LOCATION: Whitworth College, Spokane, WA
LINEUP: Karin, Linford, Jack, Dave, Don Heffington
Review by Spokesman Review
REVIEW BY: joshua
The venue was the dining hall to the Hixson Union Building, mainly used, for, um, yeah, eating. The Stage was in the opposite end of the room from where you entered, and there were about 200 chairs set up in front of the stage, and about 12 tables, with candlelight, on either side of the stage. Behind the stage was a large glass window, which proved to be an awesome backdrop. Towards the rear of the room, product, mainly CD's and a few pictures were being sold in promotion of the artists. A $60,000 sound board took up the left rear of the building, from which some soft melodic music was being played over the 4 large speakers on either side of the stage. Casually walking in, I was able to take a seat in about the 6th row, seeming as how the first 5 were pretty much taken up by the time I had arrived for the 8:30 start time. T-minus 30 minutes till showtime…. The evening got kicked off a little late. Robert Deeble did not take the stage until around 8:45 p.m., which was leaving most, including this grape a little antsy. When he finally did take the stage, him with his acoustic guitar, and a background vocalist, and a fellow string player, we was welcomed to a soft applause. The set lasted around 45 minutes, which started off really well, when he plugged in some of his funny tunes that he had just written. One talking about NASA and their recent mishaps. Towards the middle we started to share about his "not so nationally available album" and how he had tried to get a song on the film "Magnolia" only to be beaten out at the last second. Towards the end of the set, the audience was getting a little restless, and I think Robert could tell, so, after one more song, he quietly dismissed himself to the back of the room, to meet and greet anyone at his product table. I was able to go back and hang out with him for about 5 minutes. Check out his website at: http://www.pastemusic.com/deeble Deeble hails from Los Angeles, CA, and so did is bgv's lady. The additional string lady came from Seattle, WA. After about a 15 minute break in the action, without warning, Over the Rhine stepped on stage. From the very first moment I saw the band, I knew I was in for a treat. They opened with a softer song, more or less to bring the crowd, which was in the back, sipping on java, back to their seats. The Set List: Go Down Easy All I Need is Everything PoughKeepsie Little Blue River Orphan Girl (cover) It's Never Quite What It Seems Thank You My Angel Faithfully Dangerous The Seahorse (medley) 1 Painted (medley w/ The Seahorse) Lucy Fever Circle of Quiet Latter Days Last Night The concert ran smoothly throughout OTR's hour and half set, with little, if any glitches along the way. Karin's voice was right on, and Linford was always there to add a little bit of colorful commentary along the way, really getting the crowd involved. Perhaps a local writer said it best when he wrote in our local event paper: The Inlander. He pens: "To the world at large, Over the Rhine is just another group with a peculiar name. To its peers and fans, however, the songwriting team of Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler is quite another thing. A hidden pleasure, an inside joke, a personal treasure-one whose rarity only adds to its desirability. Unearthing their music can be like discovering a brilliant independent film or a secret love." (Mike Corrigan, The Inlander) I could not have said it any better. After the show, I did as burrill suggested, and went up and talked to Linford. And, just as I was told, it was an awesome conversation. I was able to get his set list after the set, and had him sign it for me, in which he wrote: "Whitworth 2/20/2000 Linford Detweiler" Its a really awesome piece of paper! I'll scan it, and either post it in the vault for a time, or email it to anyone wanting to see such. Anyway, I'll quit now, seeming as how this post is like, way long anyway. If I were to tell anything to the Grapes, it would be: don't miss this band. You'll not at all regret it, and you are in store for an awesome night of music. Also, you don't have to worry about shelling out a lot of money to see them. Poor college students like me got in for 6 bucks.