Holiday Sentiments from Over the Rhine
A few words from Over the Rhine:
Hello from Ohio!
Dear reader, we'll try to be brief. (Please don't hesitate to pass this info along to teachers, students, pets, friends, girlfriends, cousins, fledgling painters, sultry singers, young hitch-hikers off to unravel the world, listless little sisters, nursing mothers etc.)
It's that time of year again. Come in out of the cold, peel off your scarves and hats and gloves and join us for warm nights packed with songs and words and the shared laughter and conversation of friends. Dear reader, it wouldn't be the same without you.
Over the Rhine CHRISTMAS TOUR DATES
Thu Dec 01: Akron OH, Lime Spider
Fri Dec 02: Ann Arbor MI, The Ark
Sat Dec 03: Chicago IL, Old Town School of Folk Music
Two performances: 7:00 pm & 10:00 pmSun Dec 04: Des Moines IA, Vaudeville Mews
Tue Dec 06: Minneapolis MN, Fine Line Music Cafe
Wed Dec 07: Madison WI: High Noon Saloon
Fri Dec 09: Indianapolis IN, The Music Mill
Sat Dec 10: Columbus OH, Little Brothers
(A little break for Karin's birthday on the 13th…)
Thu Dec 15: Nashville TN: 3rd & Lindsley
Fri Dec 16: Lexington KY, The Dame
Sat Dec 17: Cincinnati OH, Taft Theatre
Very special guest for all shows: Kim Taylor.
And for the Taft Theatre homecoming show, the one and only Amy Rigby joins us!Check out overtherhine.com for more details…
BUT DON'T FORGET THE BOOKENDS
This year, dear reader, we wanted to begin and end the tour with a little something special.
To begin:
*This Sunday, Nov 27: Cincinnati OH, Joseph-Beth Booksellers.
2:00 pm free performance/signing.(Karin and Linford will kick off the Christmas Tour this year with a free performance and cd-signing at Joseph-Beth Booksellers located in Rookwood Commons in Cincinnati, Ohio. Join us for music, giveaways and more before we head out on the Great American Highway.)
LIMITED EDITION CD, AND END OF TOUR GATHERING
We've had a very memorable and musical year traveling with Rick and Devon and Kim and watching the songs on Drunkard's Prayer take root and grow beyond our expectations. We decided we couldn't let the year end without making an effort to document this special chapter, giving you the opportunity to hear for yourself, dear reader, how our songs have evolved and blossomed on the road in front of an audience.
We're bringing Paul Mahern (the engineer/producer who helped us record Ohio and Drunkard's Prayer) to the Taft to record our hometown concert this year. You can pre-order your copy of this signed, limited edition cd at overtherhine.com. It will contain highlights from the December 17 Taft concert, plus bonus material.
And yes, if you'd like to bask in the afterglow just a bit, join us on December 18, the day after the Taft Concert. We've planned two special performances at St. Elizabeth's in Norwood, Ohio: Linford Detweiler's Upright Piano/Spoken Word Performance at 1pm and Linford and Karin's special candlelight acoustic set with Q&A, wine and refreshments and general conviviality at 4pm. (Dear reader, we're throwing a little party before we wrap up for the year.)
If you'd like to join us for this little bit of extra celebrating, go to overtherhine.com to order a ticket good for you and a guest, or for you and your family. We'll say a proper goodbye before we let the year wind down for good.
FINAL TIDBITS:
Mon Nov 28: WNKU, 2:00pm. Tune into 89.7FM, WNKU in greater Cincinnati for a short interview and acoustic performance by Karin and Linford. Or listen on-line at WNKU.ORG.
On December 1st, we'll be posting up a new MP3 of the month at the website. After you turn that page of your calendar, stop by for some free music.
Also, stop by the website for some great cd bundles and end-of-year specials. Every last one of our songs and cd's are on sale: http://overtherhine.com/catalog/order.html
Dear reader, enjoy.
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We can't say enough good stuff about the folks at Paste Magazine for spreading the word about all kinds of music, independent film, books and general good stuff that is often ignored or overlooked by the mainstream media. Please take a minute to vote in their Signs of Life Poll. (If you enjoyed Drunkard's Prayer this year, feel free to give us a mention if you're so inclined.)
