over the rhine - "under the beams" @ the rapp granary/new harmony, indiana (06.14.2008)

ok, where to start? it's going to be hard to talk about this without sounding like a gushing fool, seriously.

i headed out to new harmony for over the rhine's show there a little early, wanting to get a feel for the town after discussing it with mickey (grimm, OtR's amazing drummer & resident of new harmony) several times and then recently reading more about it and it's history. while driving over i got a text from karin (bergquist, OtR's amazing vocalist) telling me that everything was fine, but to suggesting to "bring yer waders" and informing me that the national guard was there, since new harmony sits on the banks of the recently severely swollen wabash river... that didn't sound very good. i really didn't know what to expect but i continued to drive and soon began passing army transport trucks (probably 30+ or more) loaded down with sandbags, backhoes and other heavy machinery. ok, now i was a "little concerned." a few more miles down the road i began to see, on both sides of the interstate, what appeared to be lakes, but then i noticed the rooftops of barns and homes and realized that they were really corn and soybean fields, not lakes. ok, now i was a little more concerned, maybe a little bit worried.

i soon reached my exit and a few minutes later, new harmony. only to find one of the most beautiful little towns that i have ever seen in my life. almost surreal in its beauty and charm, it's like a town time forgot. in a good way. then as i turned off of church street towards the granary, i spotted the many national guardsmen, in full camouflage unloading these flatbeads full of sandbags and building virtual walls to protect the historic homes, the "roofless church," the incredible, modern, richard maier designed visitor center from the ravages of nature... high, fast running water. i was within 10 feet of the flow of a river that should have been about a quarter of a mile away. once again, surreal. very surreal.

and yet, none of this dampened the spirit and the people of this amazing place. they went on with life seemingly as they always do. the street antique show was still happening, the local (and very good) country music band was still playing on the street corner, neighbors were still walking and riding their bikes around town, smiling and stopping on the street to say hello, shake hands and welcome all to their home, then offering sightseeing tips to an obvious stranger (me). a woman stopped me as i was coming out of the roofless church, asked where i was visiting from, welcomed me, then put down the kickstand on her bike and said "oh, you've just got to see the garden across the street." she took me by the arm, leaving her bike unattended on the sidewalk and walked me to the garden while explaining much about the town to me. again, very surreal and then you begin to realize, it's so sad that this is such a shocking aberration...this is how we used to be, this how we should be.

a little later, while walking the town before the show and turning the corner towards the granary not long before the doors opened, i crossed paths w/molly and grafton (mickey's wife and son) riding their bikes to the show, waving, laughing and talking all the way (you're probably expecting me to say someting about surreal about now...).

so how do you top off a day like this? you take a town full of these kind people, add a few interested visitors, put them in one place... a beautiful, historical room, "the rapp granary," as linford might say; "a well made thing," to share an evening of beautiful words, music, discussion and friendship led by a group of wonderful, talented and "good" people; karin bergguist, linford detweiler, jake bradley & mickey grimm... "over the rhine." i was lucky enough to spend much of the 30-minute preshow w/mickey's mom, sandy and his sister, kim. what a blast, it's easy to see how mickey "is what he is" after spending some time with sandy, what a kind, sweet and lovely woman.

and it's always a pleasant surprise to walk into a room where OtR is playing and see a grand piano on stage, this time a steinway baby grand was sitting on the front left corner of the stage and linford (OtR's amazing piano player) took full advantage of the beauty it had to offer us. karin was spot on vocally as all have come to expect from her, full of passion, energy, spirituality and beauty. my expectations are always high for her performances and she has never failed to meet (and generally exceed) them. last night was no exception, simply, she rocked the joint. her voice is an amazing "instrument" in it's own right, a true gift of nature. and she has mastered it. jake (yep, OtR's amazing bassist/guitarist) and mickey were as solid as ever and he really seemed to enjoy playing front of his neighbors. it was also great to see molly joining in on several songs, her harmonies w/karin are wonderful.

in short, the show was amazing, a big event for this small town, mostly all locals who seemed to be pleasantly confused by us travelers. the band played two sets, with about a 30 minute break in between to socialize over homemade cookies, brownies and punch, it wasn't "timed" and no one was too rushed. and the treats were delicious.

during the first set linford told a charming story about playing hymns on the family piano for his mother when he was a child and trying to stump her with them (he also noted that he was never able to). he continued the story talking about visiting her recently and taking her to a covered dish church dinner, complete with tater-tot casseroles and fruit and "jello mold" desserts. apparently the entertainment, a local barbershop quartet, was unable to make it and since linford was "a professional musician" and there was a piano in the corner of the room, he became the featured entertainment for the evening. playing old hymns that were called out to him by his mother's friends, he discussed how odd it was that he can't remember songs that he wrote five years ago yet he remembered everything they requested that evening from his early years. a couple of songs into the second set, he mentioned that during the break a woman said "well you talked about the old hymns but you didn't play one." so he launched into a beautiful solo of "let the lower lights be burning" for her, to a quiet, dark, still room. it was stunning. beautiful.

all-in-all, i can't imagine a better day spent. it was beautiful. perfect. and yes...a bit surreal.

the setlist...

first set:
i don't wanna waste
fever
born
desperate
roll
innocent
trumpet child
kiddin' (and mickey really showed off for the hometown crowd)
trouble (w/molly)

break:
homemade brownies and kiss cookies

second set:
motherless child
orphan girl (w/molly)
let the lower light be burning (linford solo)
suitcase
ohio
tom (w/molly)
president (w/molly)
encore
hush now
drunkards prayer

the line-up:
karin bergquist - vocals, guitar, piano, cookie sheet
linford detweiler - piano, guitar, bass, vocals
jake bradley - bass, guitar
mickey grimm - drums and all kinds of shaky things
molly felder - backing vocals