October 2024 VOCAL Songwriters Showcase

In October the VOCAL Showcase featured a variety of stories, insights, and musical infuences from Bill Kaffenberger and Matthew Costello.

Matthew Costello
Leading off the October Showcase at O’Toole’s Pub and Grill for the Virginia Organization of Composers and Lyricists was the group president, Matthew Costello. A long-standing member and officer, Matthew brought his pleasant baritone to some ghostly originals for seasonal flavor as well as other notable originals.

“Ghosts of Center Hill” was a recounting of the memories of a rumored haunted house where creaks, cold spots, wispy shades and a “voice like the silent wind” was evidence enough of the spooky residents. “The Blanket” deliver a rocking account of the intensity of a relationship that was “meant to be” and included a “magic blanket ride.” This new tune had a catchy Springsteen vibe in the beat and melody. “What Is Happening” probed the feeling sparked by a new infatuation for a girl who “sits on my row in class” and wondered “is her smile a clue” to the potential for love?

“Get Me Some Happy” was a celebration of rediscovered joy in recovery and life where the singer realized and embraced surprising happiness. “Shadows of September” was a beautiful impressionistic tune and the pop ballad was a pleasant homage to Matthew’s favorite season. “Walking Willie” was the story of a small-town big man and was propelled by an insistent rock beat that mirrored the intentional and steady forward movement of the song’s protagonist. “That Kind of Love” told of a relationship that drew the singer in even though he recognized from the start that it was doomed to end sadly. “Catch a Ride”, a just penned tune, was an expression of the songwriter’s creative process that recognized all events, encounters and feelings could be what “the muse will provide” to craft another song.

Bill Kaffenberger
In town from his current home in California, Bill brought longtime sideman Dwayne Hearst for support in his top spot in the set. He kicked off with “She’s So Real”, a song to the irresistible girl with a “smile a million miles wide.” “Dad” was the singer holding on to the memories of his father many years after he passed on. “If I Asked You To Dance” had a nice pop feel over the invitation to begin a relationship through the “first dance.”

Tapping some of his early catalog, Bill and Dwayne then delivered “Atom Bomb Song” a plea to the nuclear nations to “don’t drop no atom bomb on me.” “Lonesome Rider” featured excellent harmonies in a Kaffenberger classic from the Open Door Ministries coffee house days down on West Grace Street in the VCU campus. That gospel tune entreated the “lonesome riders” in the audience not to “let your life slip away” in regret. The follow up “Something Greater” spoke of the assurance that “someone greater than you or I” was evident in the wonders of the world. Finally, “Thy Will Be Done” included more tight harmonies and a driving rhythm in Bill’s powerful song about surrender.

“Maybe By Then” used a nice repetition of phrase in a lyric about a girl the singer hopes will eventually realize she belongs with him. “Why Did You Give Our Love Away” highlighted a rueful remembrance of a woman who spurned the love of the singer. In a bow to the upcoming Halloween event, Bill gave listeners “Zombies,” a song not about the undead but about the unaware cell phone users wandering aimlessly through streets and their lives, missing everything around them. “Sun’s Going Down” was an acknowledgment that, even with life bringing hardship, there is a beautiful sight on the horizon available every day. “The wrap up “Take That Train Trip” was delivered with a audience sing-along chorus in a tune about making time for the things you imagine will be joyful in life, encouraging listeners to “take that train trip, take than nap, bounce that grandbaby on your lap.”

Showcase Photos

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Photo Credits: Matthew Costello