By Huge Shark
24th October, 2024 – LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Ohio folk-pop duo Over the Rhine made a rare trip to California this past week, and I was able to catch them at the storied Troubadour in Los Angeles. The intimate, 67-year-old venue has seen everyone from Lenny Bruce to Nina Simone, and Over the Rhine has played there several times over the years. The rare seated show kept the modest but sold-out audience close to the action, and the sound was crystal clear. (Opening for the band, singer-songwriter Josh Thomas commented that Over the Rhine always attracts audiences “where you can hear a pin drop” during the songs.)
Lead singer Karin Bergquist, stunning in a long red skirt, cowboy boots, a black top and a floor-length, multicolored ruana, has an undimmed voice and impressive staying power, singing exquisitely for more than 90 minutes (and playing guitar as well). In his signature suit and hat, Bergquist’s husband Linford Detweiler coaxed intricate, lovely music from the piano, as well as taking his own turn on the guitar now and then. With the easy confidence and good humor of a team that has been working together for decades (they got their start in the late 1980s), Over the Rhine also display an enviable musicianship that seems to grow with every year.
The duo started with “The World Can Wait,” a rich, haunting ballad that had the audience immediately engaged — and whooping when Bergquist powerfully nailed a high note. Detweiler weighed in with delicate harmonies on the sweet “Let It Fall” off their 2014 holiday release, Blood Oranges in the Snow; then the two launched into the bluesy “I Don’t Wanna Waste Your Time,” Bergquist prowling the stage, her voice curling around the alternately funny and aching lyrics.
Their banter was a delightful accent. Detweiler often carries patter duties, but he was initially quieter tonight. When he noodled colorfully on the piano while Bergquist tuned her guitar, she joked, “You can tell Linford has a lot to say tonight.” After the sexy, inviting “Trouble,” which had the audience howling in appreciation, Bergquist noted, “I love singing that song in a room, especially, where there’s a real bar.” Later, Detweiler introduced a song of Bergquist’s by telling the audience that it “took a long time for [Bergquist] to work the line ‘shut your piehole’ into a song and make it sound natural. I realized it was a song about a long-term relationship.” After he spoke for a few more minutes, Bergquist interjected, “— That’s a lot of mansplaining for one of my songs.” The audience joined the band in hearty laughter.
There was a tangible rapport between audience and band, as always when Over the Rhine performs, but perhaps even more so for being at such a meaningful venue (“The mojo in this room is so deep,” Bergquist commented at one point). In a nod to the general tension with U.S. presidential elections approaching, Over the Rhine chose the track “If A Song Could Be President” as their first encore, and many audience members were mouthing the words along with the band. They closed with an official singalong, “All I Need is Everything” off their 1996 album Good Dog, Bad Dog. Nearly everyone joined in — some with teary eyes, some with passion. All with deep smiles, taking a lasting joy with them out into the warm Los Angeles evening.
Hope you’re getting through, this autumn.
Cheers from the West, Huge Shark
SETLIST:
The World Can Wait
Let It Fall
I Don’t Wanna Waste Your Time
Trouble
Heron Blue
Born
Bella Luna
Over You
Given Road
The Seahorse
After All We’ve Been Through
Nothin’
Entertaining Thoughts
Suitcase (with Joshua Thomas)
All Over Ohio (with Joshua Thomas)
Let You Down (with Joshua Thomas)
All My Favorite People
Encore:
If a Song Could Be President
All I Need Is Everything (with Joshua Thomas)