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Quick update and Moving, Moving

Hey folks,

It's Linford here with a quick update for you all. 

First, Karin sends her thanks for the heartfelt words of encouragement that 
so many of you took time to send regarding her mother's health. They meant 
more than you know. Look for a longer update from Karin as things continue to 
progress. Karin's mother is still trying to regain her speech and the use of 
the right side of her body, following the brain hemmorhage, but she is in 
stable condition, and continues to make tiny improvements. She has been 
transferred to Cincinnati, and it has been a very difficult time, but we 
continue to hope for the best. Immense thanks again for your thoughts and 
prayers. 

I did do some touring with Cowboy Junkies in September in order to help pay a 
few band bills, but I was home just in time to celebrate wedding anniversary 
numero five. So in spite of a lot of what's been happening, life has had its 
good moments during these blustery October days. Indian summer. Crows 
gathering in the trees.

We were deeply saddened and of course stunned by the tragic events that 
unfolded in NYC, Washington DC and Pennsylvania on September 11. Like so many 
artists and musicians, we were at a loss for words. We too had to ask 
ourselves, What place does art and music have in times like these? 

Our hope is that we can somehow participate in tiny redemptive acts in the 
coming months and years, that may (even if in ways embarrassingly small) help 
to heal this broken world of ours. When any of us encounters beauty, we 
subconsciously dream of a more perfect world, the door is flung wide on new 
possibilities that we can't yet imagine, we breathe more deeply and wonder if 
we have more to offer than we know. Although I couldn't imagine making my own 
music for quite some time after September 11, the music of others held me at 
times and was a comfort somehow.

While our government launches the bombing campaign in Afghanistan, we are 
troubled by many conflicting feelings. My heritage is one of pacificism, but 
it seems presumptuous to wax eloquent about loving one's enemies when I enjoy 
the relative safety and prosperity of a land well-guarded. It is the duty of 
governments, I suppose, to protect themselves and their people. I do believe 
if the men flying those planes on the 11th could have killed 5,000,000 
instead of 5000 they would have done so. It's unsettling to know that there 
are people who would happily eradicate Western Civilization. And yet as we 
start blowing things up in Afghanistan, it is inevitably the poor who will 
suffer, families huddled along the sides of roads, and it just feels so damn 
archaic somehow. With all the intelligence and resources that we have 
available to us, couldn't we help the world invent a different way? And yet 
it seems there are many (even in Washington) who are struggling to see the 
big picture. 

Well, I'm sure you've all been thinking some of these same things. As usual 
when it comes to things that matter, there are no easy answers. Our thoughts 
and prayers continue to be with the victims and their families.

Moving on to things Over the Rhine for the time being, again, in spite of 
everything, we are going to go forward with our tour of Europe. We feel it's 
the right thing to do, and we will have the opportunity to introduce our 
music (God willing) to thousands of new people. Hopefully our guardian angels 
will have a relatively uneventful trip apart from a lot of sightseeing and 
some unusually inspired music.

And finally, I have another update on my book project. We had to cancel about 
30 shows recently to deal with a family crisis, and I was left with a book 
project that I suddenly couldn't pay for. I pulled the plug on plan "A". In 
the meanwhile, I was absolutely delighted and surprised when a small press in 
Kentucky that I have admired from a distance for years, offered to print a 
limited run of my project. Larkspur Press has been making beautiful, 
handmade, letterpress books, and chapbooks for years. I had purchased several 
of their editions of Wendell Berry poems or short stories, and had always 
thrilled to see their commitment to fine bookmaking. I'll be meeting with 
them later this year, and I can't believe my luck, frankly, that they are 
willing to be involved.

Now the thing is, they are all Luddites at heart down at Larkspur, and they 
warned me that they don't pay attention to deadlines. All they would commit 
to is getting me my book sometime next year! I, for one, am willing to wait, 
and eager to see the result of their efforts, whenever that may be.

Karin asked me the other night how many had pre-ordered my book during the 
little special we ran back in June. I said, Oh, about 250 people. She said, 
That's definitely enough for an angry mob.

Well put.

Here is where we are: This book is going to be limited to a run of 500 
copies. If you pre-ordered one last June, some time next year you will 
receive your signed and numbered Larkspur Press edition. If you would like to 
get your money back because of the delay, just e-mail Stacie at 
otrhine at aol_com, and she will send you a check for $15.00 and take you off 
the list. 

I'm guessing that, at the end of the day, most people won't mind waiting, so 
let's assume that 250 are spoken for. I would like to give 100 to family and 
friends, so that leaves 150 that are still available. These will sell for $15 
plus $3 shipping, and we will be putting them up on the website catalog soon. 
If you would like to reserve a copy, you can do so while they last. Because 
there are a limited number, I'll go ahead and sign and number these as well.

(For those that pre-ordered, to buy Grey Ghost Stories and the book 
separately costs $36 with shipping, so you saved $11. We do apologize for the 
change in plans.)

And last but not least, after an unforeseen two month break, we are thrilled 
to be doing a few intimate shows this wknd. Friday, we're playing at Brady's 
in Kent, Ohio, and Saturday, we're playing in the tiny town of Dalton, Ohio, 
a stone's throw from Kidron, which is more or less in the heart of Amish 
country. You can catch the Amish flea market and cattle auction during the 
day in Kidron, buy a few heifers to feed over the winter, and then hear our 
own unique brand of sorrow and love flowing mingled down that evening in 
Dalton. It's part of a new concept we're working on: weekend getaways with 
Over the Rhine. Wonder of wonders, my parents will be attending this show. 
Anything could happen.

(Brady's is the sort of warm, glowing establishment that Frodo, Sam, Pippin 
and Merry would have loved after several days of tiresome trekking.)

Go to overtherhine.com for all the pertinent info. We hope to see you.

Until then, be brave and free and inspired,

Linford Detweiler





On a side note, for what it's worth, never have we come so close to pulling 
the plug on the Over the Rhine discussion list as when someone named Chris 
Emery, made a flip comment immediately following the acts of terror that was 
utterly beyond the pale of human decency in our opinion, whatever his leg
itimate political concerns may have been. While thousands were scrambling for 
news of family members in the wreckage, and while the Jay Leno's of the world 
had the good sense to shut up for once, Chris opted to use his computer 
keyboard to perpetrate his own unique brand of divisiveness and contempt for 
the feelings of others. I opted not to send my response at the time in a 
hardwon moment of restraint, and was comforted with the impassioned hope that 
he may not really be a fan of our music, rather someone who hangs around on 
the discussion list because he is cynical and lacks options.
In response to those who wrote us directly, those of us associated with Over 
the Rhine were outraged and embarrassed to be associated in some way with his 
comments which we found to be ill-timed and frankly, sickening.

The discussion list was intended to be a wide open forum for the discussion 
of Over the Rhine's music. It's not moderated, and we may move to a different 
format in coming months. Much of the tone and content of the discussion list 
is not all that relevant to what Over the Rhine is about (according to the 
great majority of our fans), but there have been some great moments, however 
few and far between. The band has always taken a hands off approach with the 
list, but I guess if someone wishes to use that pallette to express 
sentiments that are a blatant effront to the spirit of Over the Rhine and the 
community we've tried to bring together over the years, they'll probably hear 
from us sooner or later. Maybe we've been silent too long. Enough said.

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