Brian Koenigsknecht:
songwriter, vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, harmonica, and mandolin/
My Friends the Recording Musicians/
Chris Brill: piano and keyboards/
Jason Huber: guitar, bass, harmony vocals, recordings and production/
Stacy Koviak: harmony vocals/
Cullen Anderson: harmony vocals/
Doug Paluch: electric guitars, drums, keys, recordings and production/
Brad Frank: drums and percussion/
Geoff Stockton: electric guitars/
Mike Fuerst: violin, harmony vocals, and bass
Influences
Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Paul Simon, Jackson Browne, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Greg Brown, Patty Griffin, Josh Ritter, Ryan Adams, and The Jayhawks
Sounds Like
“There may be no better roots-rock songsmith in West Michigan than Kalamazoo’s Brian Koenigsknecht…real power, real beauty, a la The Jayhawks and David Gray.” -The Grand Rapid’s Press
Singer/songwriter Brian Koenigsknecht has been performing since the age of nine. He began playing under his father’s teachings, musical influences (Neil Young, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Simon & Garfunkel), and passion for music while performing together with the rest of the family in churches and small town festivals near their home in Newaygo Michigan. It wasn’t until after his high school years and move to the U.P. that Brian began to write and perform his own songs in the bars, coffee houses, and the Hiawatha Music Festival of Marquette Michigan. These stories and others are told in the song ‘My Father’s Guitar’, an ode to the handed down Guild that Brian still plays today. Through the years since moving to Kalamazoo Michigan, Brian has continued writing and playing original as well as cover music with bands such as the Vangoes, A.M. Static, Sad Ballad, Pillar to Post, and Robert Bradley from Robert Bradleys Blackwater Surprise. While playing solo shows, Brian has also opened for such artists as Mason Jennings and Brian Vander Ark. His experiences of the many late nights, smoky bars, and bands of friends are told in his songs ‘Broken Hearts and Broken Curfews’, ‘Kings of Chicago’ and ‘the Last of the Venues’. These days Brian continues being inspired by new songwriters such as Ryan Adams, Josh Ritter, and Ray Lamontagne, as well as bands My Morning Jacket, The Shins, and The Jayhawks.
Brian Koenigsknecht continues writing and performing accessible pop songs tightly crafted with his influences of folk, rock, jazz, and country along with his gripping storytelling. His years of performing experience, makes him adaptable to both an audience and venue of any size and whether he’s rocking out or playing the part of the storytelling folk singer.
Brian Koenigsknecht has just released a new CD of old songs simply titled Brian Koenigsknecht. It is a compilation of 15 of his favorite songs he has written and recorded through the years.
