August 2020 VOCAL Virtual Songwriters Showcase
The August 2020 VOCAL Showcase was yet another successful virtual showcase conducted via FaceBook Live due to COVID-19 social distancing.
Our distinguished President Matthew Costello opened the show with one of his finest tunes, A Meaningful One Night Stand. Those clever lyrics just draw you right in to this experience!
David Atkins treated us to some of his older tunes, but we enjoy hearing them anyway! Fly Air Jamaican entailed the fun and unpredictable times you may experience while flying this airline. You’ll fly on island time after the pilot wakes up, fly by the seat of your pants, not knowing where you’ll land and get to spend the night. Here in My Office, First Table from the Bar is a number many folks can relate to. You’re certain to get some great advice and treatment for addiction and social disease from this doctor! Gray is a new social commentary song offering a way to describe human situations when various color/ethnic/origin are involved. The truth isn’t always black and white – there’s a lot of gray in-between, and we don’t always see things the way they do. Put Down the Phone and Drive may be a bit dusty but is definitely relevant today with all the distracted drivers. If this were required listeners for youngsters learning to drive, maybe our roads would be a little safer!
Bill Kaffenberger then took the virtual stage with several of his heartfelt tunes. He co-wrote several songs with an old friend who recently passed away, and now he’s digging up some old tapes, and putting music to the words. In the Morning was one of those, reflecting a new start with the new day, no regrets, no blame, just remembering what we had from the evening before. What am I Doing Here was written by a friend Jim Howard, a tale about never giving up on your dreams, and reminiscent of Don McLean’s Vincent (Van Gogh). He’s sitting on his hands, with no one listening to what he has to say. Things have never been good to him, and probably never will be. You may never strike a chord anywhere near fame, but you can’t give up or you’ll lose the game. Dad was written five years after his dad’s passing, a sentimental tune remembering how much his dad mean to him, and how much he loves him. Many of us can relate to that! The Long Goodbye recounts an autobiographical relationship that never happened but was more of a fairy tale dream – maybe she’ll see, maybe she’ll know she was meant for me. She’s So Real describes the girl with a heart a million miles high, and a smile a million miles wide. If only he could get near her to tell her! Bill ended his set with The Dogs of Midnight, which included Harry Gore on electric guitar on the recorded version. This is a mystical tale of being in a hot and muggy New Orleans during Mardis Gras, and a desire to be taken where the dogs of midnight howl and the cats are on the run!
Mark Daniel finished out the lineup with several of his finely-crafted numbers. Burning the Grass was a mighty fine tribute to Doc Watson and bending those Black Diamond strings. I Ain’t Got Started Yet is a heartfelt number about missing out on a loving relationship and having regrets – this can’t be over, ‘cause I aint’ got started yet. He followed with his up-tempo toe-tapping truck driving song, with ten days back behind me and nothing left but a downhill run. He then donned his cowboy hat for his “wear the hat song” The World’s Richest Man. This is a very poignant number about picking up a toothless hitchhiker who imparts some really good advice and wisdom and finds richness in the very simple things in life. Mark then swapped his guitar for his 1962 Mosrite and delivered a very picturesque story of Franklin, TN called Back in Franklin. This is a really cool little town in central Tennessee that time forgot, where the stoplights still blink, the neighbor’s dog still barks, and the Civil War goes on. He then switched to a jazzy number, telling us how he’s had a bad day, nothing’s gone his way, but that will all be taken care of when he finally holds his special love. Everything is a “forever love” anthem he co-wrote with his friend Ann Marie, where “everything” is the price he would pay for true love. He ended his set in a dropped-D number I’m the Real Thing, a song about his sweetheart. This is an ode to his true love and dedication to this special person.
Great virtual showcase, Matthew, David, Bill and Mark!
