What a beautiful piece of heartache this has all turned out to be.
Lord knows we've learned the hard way all about healthy apathy.
And I use these words pretty loosely.
There's so much more to life than words.
There is a me you would not recognize, dear. Call it the shadow of myself.
And if the music starts before I get there dance without me. You dance so gracefully.
I really think I'll be o.k. They've taken their toll these latter days.
Nothin' like sleepin' on a bed of nails. Nothin' much here but our broken dreams.
Ah, but baby if all else fails, nothin' is ever quite what it seems.
And I'm dyin' inside to leave you with more than just cliches.
There is a me you would not recognize, dear. Call it the shadow of myself.
And if the music starts before I get there dance without me. You dance so gracefully.
I really think I'll be o.k. They've taken their toll these latter days.
But tell them it's real. Tell them it's really real.
I just don't have much left to say.
They've taken their toll these latter days.
They've taken their toll these latter days.
Slow down. Hold still.
It's not as if it's a matter of will.
Someone's circling. Someone's moving
a little lower than the angels.
And it's got nothing to do with me.
The wind blows through the trees,
but if I look for it, it won't come.
I tense up. My mind goes numb.
There's nothing harder than learning how to receive.
Calm down. Be still.
We've got plenty of time to kill.
No hand writing on the wall:
just the voice that's in us all.
And you're whispering to me,
time to get up off my hands and knees,
'cause if I beg for it, it won't come.
I find nothing but table crumbs.
My hands are empty. God I've been naive.
All I need is everything.
Inside, outside, feel new skin.
All I need is everything.
Feel the slip and the grip of grace again.
Slow down. Hold still.
It's not as if it's a matter of will.
Someone's circling. Someone's moving
a little lower than the angels.
This voice calling me to you:
it's just barely coming through.
Still, I clearly hear my name.
I've been fingering the flame
like tomorrow's martyr.
It gets harder to believe.
All I need is everything.
Inside, outside, feel new skin.
All I need is everything.
Feel the slip and the grip of grace again.
So from now till kingdom come,
taste the words on the tip of my tongue.
'Cause we can't run truth out of town,
only force it underground.
The roots grow deeper
in ways we can't conceive.
All I need is everything.
Inside, outside feel new skin.
All I need is everything.
Feel the slip and the grip of grace again.
All I need is all I need.
Don't speak.
Words come out your eyes.
You're wet with this nightmare.
Like thorns you hold these secrets to your breast,
your slender fingers closing into fists.
Trace your bruise
like a guilty streak.
Hold the pain.
You're a connoisseur.
You think you have no other gift to give,
but we have so much left to live.
We don't need a lot of money.
We'll be sleeping on the beach,
keeping oceans within reach.
(Whatever private oceans we can conjure up for free.)
I will stumble there with you
and you'll be laughing close with me,
trying not to make a scene
etcetera. Whatever. I guess all I really mean
is we're gonna be alright.
Yeah, we're gonna be alright.
You can close your eyes tonight,
'cause we're gonna be alright.
So come on now,
I can almost see
that place
on a distant shore.
And courage is a weapon we must use
to find some life you can't refuse.
We don't need a lot of money.
We'll be sleeping on the beach,
keeping oceans within reach.
(Whatever private oceans we can conjure up for free.)
I will stumble there with you
and you'll be laughing close with me,
trying not to make a scene
etcetera. Whatever. I guess all I really mean
is we're gonna be alright.
Yeah, we're gonna be alright.
You can close your eyes tonight,
'cause we're gonna be alright.
All that I can see is your eyes.
Close your eyes.
Close your eyes.
Your paint dries, the canvas smiles,
with two eyes you lift yourself up.
Stroke your skin, there are teeth marks to be sure.
Maybe we're best close to the ground.
Maybe angels drag us down.
I wonder which part of this will leave the scar.
Dip your hands in colours
while the young night flutters in on you and
finger paint me pictures of all you see.
No matter what they say, you'll always be
faithfully dangerous, lost and lovely,
so beautiful to me.
I'm not too blind to see.
Red is blood. Black is sky.
White's the dove that longs to fly.
You set it free and it beats its wings in me.
It leaves us at a loss for words.
Is that me now in your arms?
We cradle together and fall down on our knees.
Let the whole world drift downstream.
We'll always be different.
Swim the silent slipstream inside of me.
No matter what they say, you'll always be
faithfully dangerous, lost and lovely,
so beautiful to me.
I'm not too blind to see.
