Over the Rhine
          
       A new band is picking up fans as its music keeps rolling along.
            
NEW YORK
Wednesday, December 16,1998 - 04:02 PM ET 


CBS This Morning Co-Anchor
Mark McEwen calls Over The
Rhine "one of the great
unsung bands in America."


                                   (CBS) Every once in a while,
                                   a great band sneaks up on you
            and, before you know it, you're telling your friends about a
            CD they have to hear, says CBS This Morning Co-Anchor
            Mark McEwen. He wants to be the first to tell you about
            Over The Rhine, which he calls "one of the great unsung
            bands in America." 

            The band dropped by This Morning to perform the song All
            I Need Is Everything from their CD Good Dog Bad Dog
            and to chat with McEwen. 

            Over The Rhine (OTR) is a
            Cincinnati-based band that has
            been together since 1990,
            making records and serving as
            the opening act for such stars as Bob Dylan. The band's
            evolution reached a watermark in 1996, when bandleader
            and keyboardist Linford Detweiler and lead singer Karin
            Bergquist (who are married) were advised to streamline their
            sound, focusing on Bergquist's voice and one or two
            instruments. The result was the album Good Dog Bad Dog. 

            Eventually, the band's music caught the ear of Peter Leak,
            manager of such bands as 10,000 Maniacs and The Cowboy
            Junkies. He became OTR's publisher and dealmaker, and got
            them a gig as the opening band on The Cowboy Junkies
            latest tour. In addition, members of OTR contributed vocals
            and other musical support to the Junkies' act. 

            Once the new year starts, OTR will hit the road again with
            The Cowboy Junkies for the Australia and New Zealand leg
            of the tour. 

            While the theme of faith is strong in OTR's songs, Detweiler
            doesn't want listeners to pigeonhole OTR as a Christian
            band. His father was a Methodist minister, and Detweiler
            says his own struggles with faith are bound to be reflected in
            his music. But it is not written with a desire to impose his
            beliefs on the listener, and he cringes at the thought of his
            music being defined so narrowly. 

            Bergquist tells McEwen that she hopes that, when people
            hear the CD, they will find "some good songs, probably
            something that is a little hard to put into words." 

            While the band does not have a record label, Detweiler says
            he is not overly concerned. 

            "For a while, we weren't sure we wanted to be signed,"
            he explains. "But we're giving it serious consideration
            again. We canceled some dates this month so we could
            record some new material. We've got some people who
            are listening to it. We'll see how it goes." 

            In addition to Detweiler and Bergquist, members of the band
            are G. Jack Henderson, electric guitar; Brian Kelly, drums;
            Randy Cheek, bass, and Terri Templeton, background
            vocals.