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Over the Rhine, Steven Delopoulos, and Susan Enan
September 28, 2003
Hi Tone Cafe 
Memphis, TN
By Trae Cadenhead  

While walking into Hi-Tone Cafe for the show, I thought to myself, "wow, it's almost all adults in here." It was at that moment that it hit me that my music tastes have changed a lot recently to include adult folk/rock. That said, this was one of the best shows I've attended all year and if I'm growing up, I'm glad there's at least nice perks like Over the Rhine shows.

Opening up the evening was Susan Enan, a native of Ireland who simply played acoustic guitar and wowed the audience with her gorgeous voice. Heading into the evening, I had never heard of Enan, but I'm sure this is a name I will be remembering well. The music was soothing and the vocals flowed out perfectly. Enan not only possesses an amazing voice, but she's also pretty competent on guitar, and seemed to have some very well written songs. With a new E.P. out this month, this is definitely someone to keep an eye out for.

Steven Delopoulos (formerly of Burlap to Cashmere) took the stage next. Also armed with nothing but an acoustic guitar, Delopoulos launched into one of the most interesting deliveries of acoustic music I have ever heard. He was undeniably talented on guitar, but it seemed that Delopoulos' skills were used in the wrong way, with song tempos so fast and vocals so loud and over the top that it was hard to take him seriously. In the final song,  Delopoulos played this worked out fine, however, because it seemed meant to be fast and loud. I have to admit that Delopoulos has plenty of skill, he just needs to find a better way of using it.

The real reason for everyone being present was Over the Rhine and they certainly did not disappoint. Thankfully on this tour there was a full band. With an uncountable number of guitars, sitar, dobro, and other instruments too uncommon to name, the music was quite fresh and innovative. Keyboards and organ filled out the mix perfectly. But what really stole the show was the vocals of Karen Bergquist, one of the most incredible voices in music today. Bergquist possesses a voice that can be either soft and soothing or moving and breathtaking, depending on what the situation calls for. The band's set consisted largely of songs from the new release _Ohio_, which judging by the songs played is quite an album. Of the new songs, all of which were very good, "Nobody Number One" stuck out as the best live song. Thankfully, the band had time for a few older songs as well. They played "All I Need Is Everything," "The World Can Wait," and an incredible rendition of "When I Go," complete with an extended, amazing guitar solo. After finishing the song, the band left the stage. Thanks to cheers from everyone in the building they came back for a few more songs, however. The final song of the encore was "Latter Days," which stuck out in my mind as the best song of the show as well as of the band's long career.

This was my first Over the Rhine experience and I am quite sure it will not be the last. For music that lives in another realm than 95% of the crap that passes for music today, one simply music delve into Over the Rhine. It's a sweet, rich taste that does not disappoint.
 
 
 

Trae Cadenhead is a student at Union University. He is pursuing a Digital Media Studies major with a Film Studies minor and plans to become involved in film making following school. Trae also has an enormous interest in music. Along with writing for the Tollbooth, Trae maintains Loconotion.net, a digital archive of his thoughts on music and movies as well as a gallery of the art and video work he is doing.
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