Nathans & Roncast

In part two of our conversation, Connie Kaldor talks about the experience of making music with her family; preparing her voice for shows; and the allure of writing songs about cars. The Boston Globe has described Connie Kaldor as, “a masterful performer, wildly funny one moment, deeply personal the next.” A three-time Juno Award winner, Connie is a member of the Order of Canada, a Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal recipient, holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Regina, and is the first songwriter to receive a Western Literature Association Award of Merit.

Connie Kaldor began her career in folk music as part of the Canadian wave alongside artists like Stan Rogers and Valdy. Armed with her enormous stage presence, her unforgettable melodies, and her emotional depth as a songwriter, she became a headline act on the festival circuit. She talks about touring with her family; what it’s like to cross the border from Canada into the United States in this day and age; and her 19th album, “Wide Open Spaces.” This is the first half of our conversation with Connie Kaldor.

In part two of our conversation with Vance Gilbert, he discusses guitar techniques, plays a few songs, and talks about both the life lessons he’s learned from cancer, as well as how laughter has been a great medicine.

We were honored to speak with the great Vance Gilbert, a master songwriter, performer, and teacher whom we have long admired. He’s funny as heck, and it’s common to see him headlining folk festivals around the country as he cracks up his audience, makes them think, and leaves them moved. We cover the full range of emotion in this poignant conversation about his recent struggles with cancer, his origins moving from a violent home to homelessness, and how he made the transition from a young powerhouse singer-songwriter from Boston into a folk elder who knows how to say more with […]

For our Season 3 premiere, we are honored to present our interview with the great James McMurtry, the Texas songwriter who paints vivid portraits in song with sly and smart observations. In our conversation, we cover what motivates him to write; his memories of participating in the Kerrville Folk Festival song contest; his thoughts on international touring and his memories of Guy Clark. His most recent release is The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy.

We’re back, and with a twist: We now have a video edition of this podcast as well! You can finally see us at our YouTube channel, @nathansronstadt. Or, stick to audio and hear us as nature intended. We’ve got some great guests this season. We can’t wait to share a few details with you.

We continue Michael’s “Ronstadt Radio” series, beginning with “Riders In The Sky,” which contains a fiddle tune in the middle by Ronstadt Generations in 2012. John Ronstadt is back with Miles Davis’ “All Blues” with lyrics. We finish the set with a “The Fire Within” featuring Will Clipman on percussion and Michael on cello.

We have three more fun tracks from the family vault! First up is Round Midnight sung by John Ronstadt in 1994 from the album Maiden Voyage. We then here my dad Michael J. Ronstadt lead on John Prine’s Paradise in 1998. The last one is Wildly Ethereal featuring Will Clipman on percussion.

In Episode 3, we have three more tracks from the Ronstadt family. We start out with “My Walking Stick” performed by the Ronstadt cousins, which is a song by Irving Berlin. We next go into the beautiful Mexican song “La Barca De Oro” sung by Michael’s dad, which was a favorite song of his grandfather, Gilbert Ronstadt. (Papa Mike is backed by the full Ronstadt Generations band.) We finish up the set with Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage” performed by Round Midnight featuring John Ronstadt.

This week we introduce three songs from the Ronstadt Family vault, first featuring Michael’s dad’s long-time trio, the Ronstadt Cousins and their recording of Wild Mountain Thyme (live in Canelo). He also features his instrumental recording of the fiddle tune Arizona into Wayfaring Stranger from his 2020 instrumental album Nine Stories. It finishes with Ronstadt Generations’ recording of Papa Mike’s song, The Mill of Oracle. Enjoy!

For our third season premiere, we introduce several episodes we are calling the Ronstadt Radio Podcast, featuring music from the Ronstadt family vault! This one starts out with Petie Ronstadt’s instrumental banjo piece, Chicago Bar Stomp, performed by Ronstadt Generations. Next, enjoy The Ronstadt Cousin’s Solamente Una Vez, a group my dad had for years with two of his first cousins. Finally we finish with the song Run Run Run Away originally recorded by Aaron Nathans & Michael G. Ronstadt, but this one is Ronstadt Brothers live in Oxford, Ohio. Enjoy!

