Cincinnati Enquirer
October 30, 1991

by Cliff Radel

DYLAN FINDS AN OPENING ACT IN CINCINNATI'S WIND

Don't think twice, Over the Rhine is all right. The Cincinnati band has the Bob Dylan seal of approval.

The local quartet of Karin Bergquist, Ric Hordinski, Brian Kelley and Linford Detweiler is opening two Dylan concerts. Friday night's Stephens Auditorium show in Ames, Iowa, and Tuesday evening's performance in the Dane County Expo Center in Madison, Wis.

How did a modern-rock band that takes its name from one of Cincinnati's most storied neighborhoods get on Dylan's short list of opening acts?

"It's grace," explains Detweiler, the band's bassist, keyboard player and lyricist.

It's also talent and being in the right place at the right time. Working as a duo, Bergquist and Hordinski opened for Dylan in Cleveland in July. The show's promoter, Belkin Brothers Productions, liked Bergquist's bewitching vocals and Hordinski's spare guitar work. When it came time for Belkin to do more Dylan shows, the duo got the call and the band got the jobs.

"We didn't have to submit a tape to Dylan or anything like that," Detweiler says. "He's sort of a hermit. You don't send things to him."

As Detweiler speaks, the sounds of Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" fill his Over the Rhine apartment.

"I'm not overly familiar with his work," Detweiler explains. "So, I'm trying to get in the mood."

After opening two concerts, Detweiler might be on a first-name basis with Dylan's tunes. Dylan, in turn, might be the same with Over the Rhine. The band will be doing songs from its independently produced album, "Til We Have Faces", whose highly charged contents and exquisite packaging put many major label's efforts to shame.

Even though he's boning up on the classics according to Dylan, Detweiler won't add any to Over the Rhine's opening-act set.

"We wouldn't dare touch his material," Detweiler says. "I wouldn't want to cover a Dylan tune just before he walks out on the same stage."