An Acoustic Christmas with Over the Rhine
—What can those coming out expect on the night, please preview the show.
Well, it’s our annual Christmas tour. File it squarely under, “Now for something a little different…” I think every songwriter marvels at all the great Christmas songs written over the years, going all the way back to the ancient carols, and of course the holiday standards that are part of the Great American Songbook.
Some of us songwriters have a peculiar gene: we are curious about the Christmas songs that haven’t yet been written.
Karin and I have released three Over the Rhine Christmas records over the last three decades, and I hope in some small way they have helped expand the vocabulary of what holiday music can sound and feel like. Many of the writers and critics who have reviewed the records seem to feel that they occupy some unique musical real estate.
Maybe the main thing is this: we’ve tried to leave room in our Christmas music for real life. If you’re grieving the loss of a loved one, or have recently lost a job, or are dealing with a chronic illness, that stuff doesn’t just magically disappear during the holidays.
Or maybe you just turn on the news at Christmastime and see bombs dropping and wonder why we humans still can’t seem to manage having peace on earth.
And then maybe you hear some children singing and a Salvation Army bell ringing, and tears come to your eyes, and you see all that innocence, and remember your own innocence that was lost so long ago, and you find your heart longing for something it can’t quite name, and you remember it can be a beautiful, hopeful, mysterious time of year too.
Well, we try to leave room in our songs for the reality of all of the above.
We’ll be relying heavily on the beautiful grand piano at the Birchmere, and a few of our favorite acoustic instruments, and along with our original “Reality Christmas” songs, we’ll mix in a standard or two, a few ancient carols, tell some stories, maybe share a few laughs and some good tears.
—What do you enjoy about doing a holiday show?
Believe it or not, this is my favorite time of year to make music. I love all the darkness in the evenings and try to get some of that feeling into our songs. I love the sound and feel of people bustling in out of the cold — the hats and scarves and gloves and laughter and conversation. I love driving into a city at Christmastime, it always feels like an opening scene in a movie that’s just starting to roll. And I love all the conflicted emotions at Christmastime, and how songs can hold things for us that are painful or hopeful or unwieldy, and I love how songs can give our weary hearts a break.
And I enjoy the fact that over the last three decades Over the Rhine has recorded three holiday albums: The Darkest Night of the Year, Snow Angels and Blood Oranges in the Snow. I’m proud of those records, and for the most part, this is the only time of year we get to play these songs. A time of year with its very own music!
—It’s been a few years since Love and Revelation - any new music on the horizon?
Yes, Karin, has been writing many beautiful new songs. We also have been working on a gospel music album that has proven a bit elusive. But hopefully 2024 will be the year for a handful of new (and overdue) recording projects to see the light of day.
—What has been the secret to success for the band?
Probably not letting others define success for us.
—I saw your first Christmas album is out on vinyl. What makes listening to a vinyl record special in today’s age?
Well, all of us songwriters who were kids in the 70s grew up with record players and holding records and looking at the photos and reading the lyrics and liner notes etc. So it’s a wonderful full-circle feeling that goes way back to our early experiences listening to albums. And also it’s one of the few remaining ways of assuring that people are listening to the full album in the song sequence that was intended by the artist.
In an increasingly digital world, it just feels more like an event, something tangible, even romantic, to hear a needle drop on a record that’s spinning. It’s a ritual. Karin says, “I’m an analog girl, in a digital world.”
—What do you enjoy about playing the Birchmere?
I really enjoy being one small part of a larger legacy of great songwriters who have performed on that stage. My goodness, it’s just a historic place where so many of our songwriting heroes have shared their songs.
—What would you say to encourage people to come out to the show?
Well, it’s not like we’re going to shoot anyone out of a cannon, or make a rabbit disappear, or mud wrestle, or even throw a touchdown pass, but if you appreciate live music, or if it’s been awhile since you’ve been to a concert where the performers had their hearts and souls on the line, you might come to remember that there’s nothing in this world quite like live music.
—What’s ahead in 2024? What’s on the horizon?
Well, in addition to working on our new songs, we have restored a barn on a small farm in Ohio. We host an annual music and arts festival now. More music, more writing, more walking the dogs, more taking good care of each other, more trying to do our small part to be people of integrity, learning how to just be fully present in the moment. And forgiveness is big, letting things go that don’t need to be carried. I’ve thought about it a lot and have come to believe that in the end, the thing that will save us is the thing we’ve been doing all along.