Any fans of Over the Rhine?


It’s a rare day when I encounter a band/musician I’ve never heard that inspires me to buy a CD. I spend plenty of time listening to unfamiliar music but it just doesn’t happen very often that I encounter anything that really grabs me.

I stumbled onto OTR on Spotify via the "Fans Also Like" feature. I don’t even recall who I’d been listening to before them. 

I find Karin Bergquist’s voice, Lindford Detweiler’s piano playing and the songwriting equally compelling. Not sure what to call this music -- somewhere between Americana and sophisticated Pop, perhaps. I read they are Christian and there are definitely some Christian themes but it’s not preachy in any way. It’s spiritual/universal rather than religious/dogmatic, for those who relate to the distinction.

Just wondering if any (other) forum members are fans. . . 

A taste;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry8Svaj9owI&list=RDRy8Svaj9owI&start_radio=1

stuartk

@slaw 

Where I noticed it most was in the bass playing. 

Listening to "Good Dog Bad Dog", this week.

Gonna have to buy that one, too. ;o)

@stuartk 

Relistened to "DP" today. Had more appreciation for the entire album as a whole.

The flow of the album is a little unusual. Glad I bought it.

I live in Cincinnati and have interacted with some of the band members. My late friend Brad played classical guitar at the singers wedding. Anyway, I always thought they were a bit redundant but to each his own. A side note, there was a laundry mat and bar in Cincinnati that hosted live bands nearly every night. Many were national acts as well as local. OTR also played there.

@goofyfoot 

Not sure what you might mean by "redundant", which typically means superfluous. Do you mean repetitive?  Whether any art is "superfluous" is subjective, no?  Whether an artist's work is repetitive is easier to assess. I can see why some might find OTR repetitive. Different strokes for different folks. 

@slaw 

yes   I'm expecting my copy of Good Dog Bad Dog to arrive soon. 

@stuartk  yes, the same basic melodic structure over and over with little to no dynamic contrast. Also, all of there songs sound the same to me. They're very popular, so they must be good, I just don't know why. I'm not the best judge regarding that aesthetic.