Yeah, I'm Totally That Girl.

Okay, do you ever do something that seems more than a little bit out of character... like bordering on bizarre... but it's so out there, that you just have to try?  I do.  Or, I did... just this once.  My story begins thusly:

It wasn't a dark night, it wasn't stormy, and it wasn't particularly interesting in any sense except that I was a student at an itty-bitty Bible school in Jackson, MI and had made friends with other students.  One of these friends knew of a band that was playing in Grand Rapids and insisted that I join her and others to trek across the snowy plains to hear them.  It sounded like a horrible idea, so I readily agreed to participate.  I had to be at work at 4 the next morning, then attend class, but I figured I could work it out - after all, I was young and wasn't this what living was all about?  

So we drove, arrived, were seated and in the cavernous auditorium at Calvin College, I was introduced to Over the Rhine (www.overtherhine.com).  I have been wildly smitten ever since.  They were mesmerizing in the way that only people who speak to your soul can be.  I listened, loathe to miss a single note, or lyric, knowing I'd never retain it all - but afraid that it was just something about that day and that stage and those people.  I needed to soak the entire experience into my being.  

We drove home that night and I slept for an hour or so in the very back of my Jeep Cherokee, smooshed in like a sardine.  I went straight to work when we arrived home, but still, the feeling wouldn't shake.  I didn't get a chance to see OTR again while I was in the Midwest, but when I moved back to California, they were playing in San Francisco.  Not only that, but they were playing at my favorite venue: Cafe du Nord.  This is one of those small, cramped, intimate clubs where the acoustics are terrible, but the soul is rich.  When I heard the familiar songs flow out of their fingers and mouths - I was cut to the quick.  Turns out, it wasn't just Michigan, or a certain chemistry... it was the band. There's something about this music that's just beyond my descriptive abilities.  They are brilliant.  I don't think you can quite grasp it, just by listening to the recordings, but when you see them live - it's poetry acted out in front of you.  They have all the playful, whimsical charm of an "indie" band, but there's this undercurrent of intense, visceral, slow fire.  I love them.

Which more or less establishes the context for today's events.  Are you still reading?  I hope so, because this is where it gets good.  I have been checking OTR's website periodically for CA tour dates for about the past 7 months... finally I realized that they'd be in San Francisco on December 4 about 4 months prior to the fact.  I waited to move to Redding & get my class schedules before buying tickets, and it's a good thing I waited - I don't get out of class until 6 pm on Thursdays, and there was just no way that I'd be able to make it to San Francisco in time to catch the show.  No problem, says I, I'll find the shows before & after & see what I can see... I saw a show on December 2 in Klamath, OR.  I thought I had found the perfect solution, until I got a job that had a big event on December 2, which I really would be hard-pressed to miss.  I was so bothered - the annual West Coast tour was driving right past me, and I'd be bum outta luck for both shows.  

I looked at a map, wondering how I could arrange ANY possible way to catch the group's show - when it occurred to me that they would, literally, drive right through Redding between gigs.  I did what no normal person would ever do.  I emailed the band and invited them to stop by for a couple of glasses of wine on their way through.  I also included the caveat that I was painfully aware of how creepy this could all sound.  They replied, graciously, that they weren't sure what their schedule would allow, but would certainly consider the pit stop.  I thought that was kind, and moved on with life, content to look forward to another show for the duration of 2009.  Then today, I walked into work and my buddy Will said, "Hey, Mike from some group called & said they'd be here in about 20 minutes."  That's when my guts started seizing like an overactive epileptic.  I went about my business until I saw Karin and Linford actually walk up to the front door.  SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!  This amazing troupe of audio artisans walked into my place of work & sat down & tasted some wines.  They whole crew hung out for an hour or two and we got to chat and just be for a little bit.  I didn't want to gush too much - so I tried to joke around and relax a wee smidge.  I guess I could close with this: there's something about humble, genuine, kind artists that restores my faith in the beauty of humanity.  When beautiful people create beauty, the world seems right again.  And, at least for tonight, right it is.