Taking their name from a downtown Cincinnati neighbourhood, Over the Rhine first got together in 1989 and have been making beautiful music ever since. The fact that the really big time has eluded them is either a sad indictment of the the music industry or a result of their failure to compromise on their musical vision, take your pick: either way, once you’ve discovered them, like a pearl of great price, you can congratulate yourself on being party to a criminally well-kept secret. They have had a number of fellow musicians on board across the years, but at its core Over the Rhine is a duo. The fragrant Karin Berguist, singer, is one half. But steady on boys: Linford Detweiler is the other half, in both senses. Signed initially to MCA Records, OTR were soon opening shows for Bob Dylan and touring the US and Europe. They’ve kept up a steady schedule of recording - Paste Magazine gave their 2003 album Ohio five stars - and touring, both under the OTR name and in other combinations, including a stint as honorary members of the Cowboy Junkies. OTR’s music has been described as ambient rock, which sounds like a contradiction in terms, but it kind of fits: their songs are simultaneously big and small; spacious yet heart-warming. “We try to write music that in little ways helps to heal the wounds that life has dealt us or the wounds we’ve dealt ourselves”, says Linford. As they said of their 2005 album Drunkard’s Prayer, but the sentiment could be extended to the rest of the catalogue, “there’s a lot of love on this one”.