***
Finally, thanks to all of you who attended the concerts and helped spread around our music this year - for your generosity and creativity and lovely enthusiasm. It's been truly wonderful. We look forward to regaling you with more anecdotes from Nowhere Farm, and we look forward to a whole lot more music.
Of course, we hope to see many of you once again in the coming weeks.
Dear reader, may your paper airplane, the one on which you've scribbled all your best and deepest dreams, fly high.
We'll be watching the night sky,
Over the Rhine
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Looking Elsewhere: November 26, 2005
Saturday's specials:
I'm hoping Pride and Prejudice is the beginning of a turnaround for this movie year. In the next several days, I'll be seeing Woody Allen's Match Point, Andrew Adamson's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Peter Jackson's King Kong, Michael Haneke's Cache (Hidden), and more. I have high hopes for all of them, but the way this year has been going, it wouldn't be a big surprise if each one of them disappointed.
"YOU WILL NOT LIKE ME."
In the meantime, here's The New York Times persuading me to wait until the DVD for Johnny Depp, Samantha Morton, and John Malkovich in The Libertine.
HOW CAN I GET YOU STALLONE?
And, in the name of hope and good moviegoing, here's a script review of Rocky 6.
SINGLE PARENTS IN BRITAIN GET EARLY CHRISTMAS GIFTS
The Christian-outreach promotion of Narnia continues in Britain.
THERE ARE A MILLIONS REASONS TO SEE THIS MOVIE
In case you didn't notice yet... it's here, for rental and purchase. Merry Christmas.
A FEAST FOR MARTIN FANS
Thanksgiving came late for my wife Anne, who has been waiting for this book for a long, long time, and now she's wrapped in blankets on the couch with her nose in its pages, and I doubt I'll hear from her again for a long, long time...
Pleased by Pride and Prejudice
I had almost given up on the big screen this holiday season. Nothing's living up to the hype. Nothing's making me feel nine bucks was well invested.
Well, here's one that does.
Rosamund Pike, with very few lines, almost steals Pride and Prejudice from Keira Knightley.
For one thing, in the role of Jane, the older sister in this family of girls-to-be-married-off, she wasn't overly made up like a supermodel like Knightley was in every scene. She remained a natural beauty, and one with a complicated interior life. And she handles her big scenes beautifully. I wished the film had been another 3o minutes longer to give us more time with this character, and I hope other directors will notice her and cast her in the lead of something as worthwhile as this. (I note with a shudder that her other 2005 appearance is in Doom. What a waste.)
But this is, of course, an adpatation of a Jane Austen novel so beloved that any variation from the text causes purists to cry out in dismay. And since Wright strays quite significantly on certain points in order to compress this large story into two hours, I can't begrudge him how much time Pike is offscreen. He and screenwriter Deborah Moggach have done an admirable job.
But Pike, wow... there's something bewitchingly broken about her face... something that speaks of experience, deep thought, and pain, which makes her eventual joy all the more exciting. Knightley, for all of her tough talk, still doesn't have the face of someone who's been through things, and that weakens her effectiveness as a lead.
But I can't say Knightley didn't win me over. She's got the gumption of young Winona Ryder, and she does that romantic hesitancy oh so well ... that blissful expression that makes it painfully obvious to anyone watching that she's swooning every time she looks at Matthew MacFadyen's Mr. Darcy. She's a pleasure, and a strong enough actress to carry the movie, in spite of the strengths she hasn't yet developed. (And isn't it refreshing to have a period piece in which the heroine doesn't succeed because of overpowering cleavage?)
The only real problem with Knightley in this film is the way that, no matter how hard the rain and the wrongdoing pound on her, her makeup is always picture-perfect, and that taints an otherwise winning performance. I just keep expecting her to turn to the camera and hold up some kind of moisturizer or eyeliner and seductively tell us what brand to buy. Not that she's painful to look at... heck, I'd probably run out and buy some of that moisturizer myself if she told me to. But it just seemed out of place in this world, like she was some kind of superhero whose power was to be camera-ready no matter what the circumstances.
MacFayden's quite strong as well. Hard to believe this is his first big movie role. (He was in The Reckoning, but didn't have much chance to make an impression there.)
And Donald Sutherland, playing a very different Mr. Bennett than the book gives us, is also very fine as an emotional, weary old man who dearly loves his smartest, boldest daughter.