In our Season 2 finale, we speak with Professor Louie about his memories of working with The Band for over 16 years. He produced their three comeback CD’s in the 90’s: “Jericho,” “High On The Hog” and “Jubilation.” Louie played on and produced their hit song Atlantic City. He talks at length about his time working with the great Garth Hudson. He also talks about his recording engineer work with other clients.

In the saucy second half of our interview with Livingston Taylor, the legendary folk musician gets philosophical about life, electricity and fire, performing, teaching, and hope. Notably, he discusses why he doesn’t want to dwell too much on his past. He said he sees more patterns as he works with more students over time. “I learn from them what they learn from me.” And he takes out his guitar again to show us how standards inform his own creations.

We speak with the great Professor Louie of Professor Louie and the Crowmatix, taking a dive into his formative years and musical education. He spoke about how he found his voice in a tough business. “You’ve got to elevate yourself” and be happy for your friends when they are successful, he said, echoing one of the band’s new songs. He spoke about how he learned about healthy competition from gospel groups. The band, from Woodstock, New York, has been performing since the year 2000 at numerous festivals, theaters, clubs and art centers, averaging 150 shows a year. Their new album is “Crowin’ […]

We were honored to interview folk music legend Livingston Taylor, someone whose music has been in Aaron’s music collection for a very long time. In part one of our conversation with Liv, he talks about the importance of dressing for the occasion. We talk about how he worked with the BBC concert orchestra for his new album, including how he works with his friend, arranger Bill Elliott, for orchestral treatments.  He talks about how he does not write simple albums or songs, and how inspired he gets by songs from the great American songbook. And he takes out his guitar […]

Michael speaks with Z. Mulls, who has co-written elegant and offbeat songs with Michael (you may know their song “Me and My Purple Monkey.”) They released their collaborative album “Less Hospitable Terrain” earlier this year. In their conversation, Z. talks about the origins of “Rumpelstiltskin, Dead at 95,” which required him to go back and review the old story — and then flash forward 40 years.

Michael recently recorded an album, “Blue Bayou,” with Neysa Ricciardi, and in this week’s episode, he speaks with Neysa about her songwriting process, the value of musical schooling, and writing for others. They discuss the song “September Sad,” which reflects on the end of summer.

This week we’ve lost some important people in our world. Aaron lost his brother in law, David. And the music world lost songwriter and guitarist Christine Havrilla. So it’s no surprise that Aaron has memorial songs on the brain. It’s always tricky to find the right song to play at a memorial service. Maybe you pick something that tells you a little about the deceased, or perhaps you want the song to make a comment on how we’re all feeling at this low moment. That’s the topic he explores for this episode.

It’s one of the most delicate questions in songwriting. Do we add a bridge to our songs? Do they need that little bit of variation, those different chords, that rising melody? Michael takes a deep dive into the question of when a bridge is necessary; when it isn’t; and do they really have to sit two-thirds of the way through the song every time? He discusses a few of his songs and how he employed bridges in them, using them to transport the listener to somewhere new.

The word “baby” has been a staple of songwriting since before we were born. From “Baby Face” to “Be My Baby” to “…Baby One More Time,” generations of songwriters can’t seem to quit this word. In this episode, we take a historical look at use of the word in songwriting, and what it is we’re really trying to say when we use it. And Aaron talks about how the word has the potential to say something you didn’t mean. At least we hope you didn’t mean it!

Michael remembers his cousin, Bobby Ronstadt, who passed away on March 30, 2025. In this episode, Michael recalls doing some of his own earliest studio work on Bobby’s 1999 album “Shadows in a Dream.” Michael recalls what a kind, warm spirit Bobby was. Michael features several of Bobby’s songs in this episode. “I want the world to know his music,” Michael says. The first song is “Lupe,” for which Michael helped arrange the strings; Michael’s aunt Linda Ronstadt sang background vocals on this track. Bobby Ronstadt

When it comes to crafting rhymes in song, the perfect can be the enemy of the good. In a perfect rhyme, among two words, the ending consonants and the vowel sounds that you stress match exactly. Moon, June. Dance, chance. Night, light. But there are a finite number of words that rhyme exactly, and they may not match what you’re trying to say. In this episode, Aaron explains why near rhymes are so much more versatile.

