Halloween Song: Over The Rhine - “Jacksie"

NOTE: A new Incoming was posted earlier today.

A few months back, I mentioned that August 6, 2024 marked the 15th anniversary of my Broken Hearted Toy blog. The celebratory posts I planned for this milestone fell by the wayside, but I’d still like to continue my tradition of posting Halloween songs throughout October. Here’s the first Halloween song profile I ever wrote for Broken Hearted Toy, all the way back in 2009.

“Jacksie” is the first track on Patience, the 1992 debut album from Over The Rhine. The Cincinnati-based band, founded by vocalist/guitarist Karin Bergquist and bassist/keyboards player Linford Detweiler, has garnered critical acclaim for decades by setting thought-provoking lyrics to inventive folk, country, and indie rock arrangements. Detweiler based the song on theologian C.S. Lewis’s book, A Grief Observed, spinning the author’s heartfelt reflections on the loss of a loved one into a compelling and beautiful ballad. 

Still, a casual listener could be forgiven for thinking this is a classic ghost story. Especially with lines such as, “They laid her in the ground./She still comes around./A love that never dies takes you by surprise.” Bergquist’s ethereal vocals, set to a serene arrangement, sends chills up the listener’s spine, especially when her “la la la la la la la” echoes like you’re traveling through a dark forest.

Over The Rhine continues to perform and record impressive music, and hosts the Nowhere Else Festival every summer.

Incoming

Fans of The dB’s will be happy to know a new version of “Ask For Jill” is now available as a single on various streaming sites. The song is one of the many catchy gems on the band’s 1981 album Repercussion, which will be released in a remastered format on October 18 from Propeller Sound Recordings. Other highlights on Repercussion include “Living A Lie,” “Happenstance,” and “Neverland,” as well as the very Hollies-like ballad “From A Window.”

Chicago area fans of XTC have two opportunities coming up to watch local musicians paying homage to the clever and irresistibly catchy English band. Tributosaurus will become XTC this Thursday night at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue, and power pop musician Dolph Chaney will host Working for Paper and for Iron - XTX - Girdle To The Globe next Tuesday, October 8 at Montrose Saloon.

Tickets are now on sale for Stevie Wonder’s tour, which opens in Pittsburgh on October 8. It’s slogan, Your Song! As We Fix Our Nation’s Heart, is inspired by Wonder’s call for peace and unity on his new single “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart?” New York City; Philadelphia; Baltimore; Greensboro; Atlanta; Detroit; Milwaukee; Minneapolis; Grand Rapids; and Chicago are the other stops on the tour.

Social Act, possibly the first band I interviewed when I started freelancing for the Illinois Entertainer back in 1987, will perform at Liar’s Club on Chicago’s north side this Friday evening at 7:30 pm. The alt rock group’s founding members Ellis Clark and John Krenger will be onboard, along with some impressive new members. Social Act has been in the studio recently, working on new material.

Congratulations to music industry veteran Dean Brownrout on the release of his book No Big Deal today via Guernica Editions. Subtitled Chasing the indie music dream in the last days of the record business, it covers his teenage days as a concert promoter on through founding his independent record label, Big Deal. Brownrout describes it as “a humorous and nostalgic journey through this seminal time in the music industry.” No Big Deal has a Foreword by Ira Robbins of Trouser Press.

“Revelation Blues,” the first single from whitewolfsonicprincess' upcoming album, Love Without Fear, is now available to stream on Spotify and Bandcamp. Guitarist-vocalist James Moeller describes it as, “a bit Celtic blues, a bit wild-fire.” The band has a record release party for Love Without Fear coming up on Halloween night at Evanston SPACE.

Also, a quick reminder that Bandcamp Friday is coming up in a few days. That’s when Bandcamp waives its revenue and passes the funds directly to artists and labels.

The Northman Riverwalk in downtown Chicago has added a third Oktoberfest Weekend to its schedule, by bringing back The Paloma Band for three separate sets this Friday and Saturday. The quartet has over 40 years of experience when it comes to encouraging audience participation. Friday’s set starts at 5:00 pm; Saturday’s sets are at 2:00 and 4:00 pm.