Joe Wright's direction is invigorating. Who is this guy? Give him another good script! He keeps the camera moving gracefully about these crowded ballrooms and elaborate houses. I wanted to rewind certain scenes just to marvel at how effortlessly the camera glides from room to room, through windows, and across the glorious countryside. He uses close-ups in ways that remind me of Peter Jackson, and that gives us an intimate knowledge of these characters so that we care about them, whereas many other period pieces of this sort keep us at arms' length.
My favorite of his many surprising segues and decisions came when Knightley is sitting in a swing and slowly turning, winding up the ropes and then twirling. We see through her eyes as the property around her rushes past. Every time she turns, time has passed, the seasons change, and at last we arrive in a new chapter. Simple, inventive, and beautifully executed.
The soundtrack, reminiscent of Michael Nyman's The Piano, is also a strong point.
The only things that made me wince were Brenda Blethyn's typically hysterical performance, which was too comical and exaggerated, out of balance with everything else; the miscasting of Jena Malone as a hyperactive, giggling girl; and Judi Dench's one-note wickedness.
This territory has been explored so many times before that it's becoming hard to review such a film fairly. It has a "been-there, done that" quality to it (and the appearance of Dench doesn't help matters here). Thus, all the more reason to praise Wright for making such familiar stuff seem fresh and engaging. I'd gladly see this film again, and take friends and family along. How long has it been since I've said that about a movie?
The Paganism of Narnia
In a new article at CanadianChristianity.com, Peter T. Chattaway speaks the much-avoided truth about C.S. Lewis's wonderland.
This should try the patience of many Christians who celebrate The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as some kind of opposite to Harry Potter and other fantasy stories.
Too bad. Peter's right. The Chronicles of Narnia are full of references to pagan mythology.
Looking Elsewhere: November 25, 2005
Friday's specials:
WAX OFF
Farewell, Pat Morita.
DAILY MAIL CRITIC GOES BANANAS FOR NARNIA
Sheeesh!
It is not just a 'must see' but a 'must see again and again'.
Where is that sixth star when you need it?
Not only does it miraculously do full justice to CS Lewis's classic fantasy, it improves upon it and gives a more sophisticated sense of humour.
Above all, there's a spectacular sense of scale that turns the children's sagas into a worthy successor to The Lord Of The Rings as an epic piece of storytelling.
Just as miraculously, it achieves all this without sacrificing the qualities of the original novel, including its charm, sense of wonder and feeling for myth.
Even the Christian subtext of Lewis's book is handled with taste and sensitivity. It's there, but never laboured.
Although shot in New Zealand by an American director, it remains lovingly true to its original cultural background.
With only a few weeks to go until the end of 2005, I was certain that Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit would be carrying off my plaudits as Film of the Year.
Now that I have seen this beautiful picture which achieves similar perfection on a far more stunning scale, I would have to give it to Narnia.
The script sticks amazingly - you could say 'religiously' - close to Lewis's novel.
PUTTING JENNIFER GARNER OUT OF HER MISERY
Alias, which rapidly accelerated from being the best show on TV to one of the worst, will end in May.
"M" IS FOR JUDI DENCH, AGAIN
This year's Bond will serve last decade's M.
ABEL FERRARA'S "MARY"
Twitch has a trailer and scenes from Juliette Binoche's upcoming film.
Casting Wilberforce
While it remains to be seen whether The Fantastic Four's Ioan Gruffudd will be a compelling leading man in Walden Media's film on the life of William Wilberforce, the supporting cast is shaping up nicely.
Albert Finney, last seen in Oceans 12, best seen in many superior films.
Romola Garai, who stole every scene she visited in last year's Vanity Fair.
Michael Gambon of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Gosford Park.
Rufus Sewell of Dark City.
Ciaran Hinds of Persuasion and BBC/HBO co-production Rome.
And singer-songwriter Youssou N'Dour.
Christmas surprise from Over the Rhine
Wine me, dine me, Over the Rhine me!!
I've just ordered my copy of a Limited Edition LIVE CD packed with highlights from this year's upcoming Taft Theater concert here.
It's an Overstreet tradition: To officially begin the holiday season, we put on Over the Rhine's The Darkest Night of the Year, and follow that with Bruce Cockburn's Christmas, all of this leading to the annual house-shaking encounter with Handel's Messiah. To have an Over the Rhine Christmas concert on cd... we may just have to add a fourth disc to that event.