In part two of our conversation, Spook Handy unspools the story behind “This Land Is Your Land.” He talks about how Woody Guthrie had the idea for the song; how Pete Seeger helped him edit the song into the song you know today; and the important role that property rights played in the writing of the song. Spook played with Pete Seeger more than 50 times, and in our conversation, Spook talks about his interactions with the folk music legend. He talks about how Pete used old melodies to address current circumstances, thus making new songs sound familiar.

New Jersey folk singer and songwriter Spook Handy is our guest this week as we take a deep dive into Woody Guthrie’s classic song “This Land is Your Land.” Spook wrote this wonderful blog about Pete Seeger’s role in helping make the song into what we know it to be today. In part one of our conversation with Spook, he talks about why he cringes when he and Pete Seeger are described as protest singers. He talks about how Pete Seeger helped make “This Land is Your Land” into a secular anthem by getting the song published for use in […]

If you were watching from above, what would your view of humanity be? Michael explores two songs that address this topic, one of which is Craig Bickhardt’s “Life With the Sound Turned Down,” which we play in its entirety. The other song? You’ll have to listen to find out.

A song should be a concise vehicle for getting your point across. And in a three to four minute song, there isn’t much room to belabor the point, or trod ground you’ve already covered. If you can find the spots where you’ve used filler words, Aaron suggests using them as opportunities to say something new, and moving the narrative forward. But there’s one word that is more abused than any other. Learn all about the perils of filler words on this week’s episode of the Nathans & Roncast. Aaron Nathans, at Aaron & Michael’s show at Another Chance Cafe in […]

Michael talks about the songs that spoke to him as a kid. He highlights The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine,” as well as the song “Sandwiches” by Fred Penner. Michael’s father, Michael J. Ronstadt (a.k.a. “Mr. Ronstadt”), covered the song “Sandwiches,” and that version is included in its entirety in this episode. Both songs appealed to Michael, he says, because they were silly. “What my young kid self liked about it was that it took you on a crazy, fantastical journey that you didn’t expect,” Michael says of “Yellow Submarine.”

Aaron discusses what it was it was like to be a young songwriter at the Madison Songwriters Group 20 years ago, and how that experience informs his work co-leading the Philly Songwriters Circle. A song critique is a both a musical and social experience. We make good friends there. We learn about new acts. Collaborations are born over wine in the kitchen. It is also a democratic experience. This is not a performance. The better your song, the more finished it is, the less appropriate it is for this setting. That tends to put accomplished performers and newbies on relatively […]

Michael is on the road this week with Serenity Fisher, his partner in music and life. In this episode, Michael talks with Serenity about her work creating musicals. They include her indie play with music, “Sophie’s Dream,” which she wrote in collaboration with Robin O’Neal. The show was staged at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival. She performs songs from the show in her band, Serenity Fisher and the Cardboard Hearts.

We’re betting that if you love songwriting like we do, you’ve probably seen the Bob Dylan movie, “A Complete Unknown.” Aaron went out and saw it on Christmas Day, the first day it was open. And he really liked it, especially the acting, the music, and watching all those historical moments unfold right before his eyes.  But there’s one thing about this movie that bugged him. Because no matter how many filmmakers try and capture the process of songwriting, it’s a nearly impossible task. It’s been the subject of books, podcasts, lectures, patter from the stage and small talk over […]

In 1993, Linda Ronstadt included the song “Adónde voy” on her album “Winter Light.” It was a cover of the original by Tish Hinojosa, and in this episode, Tish tells us the story behind that experience. She was there in the studio when Linda recorded the song. Of course, Tish has long been a friend of the Ronstadt family. We include Tish’s version of the song in its entirety. You can hear Linda’s version on YouTube. And speaking of family relations, in this bonus episode we also ask Tish whether she is related to Texas politician Gilberto Hinojosa or NPR […]

In the second half of our conversation with Tish Hinojosa, we speak with her about her time living in Germany, then returning to Texas and having to reestablish her musical connections. She talks about her songs, including what inspired “Colton’s Perfect Heart,” a song about a heart transplant. And we feature “Canto De La Montaña (Song Of The Mountain),” a Spanish-language song inspired by local Spanish radio she heard while she was driving around. It’s a fantasy love song about a cowgirl on a flying horse who remembers a ranch and a love from long ago.