Red is blood. Black is sky.
White's the dove that longs to fly.
You set it free and it beats its wings in me.
It leaves us at a loss for words.
Is that me now in your arms?
We cradle together and fall down on our knees.
The heart that beats is yours inside me.
Red is love. Black is night.
I'm drunk with angels taking flight.
The heart that beats is yours inside me.
The heart that beats is yours inside me.
The heart that beats is yours.
Your paint dries, the canvas smiles,
with two eyes you lift yourself up.
Stroke your skin, there are teeth marks to be sure.
Maybe we're best close to the ground.
Maybe angels drag us down.
I wonder which part of this will leave the scar.
Dip your hands in colours
while the young night flutters in on you and
finger paint me pictures of all you see.
No matter what they say, you'll always be
faithfully dangerous, lost and lovely,
so beautiful to me.
I'm not too blind to see.
Red is blood. Black is sky.
White's the dove that longs to fly.
You set it free and it beats its wings in me.
It leaves us at a loss for words.
Is that me now in your arms?
We cradle together and fall down on our knees.
Let the whole world drift downstream.
We'll always be different.
Swim the silent slipstream inside of me.
No matter what they say, you'll always be
faithfully dangerous, lost and lovely,
so beautiful to me.
I'm not too blind to see.
Red is blood. Black is sky.
White's the dove that longs to fly.
You set it free and it beats its wings in me.
It leaves us at a loss for words.
Is that me now in your arms?
We cradle together and fall down on our knees.
The heart that beats is yours inside me.
Red is love. Black is night.
I'm drunk with angels taking flight.
The heart that beats is yours inside me.
The heart that beats is yours inside me.
The heart that beats is yours.
Welcome to the goldrush.
Wait till after dark.
Open up the ceiling, we'll be kneeling,
we'll be breathing on a spark.
Flying kites at midnight,
such a dizzy height.
Up above the small town,
pulling moonlight down and wearing it skin tight.
You can always tell me
anything at all.
Think of all the times
you've let my lips move, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Suddenly I'm weightless.
Gravity is mine.
I see it with my eyes closed,
what my heart knows: we must leave this world behind.
'Cause when I wake from dreaming,
it's then I'm most alive.
Eye lids barely open, no words spoken,
ah, but you were by my side.
You can always tell me
anything at all.
Think of all the times
you've let my lips move, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh, what you're missing.
Don't you wanna see what you're missing?
I can always tell you
anything at all.
Break the alabaster,
hearts beat faster, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You can always tell me
anything at all.
Think of all the times
you've let my lips move, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh, what you're missing.
Don't you wanna see what you're missing?
Look inside for the elusive goldmine.
Broken glass and a little cheap wine
is all that I can find.
And bundles of contradictions,
my heart full of loose connections,
hands across my eyes.
I cannot disguise I'm everyman's daughter.
It's always the same old question.
Who am I and whose invention?
This armour's full of dust.
There's so much of us in each other.
If I hate you you're my best reminder
of all I wish I was.
I hate you just because I'm everyman's daughter.
Who do you think that I am?
It don't matter long as we can understand.
I am hurting someone.
I am hurting someone just like, just like you.
Insulting the wounds of others,
my sisters, my brothers,
my vision's way too good.
I carry the inward aching.
Like you, I too am naked.
I don't look that good,
but this is flesh and blood. I'm everyman's daughter.
Look at all the blood we've spilt.
I can't deal with all this fundamental guilt.
I am hurting someone.
I am hurting someone just like, just like you.
I am. I am. I am everyman's daughter.
I thought I'd go up Poughkeepsie,
look out o'er the Hudson,
and I'd throw my body down on the river.
And I'd know no more sorrow,
I'd fly like the sparrow
and I'd ride on the backs of the angels tonight.
I'd ride on the backs of the angels tonight.
I'd take to the sky with all my might.
No more drowning in my sorrow,
no more drowning in my fright,
I'd just ride on the backs of the angels tonight.
There are those who know sorrow
and those who must borrow
and those whose lot in life is sweet.
Well I'm drunk on self-pity,
scorned all that's been given me,
I would drink from a bottle labeled Sure Defeat.
I'd ride on the backs of the angels tonight.
I'd take to the sky with all my might.
No more drowning in my sorrow,
no more drowning in my fright,
I'd just ride on the backs of the angels tonight.
Then the skies, they fell open
and my eyes were opened
to a world of hope falling at my feet.
Now I've no more or less
than anyone else has,
what I have is a gift of life I can't repeat.
