Bill Kaffenberger

Artist Information

Biography

NOVEMBER 2008 NEWS: My latest release "Looking Back Then Looking Ahead" is now available for digital download at http://cdbaby.com/cd/kaffenberger3 .

Previous releases:
CD "Jingle Jangle Morning".
http://cdbaby.com/cd/kaffenberger2
CD "This World is Bound to Fall".
http://cdbaby.com/cd/kaffenberger

Bill, now a resident of the Fredericksburg, VA area, was born in Washington DC and grew up in the Northern Virginia area. His musical influences range from classic artists like Bob Dylan, the Byrds, the Beach Boys and the Beatles to folk artists such as Leonard Cohen, Judy Collins, and Tom Rush as well as some things by more modern groups like System of a Down.

Bill has been singing and playing acoustic and electric folk rock for many years in coffeehouses, churches and other venues, primarily throughout the MidAtlantic region. He has performed both solo and as a group member. He uses a Taylor acoustic/electric 6 string, a Yamaha acoustic 12 string, and a Rickenbacker 370-12 Electric 12 string when he performs. His most unusual singing experience was performing folk music for a hall full of country music fans at the Crossed Timbers Country Opry, in Stephensville, Texas.

Bill has written and co-written nearly 100 songs and previously has released three albums of original material. His first CD, THIS WORLD IS BOUND TO FALL, was released in early June of 2005 on the Amariah Recordings label and features that jingle-jangle electric Rickenbaker sound made popular by Roger McGuinn and the Byrds on such hits as MR. TAMBOURINE MAN and TURN TURN TURN. The CD contains 13 songs, 10 written by Bill and 3 songs composed by other songwriters and is available for sale on CDBaby.com as well as other online CD retailers. His second CD is JINGLE JANGLE MORNING.

Here are some of the places I have played prior to 2005 (for my CURRENT bookings, see my current Calendar by clicking on the Calendar "tab" above):

Windsor Tavern, Fredericksburg, VA
Grapevine Cafe, Fredericksburg, VA
Irish Brigade, Fredericksburg, VA
Open Doorway Coffeehouse, Richmond, VA
Staircase Coffeehouse, Richmond, VA
Liberty Street Liberation Center, Harrisonburg, VA
Eastern Mennonite College, Harrisonburg, VA
James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
George Mason University, Coffeehouse, Fairfax, VA
Baptist Student Union, Coffeehouse, VCU, Richmond, VA
Staircase Coffeehouse, Richmond, VA
Shady Grove Music Festival (with the Nobodys in Particular), Shady Grove, MD
Fairlington Presbyterian Church, Coffeehouse, Arlington, VA
The Lighthouse, Fairfax, VA
Turning Point Coffeehouse, Newport News, VA
Banshee's Cafe, Fredericksburg, VA
Old Towne Espresso Bar, Fredericksburg, VA
Fat Tuesday's, Stafford, VA
True Vine Restaurant, Alexandria, VA
Prime Time, First Baptist Church, Orlando, FL
Saltshaker Coffeehouse, Middletown, PA
Prince Georges Community College, Prince George, MD
Nokesville United Methodist Church, Nokesville, VA
Agape Cafe, Huntingdon Valley, PA
SonSpot Coffeehouse, Ocean City, MD
Aslan's, Richmond, VA
Cornerstone Coffeehouse, Crewe, VA
Melting Pot Coffeehouse, York, PA
His Place, Graham, NC
The Alternative, Lancaster, PA
Cedars Coffeehouse, First Mennonite Church, Richmond, VA
New Beginnings Coffeehouse, Ephrata, PA
Family Coffeehouse, Warrenton, VA
Crossed Timbers Country Opry, Stephenville, TX
Freedom House, Richmond, VA
Shepherd Gate, Fairfax, VA

Instrumentation

Contact me using the email icon at the left to get a demo CD of me "live and acoustic" if audition material is required for your venue or to obtain a contact phone number for booking purposes.

Bill Kaffenberger:
vocals, Taylor acoustic 6 string guitar, Yamaha acoustic 12 string guitar, and Rickenbacker electric 12 string guitar, with emphasis on original lyrics and music. In person performances its just me and my guitars !

Discography

NEWEST CD: "LOOKING BACK THEN LOOKING AHEAD" available now at CD Baby, http://cdbaby.com/cd/kaffenberger3 .