Singer-Songwriter Leticia “Tish” Hinojosa is our guest this week. We have a lot in common, namely bringing our heritage into our music and stage shows. Tish was born on December 6, 1955 in San Antonio, Texas to Mexican immigrant parents, growing up with Mexican music playing in the kitchen. She released 16 albums between 1987 and 2024, in English and Spanish and in a variety of genres, including her most recent album, “A Guitar and a Pen.” In our interview, she talks about gaining (and losing) a record deal; living in Nashville and making a life in Austin; how she went from […]

Michael shines a light into the darkness, examining songs in which the characters make foolish choices, amid the backdrop of beautiful music. The incongruity, he says, can make for incredibly effective songs. He talks about two songs to make his point: Tom Petty’s jangly “To Find a Friend” off of his legendary “Wildflowers” album; and the acoustic trio Barnaby Bright‘s gorgeous murder ballad “Castle Rock.” You might not even know these songs are cautionary tales if you drift off and just enjoy the music.

This is the second half of our interview with our friend, the great John Flynn. In this episode, we take a deep dive into his song “Prison Bible.” He talks about the meaning he derives from spending time with people who are, or who have been, in prison. We talk about how a prison bible functions as more than a book; how time in prison can serve as a period of self reflection and self discovery; and how prisoners can be really good listeners. We were surprised to hear John say that he never really fit into the folk music […]

On today’s episode, we interview the great John Flynn. He’s a folk songwriter who sings about social justice, and then walks the walk. He’s worked against the death penalty, and In 2017, Flynn founded New Beginnings – Next Step, Incorporated. It’s a non-profit dedicated to helping incarcerated and returning citizens successfully transition to freedom. John laughed when Aaron said he has the voice of G-d, but if the big guy had a voice, it would probably sound a lot like John Flynn. Rough hewn, strong, big-hearted, and compassionate. That’s how his songs are too. This past summer Aaron saw John […]

Aaron didn’t think much of “Hey Jude” when he first heard it, but in this episode of the Nathans & Roncast, he looks at why this 56-year-old song is so relevant right now. His first impression of Paul McCartney’s masterwork was that it was… mushy. But something about this song has given it wings. The Beatles had a tremendous amount of top-shelf content, but Rolling Stone called this the seventh-best song in the Beatles’ catalog. At seven minutes and 11 seconds, it’s really long. It spent nine weeks at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, setting a record. Come join […]

In this bonus episode, Craig Bickhardt tells the story behind his song “Men and Rivers,” which he wrote about a flood in Nashville. It’s a reflection on mankind’s relationship with nature, which makes the song even more relevant amid more recent high-profile floods. This recording is from his new solo acoustic album, “Soliloquy: Sixteen Solo Songs.” We recently released parts one and two of our interview with Craig over the last two weeks. If you haven’t heard them, check them out. Thanks so much to Craig for allowing us to showcase his marvelous music.

In this episode we talk with Craig Bickhardt about his poignant song “This Old House,” which he co-wrote with fellow Pennsylvanian and Hall of Fame songwriter Thom Schuyler. This is the second half of our conversation with Craig, during which we discuss the human relationships and deeper emotions behind our relationship with things, including cars and houses . “To be a songwriter,” he says, “you really have to love the human experience. You can’t just love songs, you can’t just love songwriting, you can’t just want to make money. You’ve got to love what everybody loves in life, and you […]

We were fortunate to spend a morning sitting in front of microphones at the Pennsylvania home of Craig Bickhardt, one of our favorite songwriters, a good friend of ours, and a regular collaborator. You can hear Michael’s cello on many of Bickhardt’s recordings, and Michael often backs him up live. He is one of the finest song craftsmen we have ever had the pleasure to have known, and his songs stack up against anyone’s. In this first half of our conversation, Craig will talk about his song “Crazy Nightingale,” originally released on his album “The More I Wonder.” It is […]

Here’s one more single from our live recording of this podcast at the Folk Alliance Region Midwest conference in September. This song is “Blacksnake,” which she originally recorded with her band Weda Skirts. It’s a song about the Dakota Access Pipeline project, which threatens the water supply of Native American communities in South Dakota. To hear the entire live event, click on this link.

