For over 20 years now, husband and wife team Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist, known as Over the Rhine, have been touring the country bringing their unique take on Americana music to an increasing fanbase. On April 5, the band took a break from work on their followup to 2011's "The Long Surrender" to kick off a series of acoustic shows at the Franklin Theatre in Franklin, Tennessee, just a stone's throw from Nashville.

But before Over the Rhine took the stage, the capacity crowd was treated to a 45 minute performance from the opening act on the first leg of this tour, cellist Ben Sollee. Sollee, putting on a one man show, proved why he is one of the most sought after guest performers on albums in a whole range of genres, as well as a favorite on the festival circuit. Careening from classical to folk to bluegrass and back again, Sollee took the audience on a tour of the versatility of the cello, interspersing his songs with stories about the diverse musical influences in his life that created what he called his "cello schizophrenia."

After a short intermission, Over the Rhine took the stage to a raucous ovation from the packed house. Eschewing their usual accompaniment, Detweiler and Berquist took the stage alone, with Bergquist providing lead vocals and guitar duties while Detweiler provided backing vocals and rotated between guitar and piano.

Kicking the show off with "Laugh of Recognition", the opening number off "The Long Surrender", the pair deftly stripped down producer Joe Henry's atmospheric mix of their album to its bare essentials while keeping most of the soul. The 90 minute performance featured a number of songs from "The Long Surrender" as well as a sampling from their 10 other studio albums.

But the major portion of the show was dedicated to brand new material from Over the Rhine's upcoming release, which Bergquist said is shaping up to be a double album. It's a gutsy move for a band to play more than a few songs off a newly released album and doubly gutsy to devote so much time to music completely unknown to the audience but Over the Rhine has never been a band to stand on convention.

The new songs were well received by the audience at the Franklin Theatre, who hung on the duo's every word, story, and note. With an easy rapport bred from over 2 decades of living and touring together, Detweiler and Bergquist complimented each other perfectly, their voices and instruments blending seamlessly to create a sound that, even when brand new was comfortably familiar to fans of the group.

As always, the real showstopper was Bergquist's vocals. Possessed of one of the best sets of pipes in Americana, Bergquist's voice soars and purrs, evoking images of a temptress in the smoky bar of an old Bogart movie.

During the encore, Sollee rejoined the pair on stage for a performance of a new song titled "Nowhere". The band confided that they hadn't gotten a chance to rehearse the song with Sollee as planned so after a brief huddle to get everyone on the same time, they launched into it, with Sollee deftly weaving his cello into Detweiler's guitar licks. Had they not mentioned it, no one would have ever guessed they'd never played the song together before.

If tonight's selections are any indication of what the entirety of the new album, tentatively titled "The Farm" and due out in the Fall, has in store, it's going to be a good one. Over the Rhine continue their acoustic tour through June. If they hit your town, their show is highly recommended. Whether you're a fan of Over the Rhine wanting to get a taste of some new tunes before they hit stores or a novice wanting an introduction, there's plenty here for everyone.