PREVIOUS RELEASES:
"JINGLE JANGLE MORNING"
http://cdbaby.com/cd/kaffenberger2
FIRST RELEASE: This World is Bound to Fall
NOW AVAILABLE AT CDBABY http://cdbaby.com/cd/kaffenberger

LP RELEASES:
Someone Greater (AMRLP-001) with Steve Antonacci (OUT OF PRINT)

Pilgrim (AMRLP-002) with Steve Antonacci (OUT OF PRINT)

A Heart That Sings (AMRCS-003) Bill Kaffenberger solo (OUT OF PRINT)

Audio

• Trouble on the Border
  Listen  
• The Water Is Wide
  Listen  
• Jingle Jangle Morning
  Listen  
• Mystic Night
  Listen  
• Who Are All These People
  Listen  

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Bill Kaffenberger at Stacy's Coffee Parlor, Falls Church, VA [+ Show ]
  

  “I mentioned local pal Bill Kaffenberger in my opening paragraph. Bill can jangle with the best of t...“I mentioned local pal Bill Kaffenberger in my opening paragraph. Bill can jangle with the best of them - he brings an acoustic guitar with him to his coffeehouse gigs, but he also likes to plug in his Rickenbacker 12-string at these shows and pleases his audience with some nice Byrds cover songs mixed in with his original material. Bill was kind enough to give me a CDR sampler of some of the tracks that will be on his next album, Jingle Jangle Morning, which he hopes to release later this year. Aside from the obvious Roger McGuinn and Tom Petty references, Bill's music reminds me of Herb Eimerman. Jingle Jangle Morning will feature more original tunes (including a cool rap/raga song and an instrumental) and a cover of Gene Clark's haunting ballad "With Tomorrow." If you haven't already acquired Bill's first disc, This World Is Bound To Fall, I encourage you to do so!”
  
  Eric Sorensen, Fufkin.Com Online Magazine, June 2006.
  

• Eric Sorensen Reviews Bill Kaffenberger's CD [+ Show ]
  

  "CD of the Month" honors go to This World Is Bound To Fall by Bill Kaffenberger. Fans of Roger McG..."CD of the Month" honors go to This World Is Bound To Fall by Bill
  Kaffenberger. Fans of Roger McGuinn, Tom Petty, Herb Eimerman, Ted Holden, Phil Angotti, Horst-Peter Schmidt's work with Different Faces and Starbyrd and fans of chiming Rickenbacker 12-string music will really dig this full-length disc. The jewel case artwork should be a HUGE clue regarding the disc's contents, since Bill is pictured three times with his mapleglow Rickenbacker 370RM 12-string guitar. "She's So Real" leads things off with a track that sounds like it would have fit very nicely in Roger McGuinn's Back From Rio album. As the last jangly Rickenbacker riffs fade out, Kaffenberger segues quickly into the catchy acoustic counterpoint song "What Am I Doing Here." What follows these first two tracks is a succession of eleven more nifty tunes, and ten of the total thirteen tracks are Kaffenberger-penned songs. On those tracks that feature the most pronounced 370RM guitar riffs, it is difficult to avoid further comparisons with McGuinn. "Joshua Gone Barbados," "In A Winter's Dream," "White Gull Journey," "Praise The Lamb Of God" and "Urge For Going" all sound like Byrds and McGuinn-influenced tracks. On those songs that are inspirational or spiritual in nature, you can almost imagine Roger plugging in and accompanying a group at a folk mass or folk service. "Urge For Going" is a five and a half minute joyride that explores a McGuinn-cum-Kaffenberger treatment of Joni Mitchell's classic song. I'm almost convinced that Bill rode along with Joni and Roger during those mid-70s Rolling Thunder Review bus tours! Bill Kaffenberger deserves a big thumb's up for this Amariah Recordings-released gem of a disc. You can acquire Bill's superb jangly CD through CDBaby's online catalog service at ; to learn more about Bill's music, visit
  or . I now look forward to hearing Bill perform his original material in a live setting in the greater Washington, D.C. area. Long may you run, Sir Bill!
  
  3 June 2005, Eric Sorensen, pop music columnist
  www.fufkin.com
  
  

• Byrds Flyght Web Site Reviews Bill K.'s New CD [+ Show ]
  

  Bill Kaffenberger - This World Is Bound To Fall There are many artists that have been influenced ...Bill Kaffenberger - This World Is Bound To Fall
  
  There are many artists that have been influenced by The Byrds and Roger McGuinn’s Rickenbacker 12 string guitar style. Long time Byrds/McGuinn fan BILL KAFFENBERGER is one of them. A member of the Yahoo Byrdmaniax mailing list, Bill has just released his 4th CD called THIS WORLD IS BOUND TO FALL on AMARIAH Records.
  
