Too musical for commercial success

I went to a show last night at Music Mill to see the musical stylings of Over the Rhine, and I do mean musical stylings. The band is a 6 piece from Cincinnati, and you can tell they're from a river community. There's something about river music that's delicious. Very bluesy, jazzy, Old Time, and mish mashed, the lead singer croons in a sultry voice so drippy it could put out the torch she's singing over. Watch where you're aiming that! Singer was backed up by electric piano and a moogish looking thing, cello, violin, upright bass, electric bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and drum kit which included washboard and compact rain stick in the form of many 6 inch rain sticks strapped together. Since there were only six people on stage the instruments were constantly changing as you can imagine. The stage manager was able to work up a sweat handing out guitars in between every song.

To give you an idea of the band's musicality, I think that this was the best performance, most musically sensitive performance I've seen in a set drummer. Period. He let loose and went insane during an extended solo, but it was welcome. Quite necessarily where the drummer goes the band does follow, and so when I say this guy may have been the strongest musician on the stage I think I'm really giving mad props to the band as a whole. The violinist/cellist performs with the Cincinnati Orchestra. He had a brilliant violin solo, so I'm betting the violin is his principle instrument. The upright bassist played electric bass and guitar and sang baritone. The electric guitarist played electric bass and acoustic guitar, and apparently produced the band's last two albums. The pianist was excellent, and he offered up all the between song chatter. He dead panned some beautiful stories, and he made me think of a Eastern Midwestern version of Garrison Keiller. (I consider GK to be Northern Midwestern.) In short he was both hilarious and touching which I find an admirable combination. Played a little stiff though. That's my only complaint about the show. The technically brilliant and smoking hot piano was a tidge stiff.

The show ruled, and I bought their latest non-Christmas album. At the end of the show I just felt happy and a little sad. It's a preposterous notion, but one I haven't been able to shake: this group is too musical for commercial success. I've heard plenty of torchy songbirds released in the last couple years with thin accompaniment in the background, but they can't hold a candle to this lady, and the band is so strong. So where's their radio play? Where's their hit album? They have had a couple songs played on network television shows. Maybe I'm just impatient for what I think what should be. I don't know all the particulars. I don't know the ins and outs of the music industry. I just know good music, and they are good. To me it's simple. Make 'em millionaires and play their music everywhere.