Over the Rhine

I have always enjoyed Missy's taste in music. She likes Pearl Jam. She is a borderline expert of 80's music. However, her best call and the one that has affected me the most is her PASSIONATE love for a band called Over the Rhine. She has followed this husband and wife duo from Cincinnati since high school - or a decade and a half ago. She got me hooked on them when we started dating in college.

It is hard to describe their sound. Soulful. Passionate. At times quirky. Raw. The kind of music you would want to hear in a smoky bar while partaking of the drink of your choice. Preferably something strong.

Over the last few years, we have made converts of our good friends Steve and Val. We started them with a taste and they haven't been the same since.

So a few months ago, Steve, while scouring the Internet discovered much to our amazement, that Over the Rhine decided to perform in a little refurbished theater 10 minutes from our house. They had never been closer than Philly (30 miles of traffic and poorly lit parking lots) before. So we snatched up tickets as soon as we could. The cabaret seats. (I had heard of the show Cabaret so I was a little nervous until I learned that that just means we get a table and chair and get to sit in front of the front row.)

In keeping with the Delp/Cap tradition - we went to the concert only to find out it had been rescheduled until June 5th. It worked out fine. We went to a local bar and kicked butt in Trivia night. I think someone won a t-shirt.

Fast forward (and now rewind) to last Thursday. Finally, we got to see Over the Rhine. In a gorgeous little theater. From a table and chairs. With wine. And a microbrew. Did I mention it was 10 minutes from our house?

Well, this was the first concert where after an hour or so, I wasn't checking my watch. I was hoping they would keep going. Usually, it is a great concert if the artist can sound sort of like their album. This time, the artist(s) sounded BETTER than their album(s). It was incredible. I seriously contemplated packing up Missy and Riley and going on the road with them.

If you have not heard of them, I HIGHLY recommend you check them out. They play great background music for work. They play great sitting around on a rainy day music. They play great get up on a Sunday morning with a cup of coffee and a newspaper music. And for those of you who may one day consider parenthood, to quote someone from the concert who shall remain nameless, they play great "baby making" music.

Quickly and awkwardly sequeing, their website features a "record player" that will play their current album for free. It is called "Trumpet Child".

Grab a bottle of Merlot and enjoy.

http://www.overtherhine.com/