So I go up Poughkeepsie,
look out o'er the Hudson
and I cast my worries to the sky.
Now I still know sorrow,
but I can fly like the sparrow
'cause I ride on the backs of the angels tonight.
I ride on the backs of the angels tonight.
I take to the sky with all their might.
No more drowning in my sorrow,
no more drowning in my fright,
I'll just ride on the backs of the angels each night.
my love is a fever
my love is a fable
my love is jazz licks
improvised by toddlers
bold Ulysses by nursery rhyme
and firelight
my love is a metamorphosis
reason cold logic
intuitively speaking
my love is syncopated
spoon-fed ignorant
well-read
my love is singular
my love is commonplace
as a gravedigger's own birthplace
my love is a medicine
feeds the sick heals the poor
turns up the volume on the blind
my word it's a trip
like a migraine
on a moving train
it parachutes aeroplanes
watch it fly
eyes soar hands clap
ears ring it's a sand trap
hair raising amazing
grey city transformations
as lips sink stomachs ache
monkeys shine fire flies
foxes trot hobs knob
porches swing brains storm
hearts attack and air supplies
heads light tails spin
steeples chase you along your chin
rock slides
out of the woods now
a virgin in buckskin
moccasins tall thin
she plays your mandolin
so maudlin you begin to spin
out of the woods now
and your face
I do know well
every breath breathes
farewell
it's so still
no soul could tell
but one day
like this
the angels fell
and it's never quite what it seems
and it bleeds
this setting sun
and my arms ache
from holding on
let it go
this dying light
makes it hard to tell
wrong from right
and it's never quite what it seems
all the shadows of our doubts
and the light that burns too bright
soon burns out
and your face
you do know well
that the race is lost
hold still
'cause the first
shall be the last
those that burn with thirst
will lift their glass
and it's never quite what it seems
Anything I say will be held against me,
so I won't say much or I'll spill it all.
By the light of day it's an elusive feeling,
but every single night that's immaterial.
I know a love that will not let me go.
My heart is bound and happy to be so.
It's so happy to be so,
happy to be so,
happy, happy, happy to be so.
If I try to pray, it's like a game of red rover.
I take a real good run at it, but I can't break through.
Don't matter anyway. I'm so redhanded.
The game is over. I'll just tell the truth.
I know a love that will not let me go.
My heart is bound and gagged and on death row.
It's so happy to be so,
happy to be so,
happy, happy, happy to be so. Ooh.
Go down easy babe.
Go down slow.
Take all the time you need.
We've no place else to go.
Gonna put on my favorite dress.
Put my hair up too.
Take me North, South, East or West.
I guess I'll leave it up to you.
You threw a noose around my shadow.
Got me into all this mess.
I would have dove in head first anyway
for less, for a whole lot less.
Go down easy babe.
Go down slow.
Take all the time you need.
We've no place else to go.
Say farewell to the confines of my own back yard.
Weeds growin' 'round the flowers.
Sometimes the only way to break the curse
is to leave it all behind.
Find the slow curve of a back road,
one hand on the wheel.
Drive till I remember how it feels.
So this is how it feels. Oh.
Go down easy babe.
Go down slow.
If there's anything better than this
I'd like to know.
Linford and Karin were honored to be approached by John Wooler in the late 1990’s, an A&R man and producer at Virgin Records who had started his own imprint (Pointblank) and worked with Pop Staples, Van Morrison and John Lee Hooker. John W. and another VP at Virgin (Ken Levitan) wanted to start a small imprint called Back Porch and sign American bands and songwriters who had strong visions in place, who had strong followings, who were making unique music that felt real, and who weren’t pursuing the superstar/celebrity approach to having a career in music. The rest of Virgin was focused on getting records out by Lenny Kravitz, Moriah Carey, The Rolling Stones etc. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that!)
Back Porch Records was designed to offer a home to American songwriters a little closer to the dirt. Over the Rhine was the first band to sign with Back Porch, followed shortly thereafter by David Lowrey of Cracker. Back Porch went on to release records by The Neville Brothers, Charlie Sexton, Alejandro Escovedo, Frank Black and John Hammond to name a few.
It was a good relationship in many ways. Back Porch typically let Over the Rhine record and master their records prior to hearing a note of the music. All the artwork was designed in Ohio by the in-house team that had always worked with the band. Without breaking the bank, Back Porch helped to gently re-establish Over the Rhine (and Linford and Karin) as above ground, viable, signed recording artists, whose records were once again actually available in record stores. Over the Rhine soon became and remained the best selling act on Back Porch for the duration of the relationship (2000-2006).