Happy Thanksgiving, Karin and Linford! You've just made me very thankful!
Looking Elsewhere: November 22, 2005
Tuesday's specials
THE WAR IS OVER.
Oprah... Dave. Dave... Oprah. I expect a talk-show troop withdrawl will follow straightaway.
QUAID TALKS ABOUT HIS CHRISTIAN FAITH
Meditation, he says, should be yours... mine... ours....
"IT'S UNDERWHELMING!" "IT'S LESS THAN ORIGINAL!"
Critics are raving about today's special sneak-preview clip of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. They're raving about how much it looks like footage from the video game, or a scene from The Return of the King in which certain characters have been replaced by cheetahs.
Are you getting that sinking feeling that maybe this first Narnia movie is going to be disappointing? Can you feel it in the fact that after all of the pre-release hype to Christian audiences, Christianity Today and most other Christian film critics were disallowed passage to the film junket, but the sure-to-embrace-it-because-it's-Christian CBN reporter was given a place at the table?
Can you feel it in the fact that the only clip they've given us is a clip that looks just like a battle scene from The Lord of the Rings, except there are more felines involved?
Can you feel it in the fact that most press screenings aren't happening until December 6th, a couple of days before the film opens? (UPDATE: Okay, I withdraw that complaint. Just today, several more press screenings were announced.)
A friend of mine has seen the final cut. He's sworn to secrecy until opening day, but he did offer a caution: Don't expect it to be very faithful to the source material.
Of course, it could be that this sinking feeling has more to do with the Panang Curry combo I ate for lunch today...
Harry Potter smackdown!
Over at Christianity Today, it's time for this year's Harry Potter Smackdown!
It begins with the positive review of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at CT Movies, alongside an article called "Redeeming Harry Potter.".
Then, the letters start pouring into the CT Mailbag.
In this corner... Doug Kimball!
"Thanks for your thoughtful article, 'Redeeming Harry Potter.' As Christians, we should be quick to embrace/discern the good and to recognize/avoid the evil. Armed with such resources as your article, Christian teens and adults can help nonbelievers who have experienced Pottermania to (better) see the truth of Christ."
And in this corner... Mary Ellen Mattern!
"I am thankful that you have had such negative response about Harry. Witchcraft is always an abomination to the Lord. There are no good witches. You are flipping good and evil. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe does not make witches the good guys. Harry does. Please consider the penalty in the Old Testament for this abomination. This is serious stuff."
Meanwhile off to the side ... our good friend Peter T. Chattaway considers Mary Ellen's assertion that Harry Potter offends Old Testament standards. He responds in his email to me this morning:
"I wonder if Mary Ellen Mattern ... realizes that the good guys in the Narnia books practise astrology and dance with maenads and Bacchus himself in a bacchanal. I believe the Old Testament had penalties for these abominations, too."
And another friend replies:
"Boy, Mary Ellen, if we are going by the Old Testament penalities, we are all in trouble. Disobey mom and dad? Death!"
Wilco's Jeff Tweedy rocks... Messiah College?
It must have been quite an event... a conference on Christianity and the arts, featuring Wilco's Jeff Tweedy!
News of Delaware County documents these words from Tweedy:
"Actually, I'm honored that you would invite me to your campus. I think a lot of Christians would consider me a blasphemer," Tweedy said before deadpanning, "I have a checkered past."
"I think I should play 'Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down' now... not because I'm scared or anything," Tweedy joked after the song, before adding, "I hope no one thinks that I'm mocking their faith in any way by playing that song. I sincerely have a lot of respect for the Christian faith and of all people of faith ... you gotta have something in this world."
"I think one of the things that's really beautiful about rock music is that it's one of the rare places that people go in their lives where they join together with a bunch of people and raise their voices and sing along with somebody and transcend themselves, to find themselves as a part of humanity as opposed to being apart from humanity. I think that that's a beautiful thing ... Unfortunately there's been a lot of times where I think a lot of people have missed that experience in church and they found it in other places without knowing that's what they were finding."
And then there's this little anecdote:
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot's "Heavy Metal Drummer" ended with Tweedy substituting names of bands shouted by the audience in the line "playing Kiss covers, beautiful and stoned," mentioning Christian rock acts Stryper and Jars of Clay before pausing, then relenting at the suggestion of Uncle Tupelo, the band Tweedy left to form Wilco.