked us for the flowers and I sat around in my usual state of dropped-jawed awe while the boys talked up Linford and Karin.

Story: the next night at Coney Island we got there early, were first in line, and sat right up front--nothing but mosquitoes between us and the band. After the show I hung back with the slackers and chatted while waiting for the deluge to thin out before offering my "Excellent show, guys, thanks!" to Karin & Linford at the meet n greet. When it finally seemed our group was ready to leave, I grabbed my stuff and planned to just tell them on the way out. As I approached, Karin was radiant, Linford beaming, and I was a little sad the night was ending. Karin spotted me through the crowd, took a step and yelled out, "Anna Belle!" before embracing me like a long lost sister. I dropped my stuff and hugged back. She smelled so good. I was dumbfounded. I still am. I was just Fan X before, and now I'm Anna Belle!

every one. but, the "southgate house", is possibly the best concert i have ever been to, period. this was the first show they played after karin's mother had been sick. karin did the whole show seated, you could tell it was emotional for her, after the first song or two, she simply said "thanks for coming...i think i need this more than you do" [paraphrased, but very close]. it was an amazing evening, the crowd was into it, they were into it, it was quiet, it was respectful, it was emotional, it was perfect.

the taft shows are always memorable for me also, an annual highlight...more for personal reasons i think. but, leo kottke singing "jack's valentine", karin & ron sexsmith singing "so this is christmas", karin, buddy & julie miller on "helpless", those encores are hard to beat.

the current "thank you" re:"me" on the website ranks pretty high on my list also. better yet, there just are no negatives, no bad memories, only good ones, which in today's world is pretty damn nice.

The first time I saw Over the Rhine at the Edge Fest in 1997 was pretty amazing just because I discovered this band out of the blue, but that's not the best show I've ever been to.

The Cornerstone shows I've been to have been incredible, because they really stretch out and go late into the night.

...and the Taft 2001 show. Everyone on the stage singing Neil Young's "Helpless." I'm so glad this made it on to Cutting Room Floor

but I'd have to say my favorite memory is seeing them on the Christmas Tour in 1997 in Nashville at the old Caffe Milano. I had purchased The Darkest Night of the Year just a couple of months earlier and Over the Rhine will always be equated to Christmas for me.

I'll just go ahead and shamelessly pimp my website here. If anyone wants to share memories for the Over the Rhine History site (http://thedirtroad.net/otrhine), I'm all ears! Check it out and re-live some of your favorite concert memories.

Jeff

I think my best memory has to be my first real concert. (After seeing them once at Taste of Cincinnati, or one of those outdoor shows on Central Parkway)

The show was Emery Theatre, Cincinnati, must have been November or December of 1997 or somewhere around then.

The theatre was dim and crumbling and the paint all peeling off the walls. Karin wore a velvet blazer, in red I think. I was awestruck. I sat next to a guy I was so in love with at the time and he smelled like fabric softener and Karin sounded like an angel and I could hardly see for all the emotions I was swimming in.

It was the first time I realized that "Latter Days" would take on a different meaning everytime I heard it, like the ultimate chameleon song it can illuminate any variety of situations.

I'll never ever forget.

* * * *

this night's conducive to a
flight into my soul

Jeff,
I love Karin's note about how she happened to do this cover. How true the feeling of helplessness must have been for her, as it was for all of the world, to watch the horrible events of 9/11 unfold on TV. How nice that you were able to see it as it was recorded for CRF. It's one of my favorites from that album.
T xo

after d/l'ing all their mp3's at the site - i ordered TWHF and GDBD. my first favorite listening memory was hearing 'cast me away'. i remember feeling bummed out that it was ending after only 45 seconds, and then 'and can it be' started... "this night is so big, this night has stars falling into my hands". the fading of 'cast me away' going into 'and can it be' is still one of my favorite recording moments of all their cd's.


i've only seen them twice so far, but my favorite live memory was the San Diego show last May. if only because it was my first show and i'd been hoping to see them live for so long. just seeing them take the stage (teeny as it was) was wonderful.

