March 26, 1998
Hello e-mail Friends,
This is Linford Detweiler. I've been thinking about shortening the last name to Wilder, but that's neither here nor there. I'm writing to say, hello. It's been a while.

I have not been trapped under a large, heavy object. Shelly left town and I used to pass her notes in study hall, which she in turn would pass along to you, but her chair is empty.

I've been doing a fair amount of staying hidden, writing, thinking, playing the piano late at night, the usual.

I wanted to make sure you knew about an Over the Rhine concert this Saturday. A number of people are flying in to see the concert, and it could be a pivotal evening for our wobbly apple cart. There's a lot of talk right now about the band getting signed, and there's the possibility of a two-month tour with an established act which would be a terrific opportunity for us to see North America once again, and give a lot of people the chance to hear about us for the first time.

Anyway, we could sure use your company Saturday evening to show these people we do have a few friends in this world. Hope to see you out there.

Also, we're going to give our set a practice run at the OtR office at 39 East Court Street Friday afternoon at 1 pm. Anybody that shows up with a Bogart's ticket is welcome to be a part of the tiny audience. We're going to be playing seven un-recorded songs at Bogart's and we can use the practice. Just feel free to stop on by.

Bon Courage,
Linford
(Over the Rhine and special guest, Mysteries of Life, at Bogart's, Saturday, March 28, 1998. Doors open at 7:30, show at 8:00 pm. $10 tickets at Bogart's box office, 513 281-8400, or select-a-seat.)

April 2, 1998
Dear Rhines,

Hello again. Thanks to everyone who found us at Bogarts. You were a fine looking bunch. We had a good time getting the songs across even though as usual by the end of the night at that particular venue, the sound seemed to get more and more elusive on stage. I heard mixed reports about the sound in the club, but I hope somehow it all managed to come together in ways that made the everyday numbness fall away.

The good news is that Michael Timmins of the Cowboy Junkies came to the show and spent some time with us, and it looks like we may be living a good part of July through December on tour with them in North America. Over the Rhine will open the shows and then Karin and I will join them for their set: she'll sing along with Margo and I'll be playing some Hammond B-3 and Piano. Jack and Terri T. may sit in on some numbers as well. So hopefully this time we really will be performing in a city near you. Finally.

On a different note, A&M Records has asked us to put together a little concert so that they can take a peek at us in action. Critique our clothing and haircuts. Experience first hand our mid- western exuberances. This is probably one of a number of these types of concerts we'll be doing, but it's always good to have a few familiar faces present.

We're selling about 65 tickets at The Buzz Coffee Shop at 2900 Jefferson Avenue here in Cincinnati, where the concert will be held this coming Sunday evening, April 5, 1998. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. You can pick up tickets there during business hours, and be part of this intimate affair Sunday evening. (The $10 ticket proceeds will pay for the sound company etc.) Hope to see you lounging on one of the couches.

It's a perfect Spring day today in Ohio. I'm going to drive up to Grand Rapids, Michigan this afternoon for a writer's conference, featuring the likes of John Updike, Elie Wiesel and Bruce Cockburn to name a few. I'm speaking on a panel called, "Musicians as Writers." I've been practicing waiting for just the right moment after somebody on the panel has said something profoundly engaging. I lean into the microphone and say, "I couldn't disagree more."

Bon Courage,
Linford

December 16,1998
Over the Rhine: A new band is picking up fans as its music keeps rolling along.
CBS This Morning Co-Anchor Mark McEwen calls Over The Rhine "one of the great unsung bands in America."

(CBS) Every once in a while, a great band sneaks up on you and, before you know it, you're telling your friends about a CD they have to hear, says CBS This Morning Co-Anchor Mark McEwen. He wants to be the first to tell you about Over The Rhine, which he calls "one of the great unsung bands in America."

The band dropped by This Morning to perform the song All I Need Is Everything from their CD Good Dog Bad Dog and to chat with McEwen.

Over The Rhine (OTR) is a Cincinnati-based band that has been together since 1990, making records and serving as the opening act for such stars as Bob Dylan. The band's evolution reached a watermark in 1996, when bandleader and keyboardist Linford Detweiler and lead singer Karin Bergquist (who are married) were advised to streamline their sound, focusing on Bergquist's voice and one or two instruments. The result was the album Good Dog Bad Dog.

Eventually, the band's music caught the ear of Peter Leak, manager of such bands as 10,000 Maniacs and The Cowboy Junkies. He became OTR's publisher and dealmaker, and got them a gig as the opening band on The Cowboy Junkies latest tour. In addition, members of OTR contributed vocals and other musical support to the Junkies' act.

Once the new year starts, OTR will hit the road again with The Cowboy Junkies for the Australia and New Zealand leg of the tour.

While the theme of faith is strong in OTR's songs, Detweiler doesn't want listeners to pigeonhole OTR as a Christian band. His father was a Methodist minister, and Detweiler says his own struggles with faith are bound to be reflected in his music. But it is not written with a desire to impose his beliefs on the listener, and he cringes at the thought of his music being defined so narrowly.

Bergquist tells McEwen that she hopes that, when people hear the CD, they will find "some good songs, probably something that is a little hard to put into words."

While the band does not have a record label, Detweiler says he is not overly concerned.

"For a while, we weren't sure we wanted to be signed," he explains. "But we're giving it serious consideration again. We canceled some dates this month so we could record some new material. We've got some people who are listening to it. We'll see how it goes."

In addition to Detweiler and Bergquist, members of the band are G. Jack Henderson, electric guitar; Brian Kelly, drums; Randy Cheek, bass, and Terri Templeton, background vocals.