Perhaps the only downside was, at the end of the day, Back Porch didn’t have to do all that much in the grand scheme of things on behalf of the band’s music. They knew Over the Rhine was going to sell X number of records regardless. It’s arguable that some opportunities to significantly grow the band’s following were missed. But the artistic freedom the band enjoyed was ultimately preferable to the alternative: having label execs tinkering willy nilly with the transmission under the hood.
Not too long after Back Porch was started, Virgin closed their offices in Los Angeles and actually shut down for awhile. Subsequently, Back Porch was run exclusively out of the Milwaukee offices of the Virgin Associate Labels, which included David Byrne’s Luaka Bop, and Peter Gabriel’s Real World.
“It was a real honor to have someone like John fly into Cincinnati, sit down over dinner at Scotti’s, and say that the music on Good Dog Bad Dog was an obvious place to start. We had believed in those songs, we had played them all over the USA and Canada (John had seen us perform at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano) and we were thrilled that GDBD was finally going to be available nationally and internationally. With no distribution, GDBD had already outsold our first three IRS releases combined, and it was a real blessing to have had something to do with a collection of songs that seemed to have a bit of a life force all their own. The songs certainly surprised us.
And besides, we were going through a real Van Morrison phase! Jack had turned us onto Van’s Into the Music and a lot of his stuff that we had never heard. And there we were sitting with Van’s A&R man getting as many stories as we could out of John regarding Van the Man himself, a famously recalcitrant, unapologetic recluse.
We had John ask Van Morrison if he would sing a duet with Karin on the song Little Blue River, and John said he responded that he wouldn’t sing with anyone under the age of 50! Oh well. We marked our calendars.”
The songs on GDBD found their way into scattered prime time television shows and some independent films, including Jon Favreau’s Love & Sex, with the fab Famke Jannsen. All I Need Is Everything was included on an excellent Starbucks/Hear Music Compilation. And as far as we know, GDBD was the only record to inspire an entire episode of The X-Files, which featured a dog-expert named Karin Bergquist and an evil Dr. Detweiler who took a stake through the heart in the final minutes.
“We hope you enjoy the songs on this re-released, re-mastered version of Good Dog Bad Dog. It remains a very special record for us.”
Some time ago we parted company with a record label. Signing a record deal is a gamble and our hearts (and pockets) were empty. I for one, was relieved to be free to go back home and make a new start.
Much earlier, we had elaborately drawn up various plans to make a record, all of which were postponed or abandoned for one reason or another.
Most all we had to show for the time which had lapsed was a backstreet bareboned mess of songs which had been outlined after dark in my third story bedroom. These snapshots of the very first time Karin actually sang these songs into a microphone were usually made a few days after a song was written.
It occurred to us that for better or worse these recordings told roughly the same story we had intended to tell on the record that never got made. Oh, we had plans alright, and this is a much simpler version of the story, but it’s still undeniably our story. And by telling it even in broken sentences, we feel the river begin to move again, making room for new stories.
Ric was able to take a real handful of the third story bedroom skeletons, flesh them out, and make them feel dangerously close to a record. And once again, we find ourselves with homespun pieces of reality. Memory markers in the meanwhile. The same story. Which, if you’ve read this far, obviously involves you. Enjoy.
P.S. Still waters run deep. Quiet music should be played Loud.
Latter Days (5:34)
words and music: Detweiler
All I Need Is Everything (4:54)
words and music: Detweiler and Bergquist
Etcetera Whatever (4:52)
words and music: Detweiler
I Will Not Eat The Darkness (1:59)
music: Detweiler
Faithfully Dangerous (4:51)
words and music: Detweiler
The Seahorse (4:55)
words: Detweiler
music: Bergquist and Detweiler
Everyman's Daughter (4:10)
words: Detweiler and Bergquist
music: Bergquist
Poughkeepsie (4:54)
words and music: Bergquist
Willoughby (3:32)
music: Hordinski
It's Never Quite What It Seems (4:06)
words: Detweiler and Bergquist
music: Bergquist
Happy To Be So (4:45)
words and music: Detweiler
Go Down Easy (5:20)
words and music: Bergquist and Detweiler
GOOD DOG BAD DOG The Home Recordings.
Karin Bergquist: vocals, acoustic guitar, twelve string acoustic guitar.