Ysobelle had done an awesome secret gift/card/picture gathering for karin and her mom and gave karin the things some of us had sent to her at a show a few months before i saw them. i sent out a Ti leaf lei and at the san diego show when i went to introduce myself, karin thanked me for that lei. it's like you were saying anna, you think you're Fan X and then they go and recognize who you are. i was floating for weeks after those shows.

Jeff, I love your history site. I've found it to be very helpful many times.

Like Bill, I think every time I see the band is special, and I've seen almost every show at Canal Street since 1993. (I've missed maybe 4.)

WOXY (97X) made me a fan of the band when they started playing "How Does It Feel?" from the self-released version of Patience, and I thought I'd go crazy until I could buy that cd. (Today, with the Internet, it's a snap, but back in the early 90's, OTR wasn't even in cd stores 45 miles north of Cincinnati.) Over Labor Day weekend, WOXY had their 20th anniversary "Labor of Love" weekend, where they played nothing but requests from listeners. They played "How Does It Feel?" for me that Sunday night, the day after the Coney Island show. Which was also cool, because I was with Anna Belle, Keith (from NY), Bill & Chuck from Detroit (who hasn't made it here yet.)

Jeff, I've just been looking over your site and find it a very interesting and well put together piece of work.
I've bookmarked it and I'll take my time reading it, as there is A LOT.
Thanks for the webaddress...
T xo

That would be Karin shaking my hand and smiling at me wide-eyed after the 8/29/03 Lexington show, saying "You're Keith from New York? Thank you so much for coming!" Lest anyone thought my handle was merely regional chauvinism, now the story has been told. Thanks again to bivester for making me a hero.

I really enjoyed talking to Linford about his solo compositions after the show too, but his wife is ... well, she's Karin.

Wow! Took a quick look, I'll be spending a lot more time there when I can.

Clearly a labor of love, thanks Jeff!

The first time I saw Over the Rhine live, I think, was when I REALLY got it. It was, ironically, at my rival college, Hope. But they have this gorgeous old chapel, which is badly heated and cooled, and uncomfortable and has these wonderful big stone arches in the front, its the perfect place, visually, to see a band like Over the Rhine for the first time. It was rather accoustic -- Karin Linford and a guitar/multi-instrumentalist. I guess that was spring of 2001. Jack's Valentine live is irreplaceable.
The first time I heard Bothered live was pretty good too. And the time I went with two guys who both had crushes on me and I was oblivious at the time "wow, these guys are pretty cool to arrive 3 hours early with me for a band they don't know". Ah, innocence. I guess every time is pretty special.

Before last years concert at the Fine Line (Mpls) I had written Linford and asked if he would play a couple bars of "Let the Lower Lights...." just so my Mom in heaven would know I hadn't lost all my moorings. Anyway, the concert finished without the "Lower Lights," but then they came on for an encore and Linford creatively wove in a couple bars of "Lower Lights." Karin, puzzled, commented dismissively on his piano ramblings and they went on with their encore. Left me in smiles.

That is a cool memory, Bubba. Left me in smiles too.

It may not have been my favorite OTR show, but seeing them at Malone College last year was special. I didn't know that Linford and Karin were alumni, nor that they had met there, until Linford told several stories throughout the show. Well worth driving several hours each way!

Two Moments stand out for me:

One, the concert at the Emery Theater in 1997. My gf and I flew down from Illinois that weekend, spent the night in a fabulous hotel, ate at the Melting Pot and I proposed to her that day in the afternoon before the concert. Sitting next to my new fiancee, ever song brought on new meaning. Especially Miles - 'You can write your name on the water, you can drift on out to see, you can treat me like a daughter, you can write your name on me' and 'Once a stranger, now more than a friend'...Not to mention 'Lucy'. It was all just a fabulous weekend.

Our last dance at our reception was memory number 2. We picked Rhapsodie to dance to. Holding my wife in my arms and just thinking about the day was really special.

--pete

simple --

the first time i heard LATTER DAYS
stopped me in my tracks, forced me to sit down, and hit repeat over and over again.

zayne

Having been a fan for such a long time, this is a hard question to answer. I'd have to say 3 memories stick out.