Here’s an outtake from our recent live podcast taping at the Folk Alliance Region Midwest conference, held last month outside of Chicago. It’s our regular set closer/encore song, Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower,” with hand percussion by Elexa Dawson. To hear our interview with Elexa, click here.

We’re presenting some single songs from our live taping of the Nathans & Roncast in Chicago at Folk Alliance Regional Midwest last month. In this episode, Kansas-based songwriter Elexa Dawson sings her song “Mother,” an ode to Mother Earth. Michael adds some tasteful cello to Elexa’s soulful vocals and guitar. She wrote the song in reaction to the Dakota Access Pipeline project. To hear the song in context of the full live event, listen at this link.

We played a few songs before our live taping of our interview with Elexa Dawson at the Folk Alliance Region Midwest conference. Here’s one of them, “Old Joe’s Chair,” written by Aaron and Phil Henry. It’s their song about the relationship between a man and his barber. It’s always good to have someone to talk to, especially during hard times.

In our first Nathans & Roncast recording in front of a live audience, we speak with Kansas-based performing songwriter Elexa Dawson about two songs she wrote about the Dakota Access Pipeline project that threatens the water supply of Native American communities in South Dakota. The songs are “Mother” and “Blacksnake.” We spoke with Elexa at the Folk Alliance Regional Midwest conference in Lisle, Illinois on Oct. 26, 2024. She performs both songs, and we finish the episode with a special treat. Elexa Dawson gives audiences something to cry about. Her hopeful messages cut through the mundane without sidestepping pain. Deeply […]

Richard Shindell is great story songwriter, and wow can he play guitar. Both of those skills — songwriting and guitar work — are on vivid display on one of his trademark songs, “You Stay Here,” off of his album “Somewhere Near Paterson” which was released in the year 2000. It’s a song about foraging and living off the land. At least that’s what we think it’s about.  There’s a vein of every man for himself that runs across this album — sadness, darkness, loss, addiction — but he does it with such amazing ear candy and stellar production, with such poetic […]

In part two of our conversation with the founder of February Album Writing Month, Burr Settles discusses the wonderful and occasionally strange journeys taken by songs written for the challenge. And we take a listen to Burr’s song “Love Out Loud,” which he wrote from a “comments-first” challenge during one FAWM. He built the song entirely around hypothetical feedback left in the comments section of a blank song. Burr was also on the founding team of the language learning app Duolingo. You’ll love the exciting finale of our conversation with Burr Settles. If you didn’t hear part one, here’s a […]

Aaron and Michael take you inside the process of making a set list just before a recent house concert. We write the set list in real time, trading songs back and forth and negotiating the pace of the show and making sure the duo’s songs are well balanced. We make it a tradition to build our setlist just beforehand, to keep things interesting, trading the pen back and forth, putting the songs here and there. In this case, we were sitting in front of an open window in the early fall in Rockport, Mass., waiting to the play the Whale […]

Tens of thousands of new songs, perhaps more, exist because Burr Settles founded February Album Writing Month in 2004. The annual monthlong challenge requires participants to write 14 songs in the 28 days of the month. People from around the world participate, sharing their new creations with each other and providing positive feedback, and building community. Burr also was among the early team that created Duolingo, the app that helps people learn new languages. In part one of our conversation, we talk about what it was like to go viral (twice!), and the technical challenges behind building a platform that […]

We’ve been working together for 14 years and counting, and our staying power is thanks in large part to the fact that we are some of each others’ biggest fans. In this episode, we (Aaron and Michael) pick a song of each others’ to praise. What makes the song work, both musically and lyrically? You’ll hear the songs in their entirety at the end. You’ll also hear the wind whistling during this episode. We recorded it in Rockport, Mass., by an open window on a blustery day, preparing for a house concert.