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First Blood
1.26.98
Hello.
I am new to the list & 'm really quite happy to find that there is such a
thing,
after finding nada in the way of newsgroups etc. I thought that maybe sharing
the experience of how I first lucked into contact w/ the sublime fine richness
of
Over The Rhine would be appropriate & maybe entertaining if not interesting to
everyone...
Carefree Theatre, West Palm Beach, Fl. 10.22.98... I arrived at this marquee,
which was an ambiguous mix between a movie house & concert hall, merely fired
to up to see the Cowboy Junkies. I knew the name of the opening act, & trusted
that they'd in all likelihood be pretty alright, but was mainly buzzing and
whirring in the expectation of the Junkies set... When I entered the hall to
find my seat, I was the king o' happy discovering my seat (yeah, I was on my
lonesome) was closer to the stage, and the theatre seemed much more intimate,
than I expected... My person was a tad early so I had a little to wait, but
the pre-show music was engaging. It wasn't long... Soon the house lights were
making a quintessentially divine silhoutte of the mysterious opening act
taking their post on the stage before us. I immediatly prepared myself for the
best, which I try to do on hearing any band I've yet to be exposed to... but
then the music...
Deep, inexhaustibly layered and soft, yet brazenly and transcendentally
present like something inmovably spiritual. I was blown away in such a way as
hearing something you know is fitting in its correlation between voice and
hum, vision and divine blur. The
songs OTRhine played that night flew right in and all over the place where I
was sitting at least. And beyond being charmed by Karin's talk of opening a
store to sell saddles for all the big bugs here in Florida and the other
mechaincs of a inspired as hell performance, the thought on my mind was to
make my way to the goodie stand before night's end and pick up their Cd... The
Junkies were also a big thrill for me that night, and that was my first time
seeing either band... Anyway, that's my story of how I first was shown the
light. I'd personally relate it to hearing the Smashing Pumpkins or old R.E.M.
for the first time, or anything I suppose which touches you in those fuzzy
corners on the conscious where dream is found and math gets lost...
Thanks Fer Listening,
Gregg Westerbeke