The first is the first time I saw the band live at Pepsi Jammin' On Main in the spring of 1995. For some reason this isn't listed on Jeff's history page. I know this was before the 1996 show with the riots because 1994/95 was my freshman year of college. OTR was amazing and I picked up all the CD's they had available at the time.

The second is Ric and Brian's last show at the Emery Theater. Sorry to see them go.

My last is 2 rolled into one. The release concert for GDBD in 1996 was to be played at Sawyer Point but was called due to rain. Lots of people disappointed. I then saw OTR at C-Stone that year and at their first show Karin mentioned that concert and my friend and I cheered and Karin pointed at us and thanked us for being there. Made me feel a little special. I guess we were the only ones who were at the Sawyer Point show and the first C-Stone show.

Done.

Mistaken for a listee, I was invited to a little pre-OTR show gathering at Daniels.

*curtain, lights
*Open on a noisey pub, lots of people chattering away in all corners
*spotlight on girl entering pub
*Some of the din is quieted by those who notice a girl standing in the middle of the room, curious as to why she's just standing there looking at everyone as if waiting for someone to recognize her
Girl : *clears throat* Is anyone here Jessica or Bruce?
*quiet*
*she turns slightly red as they make strange faces

A boy in the corner of a crowded booth stands up, "Bruce isn't here yet, why don't you grab a seat? I'm Dan."
*girl gets grins*

mmmmmm....Dan,
Margarita

Halloo-

Cornerstone '96. I had been aware that the band existed for years (I'd seen Ric in '88 in Margaret Becker's touring band, saw her again in '90 and found out from her current guitarist that Ric was with a great new band in Cincinatti doing some really cutting-edge stuff), and was curious about them, but hadn't yet heard them. My brother and I arrived at the farm late Wed eve, set up camp, and moseyed over towards the display tent. We were surprised to see an unannounced pre-fest concert in progress. I asked someone on the edge of the overflow crowd who was playing, he said "Over the Rhine" with a don't you know them expression, and I thought Oh COOL. So Marcus and I stood there for the rest of the show, grinning with glee at one another as we listened to the most beautiful music I had ever heard, played by these great instrumentalists (the original quartet plus Chris Dahlgren on acoustic bass) seated as if in their living room, sung by this gorgeous woman whose voice made my skin prickle and my blood race. It was perfect.

That's the first part. The next day I'm in the display tent and I recognise Karin and Linford weaving their way through the crowd in my direction. Immediately my mind is flailing about for something to say to them, some way to get to know them. They're almost to me and I don't have anything better than I saw your show last night you were great, when Karin looked at me and exclaimed, "Camp Luz!? Linford look at this!" I happened to be wearing a T-shirt from the camp where I had worked for two years. It turns out that Linford's family gathers there for Christmas, and I had likely cleaned up for and after them, maybe even met him, without knowing how close I was to one of my future heros. I myself am often amazed at life's little quirks. So we talk for awhile, and I'm thrilled to make the Mennonite connection (he later signs my GDBD "To a fellow child of Menno"), and they are both so relaxed and personable. I knew I'd found something precious.

-Kirk

One of my favorite memories was the Dec. 17 2001 show in Milwaukee

The capper
of the evening were the encores,first "All I need is everything" then the
"Kodak" moment.During the last song "Latter Days" 1 couple got up
to slow dance and during the words "And if the music starts before I get
there dance without me. You dance so gracefully" I saw Karin look down at
the couple with the biggest smile of satisfaction knowing that for this
moment everything is alright because of the connection.

This little excerpt came from my full review here

http://jeffreyholland.tripod.com/otrhine/r...ev12172001.html

some of my favs,

1)I did a show with a fella who gave me his copy of GDBD. I didn't really listen to it much for the 1st 6months or so. My wife and I became separated (and eventually divorced) and I happened upon the cd. It was an epiphany. I listened to it constantly for a year straight. You know it so well you breathe along with Karin.

2)I first saw them at Park West in Chicago. It was so amazing. I couldn't believe how good they were live. After the show, L & K braved the cold to say hello to everyone. I was completely agog.

3)I was in a music store with a friend. I happened across Films For Radio shortly after its release. I had no idea it was coming out. "oh my god, they have a NEW album!!"...I listened to it constantly until...

