Welcome to KenBierschbach.com 

Grand Rapids, MI based songwriter & recording artist 

NOW:

03/02/24: It's started. Eighty-eight years is a good long time to be here, but he sleeps more now, and his interest in things is dwindling. His legs don't hold him up like they used to. I reminisce more these days…My Daddy's Eyes.

12/04/23: It Must Be Christmas Again

09/01/23: Summer coming to an end and my favorite season approaching. Not much to say on this beautiful day. The last three months have been very routine. That routine is interrupted two to three times a month with grandchild-sitting of one form or another, which usually means I lose my television authority for the day. Looking forward, my wife and I are taking a roadtrip in October to Sedona, AZ. It's a 4-day drive along a big chunk of Route 66, so that should be a lot of fun. I'll report on what we do there, next time. My featured song this time is called "Table 29"...it's about a certain table at a certain restaurant one of my daughters worked at years ago.

06/05/23: Since the last update my twin daughters' turned 40...a milestone for them...and a milestone for me as well! How in the heck do I have 40 year old kids! Anyway, songs were sung, candles were blown out and presents were given...a success. One daughter celebrated by going to Jamaica for a week and leaving my wife and I with two of our grandchildren. We've been empty nesters so long that the tasks of getting young ones out of bed, fed, off to school, picked up, etc. tuckered us right out...but we survived. I also celebrated a birthday and am happy to say that I am now less than one year away from Medicare (I'll let you do the math). Here in Grand Rapids we are in the middle of our second longest period without rain, ever! It hasn't rained since May 9th. So, I'm hoping my featured song will encourage the skies to open up and make the flowers happy. It's called "Watching It Rain".

03/02/23: Happy New Year! Got through the holidays okay, although here in Grand Rapids, MI the "Christmas Blizzard" dominated the news. The worst weather arrived at the worst possible time. Travel was nearly impossible and I dare say lots of plans had to be changed at the last minute (mine included). My wife and I have been spending a bit more time with my parents as of late. I feel incredibly lucky that I still have both my parents around, but my dad has had a few health-related concerns over the last few months and my mom has had to start taking care of things that he always did. And she's doing a great job. Also happy to report he's doing better. He celebrated his 87th birthday last month! In honor of that my featured track is called "My Daddy's Eyes". Till next time...

12/02/22: After avoiding it for the last few years, September of 2022 saw both me and my wife come down with COVID. We're fully vaccinated and boosted, so just had to stay for home for a few days. The cough was the worst, lasting a little over three weeks. We followed that with a great few days in southern Utah visiting Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Arches National Parks. Had a nice Thanksgiving with family and are now heading headlong into Christmas. Lots of family stuff going on, as I'm sure is the same with anyone reading this. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and happy holidays. Since it's Christmas season, here are all the songs I've recorded for this time of year...and as always, I hope you enjoy them. It Must Be Christmas Again     That's What Christmas Means To Me     The Christmas Song     This Winter's Tune

09/16/22: I turned 63 this year and feel pretty good all things considered. Fall is my favorite season of the year. I inherited 5 guitars from my brother following his death, one of which is an Alvarez classical that I had fixed up and re-strung. I haven't played a classical guitar since I was a pre-teen, but I set about learning how to play Mason Williams' "Classical Gas", and have been enjoying the challenge. It's a slog, but I after a couple of months I have chunks of it under my fingers...feels good. We're heading into fall, my favorite time of year. So in honor of the season, here's a song I wrote in New Orleans while on the top of a building watching a storm roll in. I Love The Rain

06/20/22: My brother died on June 9, 2022. His funeral service is June 22, 2022...two days from now. I'm giving a short eulogy and then a Bob Dylan song will be played that he and I recorded several years ago. I'm both sad and relieved. He lived a hard life. Here's my song...it wasn't written about him, but it seems to fit. Hey Brother

03/01/22: Just returned from a trip to Omaha, NE to visit relatives. For the first time ever we took two days to get there and two days to get home. We're getting older! The only downside was taking a large rock to my windshield...having that repaired tomorrow. Christmas and New Year's holidays were nice, but still a bit muted...I'm fine with that. The music biz is starting to feel like it's in my rear view mirror. I'm really proud of what I've accomplished over the last couple of decades, but this website and my memories are what keep me musically involved. More time will tell. As I type the news is all about Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Terrible. So I leave you with a song I wrote during the Iraq war, which seems apropos to today as well. It's called "Hope For Our Peace". Stay well. Stay safe.  

