Hullo,

  What is this that I'm writing?  I forget.  Is this some sort of literary jinx spot, some lost love map, a noose around the neck of a few words...

   "Do you think," said Candide, "that men have always massacred each other as they do to-day?  Have they always ben liars, cheats, traitors, brigands, weak, flighty, cowardly, envious, gluttonous, drunken, grasping, and vicious, bloody, back biting, debauched, fanatical, hypocritical and silly?" -  "Do you think," said Martin, "that sparrow-hawks have always eaten the pigeons they came across?" - "Yes, of course," said Candide. - "Well," said Martin, "if sparrow-hawks have always possesed the same nature, why should you expect men to change theirs?" - "Oh!" said Candide, "there is a great difference; free will..." (Voltaire)

   So just about all we ever hear anymore is, did the newsletter fold, didja lose my address, didja, didja?  (Did the black clouds come by, did you black ravens fly, did the black jack rip you, it's blackout!)

    Granted, it's hard to believe that this used to be a monthly endeauvor.  Too many names now.  Too many places at home and abroad now.  Too many stars in the sky, sands by the sea, hairs on my head, ... promises... promises.

    This is a newsletter from Over the Rhine both literally and figure-it-out.  This is some of what's happened, the sum of what's happening, and some guesses at what may.  (Screwtape advised Wormwood to direct his patients' preoccupations toward the future whenever possible, as it is the least relevant to eternity.) (The present is our only access to eternity.)

   Incidentally, henceforth, we'll do at least 4 newsletter per year and that's a Promise.  (That's one about every 3 months for those of you who don't do math.  I've been trying to quit but I adore figures.  Maybe it's the refreshing lack of subjectivity...)

Lynx-eyed News:
- The imaginary apple orchard caught fire and we lost several weathered lovely trees.  I've been busy grafting limbs onto willing and patient Northern Spy stalwarts: a tricky undertaking always.  I love those frosty misty early spring mornings but there's nothing like lazy summer afternoons under the boughs: Young ripening fruit.  Or the moonlit silhouettes at night.  I keep hoping.
- We're piling songs together into a second CD and cassette release.  I can't wait to tell you the name of the collection.  It'll be available July 1st.
- We've stock-piled my attic hallway full of black T-shirts with our scampering friend emblazoned across the breast.  We still have 'Til We Have Faces cassetts and compact discs.  Check it out.

Once again we're throwing sheets over the furniture and giving the plants some extra water and packing up the guitars.  We're restless as a rusle of Spring.  Adrian Belew has a new album available called 'Inner Revolution.'  The second song 'This is what I believe in' is a real mind-blower: lush guitar counterpoint with more time changes than a cheap watch and a fine soaring vocal: 'All the world is a cannabal, even time itself will eat us all.'

At any rate we're tickled to be a part of the INNER REVOLUTION tour and it's a great excuse for us to come to your city:

I'm always looking for a good chess partner, Ric will gladly discuss the inklings with any serious student or eek vintage guitars out of unlikely places, Karin enjoys narrow streets with private book alleys and odd boutiques, Brian is the least dead beat of any of us and would just as soon stay up all night with bright young ones - laughter and endearment being the main course there.

We'll linger after the shows and we hope you and your compatriots will say hullo.  (Incidentally, it's always a good idea to call the club or venue in question to confirm...)

Spring Activities
-write letters
-play chess
-run along the serpentine wall by the rive
-rehearse new songs
-repair fence on East side of orchard
-memorize more sonnets
- have autoharp repaired

Date Book
April 3rd, Friday, Sudsy Malone's, Cincinnati, O
April 9th, Thursday, free (or almost free) show #2 with WJJO in Madison, Wisconsin.  Listen to the station for details or 608 273 1000
April 10th-29th WITH ADRIAN BELEW INNER REVOLUTION SPRING TOUR '92
Friday April 10th, Barrymore Theatre, Madison, Wis
Saturday April 11th, Shank Hall, Milwaukee
Sunday, April 12th, Theatre, Chicago, IL
Monday, April 13th, the rogue, Indianapolis, IN
Tuesday, April 14th, Jake's, Bloomington, IN
Thursday, April 16th, Louisville, KY
Friday, April 17th, Bogart's Cincinnati, OH
Saturday Apri 19th, Pittsburgh, PA
EASTER SUNDAY
Monday April 20th, 328 Performance Hall, Nashville, TN
Tuesday, April 21st, Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA
Wednesday Apri 22, Bijoy, Knoxville, TN
Friday April 24th, Newport Music Hall, Cleveland, OH
Saturday April 25th, Majestic Theatre, Detroit, MI
Sunday April 26th, Empire Theatre, Cleveland, OH
Tuesday, April 29th, imax, Buffalo, NY
Wednesday, April 29th, Spectrum, Toronto, ONT, Canada
May 1st, May Day, Daily Double, Akron, Ohio
May 2nd, Saturday, The Symposium, Cleveland, OH
May 8th, Friday, Sudsy Malone's, Cincinnati, OH
Friday, June 5, Columbus Arts Fest Bicentennial Stage 8-10 pm
Friday July 3, Cornerstone Fest
   Musical mecca for the churched and unchurched in the southern cornfields of Illinois.  Woodstock, culture shock, flocks of sheep
August 17-24. Flevofest, Holland
August 28-31 Greenbelt Fest, England

look for scattered dates in Ireland and elsewhere


SCAMPERING SONGS
brings you Over the Rhine

What                      |       What?                                         |   How much?

Compact Disc        'Til We Have Faces: 14                        only $10
and Booklet           of the first O.T.Rhine songs
                              ever:  We've opened our souls
They're here!         flaws and all for your perusal.
We promise           The booklet contains lyrics, notes
                               and numerous photos by Michael
                              Wilson.  Printed on Recycled Paper
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cassette with        Side A: the 1989 tunes.                            a paltry $7  Riff Raff!
printed cover(!)    Side B: the 1990 tunes
                            Almost an hour's worth of post-nuclear
                            psuedo-alternative, folk-tinged art-pop
                            'Til We Have Faces
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20 page lyric        Our CD booklet may be purchased         $3
booklet                 seperately.  You'll have fun exploring       
                            what could evolve into a collector's item
                            Homespun beauty.

Please add $2 per CD and $1 per cassette: First class postage, etc.
Make all checks payable to Linford Detweiler.  I need the money.

YOUR POSTMAN LOST YOURS (for collectors only: you asked.)
If you're missing editions of this newsletter $2 will get you a copy of any of these back issues (or all) i.e as many as you want!

1 9/90 After a prolonged stint...
2 10/90 I have perceived that to be with those I like is enough...
3 11/90 Welcome ot the tardy... 4
5 12/90   Or I would go out my bright new ...
6 2/91   Of course if I had my druthers....
7 3/91   If the owl calls again...
8  4/91  Please find a phone enclosed of...
9  5/91  Hullo, we've ....
10 6/91 Good night....

Peace,