4) I discovered their website and bought the whole catalog! oh, sweetness...

5) opening my mailbox to find OHIO.

6) knowing that there are people out there that appreciate something as much as I do.

mark

My favorite OtR memory took place about 7 or so years agowhen I saw OtR opening for VOL at the 40 Watt in Athens, GA. Scattered bar crowd, noisy, loud crowd until the opening line of the show: "Cast Me Away, from yesterdays things" then on into And Can It Be." If I could have bottled the sound, the perfect sound that were cast over my own two ears that night, I believe I would have the answer for world peace. There have only been a few other times musically that have been so close to that perfect peace. Another time was Fernando Ortega, and again from our beloved OtR. Still, this many years later, can pinpoint what I was experiencing thinking back to that opening line of the show. Amazing. Utterly amazing.

Russ

It really is fun looking through some of the posts that seem to have fallen off the site since the official move in March. Anyone else want to share?

Thought I would give this a bump and offer up a couple of favorite moments..

First, the August 2003 Lexington show...Not only did I enjoy a great OtR show, I met some new friends for the first time....Anna Bell, Bill, and Keith from NY.

Second, Taft 2003 seeing all the flowers brought out onto stage given to the band by many of us Orchard members...

Brian Kelley to Karin before the first c'stone concert:

i'll spray that thing (mic) with mint if you'll hold the mic closer to your mouth!

(i will never understand how Karin could ever have been shy about her voice)

d.
xo karin (xo Brian for that matter)

Well first I would love to see a show! My son was ill so I missed Moon Dogs{I am from Pgh}
I was going to go to La and see you at the Knitting Factory and surprise an old friend.
But the show was canceled. The moment I heard OtR on WYEP! I had to hear twice then check the web site to catch the name! I love music , but, some times new things are too generic and white bread! OtR was like wheat bread with honey!

the first (and only) time they played in Spokane, WA at Whitworth College.

wow, what a treat.

come back to the west coast soon!!!

Hey, Russ, I know Fernando. I used to work for him. He does give superb concerts!

Reading this thread has made me a little misty-eyed. In a couple of months it will be an entire year since I've seen them live. <sigh>

It's hard to pick a favorite, but I think I'd pick the Park West show in spring 2000 -- my best friend was visiting from California for just a day, and she and my roommate and I spent the day at the Lincoln Park Zoo, then walked around the neighborhood window-shopping. It was such a beautiful day, and I felt so contented just hanging out with my friends, and then the concert just blew me away. It was the grand finale to a perfect day. I remember walking out to the car afterward feeling so in love with life . . .

I also have several favorite memories, but I'll limit my stories.


#1 - Cornerstone 1991 - There was a buzz that year at the festival about OTR. No one had really heard them very much and people were talking all over the campground about this band from Cincinnati. Well, I went to the show and thought they were great. I bought a copy of "Til We Have Faces" and had all four members sign it. Had some small talk with the band. Cool stuff.

But the best memory is when I was talking to some new friends I had made the next day at a seminar. We were talking about who we had seen the night before and this girl (Jessica) started talking about the Over The Rhine set. I was getting ready to tell her I saw them too, but decided not to. I wanted to hear her impression of the show before I gave her mine. She talked for 30 minutes about how awesome the band was and how the music touched her in a way that no other music had. She talked about how the music ministered to her and how she needed that in her life at that moment. We prayed for each other that afternoon and had a glorious time in the Lord. We connected because of OTR. I know for a fact that OTR touched her life and had an impact that will last throughout eternity. Her enthusiasm and joy she expressed for Over The Rhine has never been forgoten by me. I look back now and realize that it wasn't just Jessica that was touched that night by the music of OTR. I know that I, along with the hundreds in attendance, were touched as well on that hot, July night in Illinois way back in 1991. Thank you, Over The Rhine. Thank you Jessica, wherever you are.

