1. Where'd you get the name?
Over-the-Rhine is the name of a downtown neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, where the band got its start. The neighborhood was founded roughly 150 years ago by mostly German immigrants. Central Parkway, a street that separates Over-the-Rhine from the rest of downtown, was once upon a time the Erie Canal. Cincinnatians who crossed the Erie Canal to get into the German part of town began referring to the trip as going "Over-the-Rhine." Linford lived on Main Street (across from Kaldi's Coffeehouse and Bookstore) in the heart of Over-the-Rhine for almost ten years. Much of the band's early music was written and recorded in those third story rooms overlooking the activity of Main Street. Back in 1989 when the band first tried on the name for size, Over-the-Rhine was considered the bad part of town. Many of the buildings were abandoned and it was where a good bit of the city's drug dealing and prostitution went down. But it was a neighborhood full of striking imagery, and the price was right for young musicians with pockets empty of everything but a few unlikely dreams. The neighborhood has changed immensely in the last decade, and some credit the band for taking away some of the negative connotations of the place and opening peoples' eyes to the ragged beauty of those angular streets. Karin Bergquist describes the current neighborhood as a "colorful, confusing mix of poverty and prosperity, capitalism and crime, homelessness and gentrification, beauty and austerity." Linford Detweiler's family has German-Swiss roots, but the German connotations of the name are just coincidence. "The phrase evoked images of going Over the Rainbow, being drunk with joy, getting high on leaving home or whatever was keeping us up at night, bright-eyed. We were wrestling with dark hardbound notebooks in bedrooms with our ink-stained fingers and mind-boggling lives. We were free to do anything or be anybody. We needed to pick a new favorite dilemma. We needed a name. We were flying hand in hand through the black and holy sky. We were Over the Rhine."

2. How long have y'all been around?
Over the Rhine made its first handful of recordings in the Spring of 1989. These initial attempts became the first half of Till We Have Faces. Over the Rhine finished Till We Have Faces during the summer of 1990, and played their first real concert that Fall at Sudsy Malone's in Cincinnati, Ohio. Originally a quartet, the band has toured and recorded in one form or another ever since.

3. Who is Over the Rhine?
Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist are the songwriting team that perpetuates Over the Rhine. Linford has always viewed his job description as "creating spaces where good things can happen." He continues, "Karin and I write songs that allow her voice to bloom and we find musicians who know how to take what we do and make it spark and breathe and tremble. We try to work with musicians who inspire us, people whose company we enjoy. And we try to write music that in little ways helps to heal the wounds that life has dealt us or the wounds we've dealt ourselves. We try to write songs that can hum joyfully at the stars when something good goes down. We try to write tunes capable of whispering to a sleeping child that in spite of everything, somehow all is well. We try to write words that help us learn to tell the truth to ourselves and others. That's a big part of all this. Music is a wonderful platform for discovering what we believe is true. But Over the Rhine is ultimately the music that Karin and I find within and without for her to sing."

Sing, sing, sing. Karin's voice has wrapped its keen arms around a diverse and continually growing slice of humanity. Those who have ears to hear seem to recognize a part of themselves when Karin sings that previously had no way of speaking. Someone once told Karin that in the grand scheme of things, Over the Rhine probably hasn't sold a lot of records. But everyone who bought one became an artist. Linford and Karin will continue doing what they do, writing music, telling secrets to whoever feels like listening, gathering musicians together that move them, traveling from town to town, trying to make sense of this gift of too large life-they will continue as long as that still small voice compels them from time to time to carry on. Thanks to you, it's been a pretty good ride so far.

4. Where is the band based?
Cincinnati, Ohio, at present. The band was founded in Cincinnati and has their offices there as well. Linford and Karin have talked of relocating to some hidden farm, or spending a few years in Manhattan at some point, but to date, Over the Rhine has called the banks of the Ohio River home.

5. Does Over the Rhine tour?
Yes. Check out the itinerary here on the site for a current list of Over the Rhine dates. The touring ensembles vary. Originally a quartet, the band began experimenting with the lineup in early 1995. Sometimes Karin and Linford strip the songs to the barest essentials and perform as a duo. This past December they showcased a simmering seven-piece version of the band. At the Taft Theater in Cincinnati, Leo Kottke joined this ensemble for a sudden spin through Jack's Valentine. The key word here is experimentation. Karin and Linford occasionally tour and record as part of Cowboy Junkies, as well.

6. How many Over the Rhine recordings are available?
Eight.

7. Where in the world can these recordings be found?
(I Wanna Take You Home.) All the records are available here on the site at the Imaginary Apple Orchard Boutique. (Let frustrated friends know they can walk into virtually any library in the world, get online, and order any Over the Rhine recording they happen to desire at overtherhine.com.) You can typically pick up the records at one of the band's concerts as well. Over the Rhine has recently signed with Virgin/Back Porch, and Good Dog Bad Dog is now available nationally in the U.S.A. in record stores. (Over the Rhine has been an underground phenomenon for the last several years, so you may need to have the store order a copy if it's not in stock. It can be ordered through EMI Music Distribution.) Virgin/Back Porch eventually will make the first three recordings available. They are out of print but our boutique has a few remaining copies available in various states of undress.

8. How long does it take to receive an order if placed through the Over the Rhine website?
Orders typically ship within three days of when they are received via UPS. International orders are sent by first class mail.

9. Is Over the Rhine on a label?
The band has recently signed with a new division of Virgin records called Virgin/Back Porch. One of the people responsible for the vibe of Back Porch has put out records by seasoned recording artists that have brought a lot of joy to Karin and Linford. These include Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker and Pops Staples. Backporch is committed to developing a roster of artists that have pretty strong visions already in place. It's an exciting development for Over the Rhine, but keep in mind we're talking about the music industry and everyone at Back Porch could be out of a job next week.