  An excellent piece of work, this is just what we Byrds fans need to get our shot of Byrds/McGuinn/Rickenbacker 12 string sound. Bill wrote 10 out of the 12 songs on this CD. He is credited with lead and harmony vocals, acoustic guitars, electric 12 string guitar, production, engineering, mixing and mastering.
  
  Raoul Verolleman, June 2005.
  http://users.skynet.be/byrdsflyght/main.htm

• Jingle Jangle Morning New CD Review [+ Show ]
  

  Jingle Jangle Morning – Bill Kaffenberger Bill Kaffenberger’s (second CD), Jingle Jangle Morning,...Jingle Jangle Morning – Bill Kaffenberger
  
  Bill Kaffenberger’s (second CD), Jingle Jangle Morning, lives up to its title … and then some! Byrds and Roger McGuinn fans should dig this disc in its 17-track entirety. The title song is very reminiscent of McGuinn’s electric work, and numerous other songs fall into the McGuinn/Tom Petty school of chiming Rickenbacker folk-rock music. Like McGuinn, Bill Kaffenberger is not reluctant to display his spirituality in his choice of lyrics and song topics (“Mystic Night” and “Stand With You Awhile”). The McGuinn influence is also evident on the rap raga tune “Who Are All These People” (which appears as a full-length song with lyrics and a shortened instrumental track). “Trouble On The Border” opens with a chord progression that is very similar to the McGuinn-Clark-Hillman Top 40 song “Don’t You Write Her Off.” The highlight among the acoustic tracks is Bill’s cover of the great Gene Clark ballad “With Tomorrow.” Bill’s material often reminds me of fellow singer/songwriter and Rickenbacker 12-string wielder Herb Eimerman. Bill’s growth as an artist is particularly evident in his vocals and songwriting - both more confident than on his 2005 debut album, This World Is Bound To Fall. Jingle Jangle Morning will definitely please Baby Boomers … and it should appeal to younger music fans that appreciate the timelessness of 60s-inspired pop and folk-rock music.
  
  ---- Eric Sorensen, music journalist, www.fufkin.com
  

Setlist

If booked as an OPENING ACT:
Anywhere from 20 minutes to 45 minutes for a set.

If booked as the FEATURED ACT:
Number of sets and well as set lengths negotiable if I am booked as the featured performer. Normally will go one or two sets of 60 minutes each if booked as the featured performer.

My sets are a combination of originals (about 60%) and covers (about 40%). I can do ALL originals if the venue requires.

A typical set is a mixture of acoustic and electric "folk rock" with modern themes along with a sprinkling of 1960s folk-rock standards plus some traditional folk ballads done in the folk-rock style. Also includes songs from artists like Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Judy Collins, The Byrds and other Sixties folk rock icons.

I primarily use a Taylor 6 string acoustic guitar with a built in pickup, an acoustic Yamaha 12 string plus on some of the songs I will use my Rickenbacker Electric 12 String guitar.

Some of my originals:
Something Inside You
Dad
She's So Real
What Am I Doing Here
If I Asked
Little Old Man
In A Winter's Dream
Maybe By Then
Sad Sad World
Someone Greater
Lonesome Rider
The Joy of God
Are You Ever Coming Back To Me
Presence of the Lord
Down in Babylon
Dogs of Midnight
Lullaby for Brown Eyes
True Love Comes in Good Time
Running to the Nearest Border
Your Side of the Story
Mystic Night

Some other artists that I cover:
The Byrds - just about every song they ever did
Urge for Going (Joni Mitchell)
Joshua Gone Barbados (Eric Von Schmidt)
And She's Mine (Steve Antonacci)
Praise the Lamb of God (Richard White)
I Think Its Going to Rain Today
Some Bob Dylan songs
Some Leonard Cohen songs
Mamas and the Papas songs
Do You Believe in Magic (Lovin' Spoonful)
Donovan
Gordon Lightfoot
The Beatles
And many others.
Traditional folk ballads done in the folk rock style
Whatever else pops into my head at the moment
That gives you an idea anyway!

Basic Requirements

Calendar