#2 - Indianapolis, circa 1992/3 - I don't remember the exact date of the show. All I remember is:
a. The crowd was small.
b. The band was loud, tight, and smoking hot that night.
c. Margo (my date) looked incredibly hot.
d. We had an awesome time.

my favorite memory is my first otr experience, in part because it engendered so many more memories.

i was on a class break at kent state, and decided to waste some time in the campus book store. i noticed that they'd added listening stations to their very small cd section, and i was drawn to this melancholy-looking album called "good dog bad dog." i had never heard of the band before, but i put the earphones on and pushed play... and then there was this simple piano playing softly... and then there was this beautiful woman's voice singing, "what a beautiful piece of heartache this has all turned out to be..." and after the first ten bars or so i knew that i had discovered what would be my favorite band thereafter. i turned up the volume and checked to see if i had enough cash to pay the $17.99 plus tax. i carried it around in my bookbag for the rest of the day and took it out while i was waiting for poetry class to start... i read the lyrics and was giddy to get home and listen to the whole cd. i listened to it that night and over and over again for the next six months, until i finally realized they had more, many more, and so on and so forth.... i've gone on here, but it was the first ten bars that did it. that certainty and excitement... like they had been dancing without me but the song wasn't over so there was time to slip into my dancing shoes and join the song...

I would have to say that having heard from other people how Linford is more outgoing and Karin is more shy that I got to experience the opposite. It was at a small coffee house here in VA and I got to grab Karin's setlist. After the show I brought it to them to sign. Linford said about 2 words to me and then Karin explained in detail all of the notes she had made on the set list. They were both cool, but it was fun to have a different experience than what everyone else was telling me about their personalities.

Good memories here. I have more than a few OtR memories that range from the post-nuclear to the literal pre-dawn. Each of them though is buffeted all the way down memory lane by minor-keyed vibe notes and an acoustic fluttering veil.

1. I can recall with great detail trying to explain the metanarrative that arcs over the image of "the imaginary apple" to a man who was tattooing it on my upper arm. He drew the shimmering lines of light around the hands as he considered this odd mythos. Or is it a poesis? I don't know, but it makes a killer tattoo.

2. And there is the time I took this beautiful young girl, who would later become my wife, to an Over the Rhine show in Platteville, WI. It was a place they wouldn't play too often in the future, which is unfortunate. Crimson showers of velvet swept the auditorium in dark waves, a glimmer of gilt architectura suggested itself from dark corners. It was basically Lynch's red room, but bigger and backwards and thus...forwards. The stage was lit by several candles, the ubiquitous flowers on a rickety table dragged from backstage, and Karen and Linford and Jack filled out the rest of the negative spaces with their undulating shtick.

We were in the waning years of college then, and this young lady I was dating at the time had developed a crippling case of insomnia. Our times together at breakfast had turned into a staring contest between her and various things you can smear bagels with. But, here we are at this show. In a darkened room to be sure. In comfortable seating to be sure. Her head leaning on my arm, with the wide, dull eyes of an insomniac to be sure. But halfway through the set, sometime in the midst of a solo on the pedal steel by Jack, I noticed that her breathing had regulated itself to the rhythm of The Seahorse. I woke her up after it was all over and she kissed me on the cheek. She slept in the car all the way home.

3. Years later, we stand beneath a white, ivy-laced chupa built with my own hands about to slip rings on each others fingers and kiss for the first time as one thing. We turn and are presented to the audience of friends and family. We begin to walk, and as we hit the stairs a solitary guitar sings out the first few bars of Never Quite What it Seems. Great way to start a life.

I want one! I have not been to a live performance! Maybe I can make it to the Purple Door?

ahh...happyscout...this is your penance for having seen too many killer concerts in your life! I don't know that I could ever trade having seen OtR for any or all of those glorious shows you have attended in your life. but I do hope you get a chance to catch them, and so make your joy complete.

My favorite Over the Rhine memory took place the first year that they played Cornerstone.

A friend of mine told me that a local band that I liked (The Introduction) would be performing on the new band stage with a new lead singer and a new name (I guess that was sort of true). Curiosity took control and I make a point to catch the show during the festival.

During the show, the power went out, so Karen and Ric came out into the middle of the audience and finished with an acoustic set.

The whole thing blew me away. After the show, I ran to the vendor tent and threw all my money at them. They were kind enough to give me a CD and a few other items in return.