12/2/21: Last month of 2021. Life is feeling a bit more regular, but COVID doesn't seem to want to go away. In the last couple of months two of my grandchildren got it. Very mild symptoms and they're doing fine now. In November I attended Lamb's Retreat For Songwriters in Harbor Springs, MI. Since 1999, the only year I haven't attended was 2020, so it was good to see old friends again, as well as to write a new song. Finished watching Peter Jackson's "Get Back" this past weekend and enjoyed every second of it. I've begun creating a "Home Demos" page for songs that I record here at home. They won't be as "polished" as my studio recordings, but will provide a glimpse of what I've been writing the last few years. Since it's December, the featured track this month is my 2010 Christmas single, "It Must Be Christmas Again". Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

9/21/21: Heading into fall. Today the weather is breaking a bit, with four days of cool temps and intermittent rain predicted. I'm a fan of fall. My grandkids (I have 4) are all able to go to school "in person", which is certainly a relief for their parents. Life in my household lumbers on with little change and no grand events. I'm currently reading Tom Petty's 2015 biography by Warren Zanes and thoroughly enjoying it. Although my band days are behind me, the descriptions of "band dynamics" in this book are certainly relatable to me (albeit on a much smaller level). So as my life moves along, my featured track is "That's Life", from my 2001 release "Somewhere Out There". Wow. 2001. 20 years ago!

6/2/21: Things returning to normal. My wife and I have been fully vaccinated, my social media feeds are filling up with musician friends' schedules, and every day brings a new feeling of normalcy. I'm gonna hang on to the masks for certain occasions, however, because one (good?) thing about the pandemic is that I haven't been sick, not even the sniffles, since November of 2019. That's gotta be a record for me. One thing we could certainly use more of here in West Michigan is rain! Not nearly enough has fallen in the last couple of months. So, in the hopes that that the rain gods are listening, my featured track is "Watching It Rain". This track is off of my album "Brand New Clothes", and features my good friend Cherie Hagen on background vocals. As always, if you like it you can download it, as well as any of my music, for free. Enjoy.

3/3/21: Still hunkered down here in West Michigan, but things are looking up. Haven't been able to get the covid vaccination yet, but I'm feeling hopeful that it will be sooner rather than later. I attended the funeral of my aunt Bonny yesterday, who passed after suffering with Alzheimer's disease the last few years. Her family told me that before she passed, my music was on her playlist...quite an honor. So in her honor, my featured track is "Back To Beal". My parents both grew up in Beal City, MI (as did Bonny), and I wrote this song in celebration of their small-town home. I hope you enjoy it.

12/2/20: Thanksgiving has come and gone, and now it's on to Christmas. This year's Thanksgiving at my house was just me and my wife, and it's the first time in 39 years of marriage that that has happened. We cooked a 13 pound bird and had about 12 pounds of leftovers. As with almost everybody, 2020 has been challenging. My wife and I follow all the rules and haven't gotten sick, but we have family members who have, and Covid-19 is serious. Thankfully all who have had it in my family have recovered. Hoping for a much better 2021. Here's a Christmas song I wrote and recorded a few years back called "It Must Be Christmas Again". You can download it for free right from this site. Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season. 

7/1/20: I think the good news is that 2020 is now half over. Here in Michigan we continue to open slowly, with bumps in the road here and there. I do think my state is doing things right. Some of my music friends have begun playing out again, but the challenges are numerous and from what I can tell they're being smart about it. I wish them all good luck. Now that summer is in full swing check out my summer-fun song called "Bonnie". It's on my "Brand New Clothes" record and was inspired by the amount of time I spent at the neighborhood pool while growing up on Bonnie St. Remember, if you like it you can download it for free.

4/26/20: Made the decision today to make all of my music free. As of right now you can download my entire catalog via my website. Just click on "Music" and you'll find all the download links. Enjoy...

4/26/20: Here in Michigan the governor has extended our stay at home order through 5/15/20. We're canceling our California road trip for now. We were leaving on 5/14, but that seems an unnecessary risk at the moment. Hopefully we'll get to Yosemite in the year 2020, just not in the month of May. Stay safe friends.

3/31/20: My wife and I are safely sequestered in our home, venturing out for walks and groceries. We both feel fine. Our current project is to visit every park in our city of Kentwood, MI. Today we visited two parks...Kellogwoods and East Paris Nature Park. Walked a couple of miles and enjoyed every minute. Tomorrow is a new adventure. Hope you're well.