Nowhere Farm is a place I’ve had pictures of in my mind for a long time, from the stories that have been shared by Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist of Over The Rhine. I’ve always pictured a beautiful piece of ground with flat land, black earth and a calming quiet that we’re in need of all too often. A place to walk, think and appreciate the small things in life under a big sky. In reality it’s a beautiful 18th century farmhouse and the home of Karin and Linford located outside of Cincinnati, Ohio.
This past May, I along with a couple of great friends were lucky enough to make the trip out to the farm for their first ever Barn Dance concert. This small gathering was for some of the folks who had helped contribute to the making of their new album “Meet Me at the Edge of the World.” Many of the songs were written about that little piece of land and to get to hear them performed on top of the earth that they grew out of was something really special. They’re beautiful songs too. But hearing songs that have meant so much to me over the years like “Go Down Easy” and “Ohio” echo through the countryside left me feeling like I’d just witnessed the most beautiful music I’d ever heard in my life-and left very few dry eyes in the house.
At the very end of the show I decided to take a walk around the farm, along the tree line and under a big big sky as they closed with Latter Days-a wrecking ball of a song in it’s beauty and heartache- taking just those few moments to be alone, to walk and breathe in as much of Nowhere Farm as I could before heading back east.
The rest of the trip was spent with great friends, eating, drinking, laughing and making pictures as we explored Cincinnati- a city that I really came to fall in love with. It’s got a lot of heart, wonderful people and a great sensibility about it. The video below is a collection of photos the three of us shot that weekend and the gallery below are my attempts at learning to take a passable photograph. Thanks to Kylie Wilkerson for all her photo help and expertise and to Karin and Linford for hosting such a wonderful event.