Ric Hordinski: electric guitars, lap steel, E-bow, mellotron, acoustic guitar (Willoughby).
Brian Kelley: drum kit, percussion.
Linford Detweiler: upright piano, acoustic guitar, bass, hammond b-3, keyboards.
Produced by Linford Detweiler.
Co-Produced by Ric Hordinski.
Cello by Norman Johns, arranged by Linford.
Photography by Michael Wilson.
Additional photos courtesy of the detweiler archive.
Design by Owen Brock and Linford.
Art Production by Owen Brock.
Notes by Linford.
Mastered by Mark Hood and Grey Larsen at Echo Park, Bloomington, Indiana. Digital Editing by Mark Hood. Additional mastering by Trevor Sadler.
RECORDING NOTES (FARTHER ALONG THE SIGNAL PATH).
The vocals, the acoustic guitars and the upright piano, along with any keyboard parts were recorded and mixed by Linford in his third story bedroom. These sub-mixes were sent by courier up the hill to Ric’s house where he added any electric guitar parts and recorded Linford and Brian on All I Need Is Everything and Faithfully Dangerous. Ric recorded Norm’s cello on All I Need Is Everything and coaxed a melody out of his mellotron on Faithfully Dangerous - no mean feat. Ric did the final mixes for Latter Days, All I Need Is Everything, Faithfully Dangerous and Go Down Easy. Steve Harris assisted with the mixes of All I Need Is Everything and Faithfully Dangerous. Everyman’s Daughter was recorded a few blocks down Main Street at a jingle studio called Sound Images. Their house engineer, Dale Smith, a pleasant man that everyone calls Smitty, ably oversaw these few afternoons of tomfoolery. Linford re-EQ’d the mixes in his bedroom and passed them on to Ric who added electric guitars and did final mixes at his house. I Will Not Eat The Darkness was recorded and mixed by Smitty at Sound Images.
The drums and bass and acoustic guitars for Go Down Easy were recorded in Linford’s kitchen, but Curtis and his wife next door have been opposed to this practice for years, so it is not something that happens too much. Listen for the furniture.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
Special thanks to Todd Kearby, Shelly Ross and Donna Howell.
Thanks to Pierre Marchand, Pat Moran, John Keane, Trina Shoemaker, Tim McAllister, Gerd Muller, Gordon and Hazel Henderson, and Don and Karen Peris for their encouragement. Thanks to Wade Jaynes, Steve Harris, Phil Keaggy, Rob Fetters, Stephen Davis, Kyle Taylor, Jeff Bell, Robin Joyce, Henry Huang, Don Smith, Jeremy Jones, The Nagles, The Mallonees, The Mearkles, Niki Buehrig, Misty Hughes, Katie Laur, Tracy Rains and Marilyn Wilson (TITCH), Willow and Gabe (good, good dogs), the mens group, the small group, the all group. Thanks to our families and many friends. Special thanks to Karen Jean and Mallory.
Thanks also to: Jimmy D’s Music for the years of reliable service and support. Farewell. Chuck Madden at ICB Audio, Rusty at Midwest Music, Jamin Xeiler, Stan Ginn, Mike Tekulve and Mike’s Music. T. J. Schmidlin and Pentode amp works, Dan Dawson and D’Addario Strings, Kerry Faye.
Additional Note: Almost all the electric guitars on this record were at one time either owned, built or lovingly attended to by the sweet spirit of Dave Bodine. We miss you.
Special thanks to Cowboy Junkies for inviting Over the Rhine to play these songs across the country and abroad. Special thanks to Terri Templeton, Mike Georgin, Randy Cheek, David LaBruyere, Jeff Bird and Chris Dahlgren. Special thanks to Stacie BeBout, Peter Leak and Mike Stucker.
Thanks to all who post us letters. Thanks to The Imaginary Apple Orchard. Thanks to all Rhinelanders. Pursue justice. Seek wisdom. Be merciful. Roll over. Good dog.
"In the days of trite lyrics and formulaic melodies, Over the Rhine shines like a light in the darkness. The Virgin/Backporch re-release of its critically acclaimed independent album, Good Dog Bad Dog, encompasses every human experience--pain, joy, loss and love. ... In the song "Latter Days" vocalist Karin Bergquist sings, "I'm dyin inside to leave you with more than just clichés." Bergquist and band member/producer Linford Detweiler don't have to worry about that. The album is a passionate collection of honest, unconditional songs."