Through thick and thin, I have been a devoted Rhinelander ever since.

Welcome Jeeves...
That's a great OTR memory. (You've been a fan for a long time)
Funny how how not surprised that they finished the set in the audience acoustically....they give and give.
Come to the Member Bios section and introduce yourself.
Nice to meet you.

hey! i was there, too! nice!

******
i think my new fave otr memory is:
libby, kylie, becky, michelle, nichole, luke, steve (walrus), keith, anna, bruce, dan, margarita, tory, bill (louis), trudes, jeanne, dave, and socal steve!

yay!

My favourite memory would be singing "Etcetera, whatever" to my wife at my wedding (With only a slight stressing on the "we don't need a lot of money"-part...").

It's hard to beat, if it qualifies as a "otr"-memory...

Patrik

The Dayton weekend was unforgettable.
I can die happy.

Almost the whole gang (even Dave is edited in!)

LOL!

I love that Dave put his head on that Woody Guthrie poster. It cracks me up every time I see it.

Since I haven't seen the band live (yet), my favorite Over the Rhine memory so far is the night a girl I really really really like sent me an offline IM that said something like, "Listening to Over the Rhine ~ Latter Days," and I just *knew* I had to check 'em out.

: )

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Theres quite a few to consider...first time seeing the band with all the candles on stage, opening for Squeeze, multiple Schuba's or a True Tunes show.. Its the Schuba's show July 2000.

We had just started dating, me getting back in the saddle after the destruction of a 10 year marriage, she a recent widow. We were both going through the changes that life deals out after such loss. I had already done the "guy" thing and burned her a couple cd's of my fave OTR songs, when the band came to town. It was our 4th time actually going someplace together in public and not just hanging out telling each other our history. You've already been there, the beginning..the total infactuation of a person you can't get out of your head if you had to. (Heck, I didn't even tape the show which tells you where my attention was!) I remember everything about her that evening. It was the perfect place for us to be at that moment. The music, the positive vibes from the audience, those new feelings bursting out... I didn't hang out or talk with the band but yeah, thats my favorite OTR memory.

though i have seen otr live many times, i would have to say my fave memory is how they have been a part of the moments in my life where it was simply me and god. the times i couldn't quite find the words to express what i was feeling or understand what god was trying to say to me and listened to their music or just meditated on their lyrics.

Here are my 2 favorites, in descending order:

1) Cornerstone last year. My friends and I were popping back to our campsite for a second, middle of the night on the 4th, when through some miracle of acoustics I can hear OTR clear as a bell as they were playing the gallery stage (I'd caught them earlier at the Grassroots stage). Just as I was remarking about it, the fireworks started. Standing in open mouthed awe I watched the cornerstone 4th of july fireworks to an absolutely perfect soundtrack. It was one of those absolutely perfect moments you could never plan but completely take your breath.

2) Popping in Ohio while visiting my parents this past Christmas, while my stepdad and I put together my Mom's new jewelry box. He raised his eyebrows thoughtfully and said "S'not bad!", which coming from him is high praise . It's the first time I can remember him actually enjoying ANYTHING I listen to. Now I just need to give him a copy and my work will be complete.

-Elias

You said it!!!!

This is kind of a cross post...but I thought I'd include my C-stone 2003 thoughts too...since it was my favorite OtR show thus far.

Quoting me: "Last year (since I couldn't make it this year, this is the best I can do), my friend Zach and I were so tired from the festival that we just dozed peacefully on the ground behind the sound booth through the whole show...the one at the gallery. I love watching them on stage, but it was almost surreal half-dreaming the show through closed eyes with the smell of straw and a gentle chatter of people in the backround." ... it WAS a perfect soundtrack.

I've never felt so refreshed...I think that experience in whole 'made' that particular cornerstone...

but there were so many more good moments

Requesting that they play "Love is a Battlefield" by Pat Benetar at Cornerstone 2004. They didn't actually play it, but it was a nice thought.

Listening to "B.P.D" in Bruce's car with SoCal, Bruce, and Michelle.


Tearing up during "Latter Days" like I always do, and getting to turn around and see Becky and Michelle.

When they had Chroma Key open for them at Taft 2004

~fafs