Acousticology 101

William Kunsman | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 14, 2011)
• Original Release Date: November 23, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Quarry Street Records
• ASIN: B0006PIQ46
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,723,694 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Pick It Up

2. My Pennyslvania Home

3. Quarry Street Rag

4. Like A Mansion To Me

5. The Easy Winners

6. All the Way to the Cross

7. Romantic Waltz #1

8. A Rose for Lynn

9. The Coal Miner's Prayer

10. Larissa

11. Dandelion Fields

12. Rachel's Song (I'm Alive)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

William Kunsman began his musical career in 1983 when, fresh out of high school, he joined the United States Marine Corps as a trumpet player for the band. In 1984, while attending the Naval School of Music in Norfolk, VA he began to play guitar and to experiment with songwriting. While in the Marines, William served in field bands in New Orleans, LA and Okinawa, Japan and applied his guitar skills in a jazz/rock ensemble. Following his military service William tried for several years to put together a hard rock band, without success, but continued to build upon his skill as a guitarist. In 1993 William made the unlikely transition from hard rock to all acoustic music. He expanded his repertoire when he took-up fiddle and learned to play in the West Virginia "old-timey" mountain style. In the 1990's, he played with the Pennsylvania-based bluegrass group Willow Creek and was a founding member of the traditional bluegrass band Mountain Heritage. For both groups, Kunsman original compositions were repertoire staples. Bluegrass festival-goers in the NorthEast and listeners of WDIY radio program "Heartland’s Hayride" were soon toe-tapping to William Kunsman’s music. William's true passion however, was fingerstyle acoustic guitar, and he retreated from the bluegrass scene to pursue that love as a solo artist and songwriter. His diverse musical background shines through in the music William performs in concert today. His selections include ragtime, delta blues (Blind Blake, Rev. Gary Davis etc.), gospel, classical, baroque and the beautiful and challenging guitar music of South American composers such as Antonio Lauro, Paulo Belinatti and Edmar Fenicio. William Kunsman’s recent CD release Acousticology 101 is a study in this diverse resume. Original instrumental guitarworks reminiscent of the ragtime era are complimented by heartfelt and inspirational ballads, love songs and fun string-pickin’ tunes for the family. Despite the genre, Kunsman’s trademark stamps every song: a lite, easy melody, backed by a deeper complex of harmonies. Likewise, his lyrics are genuine, with an innocence on the surface of a thought-provoking message.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Acoustic Guitar work, December 7, 2004

By 

Just B. Cause "UFO" (Hershey, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Acousticology 101 (Audio CD)

This album has a great variety of acoustic guitar, some songs with vocals. Although this album is classified as "folk," some lean toward ragtime, some easy listening and some faith-based ballads.
Bill's finger-style technique is great and the slower instrumentals especially beautiful. All of the songs but one are his own compositions. The awesome "Coal Miner's Prayer" was inspired by the Quecreek Nine, the miners that were trapped in a Pennsylvania mine (and thankfully saved) a couple of years ago.
I love the rich tones of his guitar on "Romantic Waltz #1" and "Larissa." "Dandelion Fields" is one of the folk tunes with lyrics that bring back some fond memories, while the lyrics in "Mansion to Me" are good family fun. The last song on the disc, "Rachel's Song" always leaves me happily humming the tune after the CD ends. It is cool how the pattern of the lyric and melody are fitting with the song (as if told by a child) but also touching (fitting with the deeper message).