- Jen Waters, Patriot News, Harrisburg PA
"This band's real river is not the Rhine but the Ohio--they're from Cincinnati--and they write and play a luxuriously slowed-down kind of pop-rock that will appeal hugely... Not to be missed."
- John Stifler, Hampshire Gazette, Northampton MA
"Thirteen examples of the haunting and hypnotic folk-pop that has won Over the Rhine respect from fans nation-wide. On songs like "Latter Days" and "Poughkeepsie," OtR paints all of life's depths, uncertainties, and horrors while somehow keeping hope..."
- Phil Christman, Banner, Grand Rapids MI
"...their homespun masterpiece. The stark beauty yielded by the minimal settings, along with the depth and maturity of the songwriting, are the album's greatest assets. When Karin Bergquist sings "We don't need a lot of money, we'll be sleeping on the beach, keeping oceans within reach, (whatever private oceans we can conjure up for free)," it has the feeling of a mission statement."
- Evan Cater, All Music Guide (full review here)
"The kind of CD you want to put on continuous play... on a rainy Sunday afternoon."
- Heather Lalley, Spokesman Review, Spokane WA
"Now hear this... You might want to play Good Dog Bad Dog at home while you're curled up on the sofa with a glass of wine and the lights down low. But as the liner notes say, "Quiet music should be played loud." Loud works with this. This collection of sparsely arranged and melodic songs, brought to life by the sweetly aching voice of Karin Bergquist, is full of much to enjoy. Highlights are the gospel-tinged guitar and a voice "Poughkeepsie," the somnolently funky "Faithfully Dangerous," and "All I Need is Everything."
- Brian Sink, Washington Times
"...an intensely strong collection of touching tunes about darkness, self-awareness and deep human values. The piano that underscores and transcends the otherwise basic guitar/vocal dialogue is just one obvious Over the Rhine distinction. The poetic, literary quality of the lyrics is what raises Over the Rhine over so many of their folk-pop contemporaries. ...Over the Rhine overwhelms.
- Christopher Arnott, New Haven Advocate
"A beautifully rendered album cataloging the frustrations of unrealized dreams and the expectations of starting anew. Producer and bandmember Linford Detweiler defines the sentiment resonating throughout Good Dog Bad Dog, and the album's endearingly bittersweet hopefulness is complemented by Karin Bergquist's evocative vocals. Bergquist contributes the lovely "Poughkeepsie," a penetratingly emotional song on which the vocalist seemingly achieves catharsis. The tone is triumphant and fragile... The honesty and lyrical complexity of Good Dog Bad Dog make the album extraordinary. Anyone who appreciates effective artisic expression, or loathes the politics of the music industry, should own a copy."
- Eric Robinson, BC Magazine
"The CD is a fine introduction to one of the best bands to emerge from the local scene. Good Dog Bad Dog has been a private pleasure for hard-core OtR fans for too long. It's time the mainstream national audience sat up and took notice."
- Larry Nager, Cincinnati Enquirer
"Cowboy Junkies junkies should check out Over the Rhine. The ambient rock band from Cincinnati has a new album--"Good Dog Bad Dog"--that is filled with downtempo, mood-enhancing songs. Karin Bergquist brings her dreamy voice, rich songwriting and excellent band to the U-District's all-ages Paradox Theater..."
- Tom Scanlon, Seattle Times
"'What a beautiful piece of heartache this has all turned out to be' is the first line sung by Over the Rhine vocalist Karin Bergquist, which pretty much describes the compelling and haunting nature of this record. Also enjoyable are the numerous instrumentals which make this feel more like an "album" and less like a CD, which is no easy task. Done with a piano and a top notch production that weaves in a Hammond B-3, cello and numerous layers of acoustic and electric guitar, each song builds and builds with exponential intensity. Bergquist's dramatic vocal delivery hovers over it all with a deep and bittersweet sorrow that has been made jagged by splintered rays of hope. It is just like this music is being released in time delayed capsules that will slowly, steadily, creep into your world."
- Paul Dickinson, Pulse Magazine, Minneapolis MN
"Not very often does an unconventional, lyrically intense band rise up from relative obscurity without giving into the demands of major labels. Powered by the flowing voice of Karin Bergquist and songwriting of Linford Detweiler, the band Over the Rhine is on the brink of success. The group's frontwoman could be counted among the best female vocalists in the country. Good Dog Bad Dog contains powerful, meandering journeys into the depths of human emotion. There is no doubt that their best work is featured on this new album."
- University of Wisconsin Exponent