Nathans & Roncast

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 episo...

Hello, Aaron here. Anyone who has heard me play has probably heard me speak the words “February Album Writing Month” on more than one occasion. Most of my songs — not all of them, but most of them — have been written during the month of February, when there isn’t much to do outside, and the sun sets well before dinnertime. What is February Album Writing Month? Fashioned after National Novel Writin...

Musically we can try to emulate, recreate, and imitate, but how do we begin the process of creating a song within our own voice? How can we get the listener’s attention with some surprises while simultaneously helping them feel at home and comfortable? Do we write with a genre in mind or can we not worry about that until we create the song that wanted to be written? Join Michael as he explores the...

You have very likely never heard this song before, and it grips you right from the start. There is Buddy Mondlock’s trademark sweet steel-string guitar and soothing voice, but in contrast to much of his other, subtler material, this story is heart-stoppingly dramatic.  Mondlock sings from the point of view of his co-writer, Wade Bates, who had been an Army infantryman stationed in Afghanistan when...

Songwriting master Buddy Mondlock is known for having cowritten with Guy Clark, Janis Ian, Art Garfunkel, and some fellow named Garth Brooks. His music has been covered by Peter, Paul and Mary, as well as Nanci Griffith, and David Wilcox. We love his gentle voice and his lyrical eye for detail. His inspiring tune about wanderlust, “The Kid,” was covered by the supergroup of “Cry Cry Cry” made up o...

One surefire way to make your song stand out is to add an unexpected twist in the story. In this mini episode, Aaron will review some classic songs, from “Drive My Car” to “Sunny Came Home” to “The Pina Colada song,” that employed this method to great effect. And we’ll take a special look at how James Keelaghan, who we interviewed in the last two episodes, is a master of writing plot twists into h...

This is the second part of our conversation with James Keelaghan about his classic song “Cold Missouri Waters,” one of the most covered and admired folk story songs of our time. He wrote it about the Mann Gulch fire in western Montana in August 1949, which happened 75 years ago this month. He’s told the story of how he wrote the song before, but this may be the first time he’s done so for posterit...

Today we join songwriter James Keelaghan as we take a deep dive into one of the best folk songs ever written, a story song that has been covered countless times. The song is “Cold Missouri Waters,” first released in 1995. The song is a harrowing portrait of the Mann Gulch Fire in the mountains of Montana, which occurred on August 5, 1949, 75 years ago today. We are proud to have James as our guest...

What is it about a song that draws us in? Is it the melody? A catchy beat? A story, or perhaps wordplay? In the new season of the Nathans & Roncast, which premieres on August 5, we’ll shine the light on other peoples’ songs. We will talk with musicians and songwriters about the building blocks that make up a great tune. We’ll start with a two-part interview with the author of one of the most c...

What is twelve-tone music? Made famous by Arnold Schoenberg, Anton von Webern and Alban Berg, it was a new concept in how to construct music. It was developed roughly around World War I, and for a while was all the rage in conservatories and bastions of serious music. But it can be difficult to listen to, and as such made for a great topic for a (ironically) very tonal song, Aaron & Michael’s...

Jude Hayden and Dave Criddle met at Miami University in 1989 and played epic, acoustic duo shows for the next decade, playing an eclectic mix of Prince, XTC, Elvis Presley, They Might Be Giants, The Coasters and Robyn Hitchcock, among others.   In about 1995, Dave started getting serious about recording and they created two home recorded albums and an EP with surprisingly high production value, es...

In their best moments, whether it’s electronic music, or creating the best gadgets, our devices are designed to bring out our humanity, to reveal the human spirit, and allow people to do what we do best. And that’s how I got turned on to the idea of writing songs about computers that don’t criticize the devices. This episode, and the prior one, are a recording of my recent lecture at the Trenton C...

Computers and technology have both improved our lives and complicated them; made us safer and more vulnerable; and brought both joy and sorrow into our world. And yet when it comes to popular music, the overwhelming majority of songs pile up on the negative side of the ledger.  Popular songs about technology tell of destruction and illness. They sing: “Video killed the radio star,” “Machines dehum...

Serenity Fisher & The Cardboard Hearts is a family band in many senses of the phrase, and not just because Michael, who plays cello, is married to the lead singer (pictured in the center here). There are all kinds of family ties that bind this group together, literal and figurative. The band blends playful pop-rock with a Tim Burton-esque quirkiness, which is especially true on this song. A wo...

A few weeks back we featured Peter MacDonald Blachly as our interview guest as we discussed the song “Evening,” which Michael wrote as a posthumous co-write with Peter’s great-uncle, the poet Clarence Dan Blachly. Michael and Aaron also wrote “I Stood Upon a Hill,” from our album Crooked Fiddle, based on Clarence Dan’s words. In addition to being a great custodian of his family’s history, Peter is...

You know Michael G. Ronstadt’s alternative folk side, but do you know he’s classically trained, with a master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music? Check out this piece, which we bet you’ll like.

Tim Reisert writes songs with meditation, nature, and memory close to the surface. His songs bring the listener into a shared world. He began writing songs while living in New York City, then spent a few years involved in the DIY music scene in Phoenix, Arizona. He currently lives and teaches in Cincinnati, Ohio. His album Viewfinder is a love letter to the natural world–with no expectation of a r...

The stunning sound quality on “Hello World” was made possible by Gregory Hugh Brady, a recording engineer at Smithbridge Studios (Greg is at center in the photo). We started recording with him for “Shadow of the Cyclone,” and when the world shut down just before its release in 2020, there were no gigs… So, we just kept recording, leading to our most recent album. Greg, of Delaware County, PA, brin...

This week we feature our friend, the amazing multi-talented LisaBeth Weber. She’s a writer, a visual artist, and a creative consultant from Bucks County, PA. She’s an important part of the Philadelphia folk scene, whether it’s in the songs she plays, the beautiful pins she designs, or just the way she’ll show up and support you. She has opened shows for Nanci Griffith, Ralph Stanley, Dave Grisman,...

Rachel Mousie, vocalist, songwriter, and looper, was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH. Her songs feature spare but meaningful piano parts, looped vocal harmonies, and percussive rhythms behind melodic vocal lines. It’s music that makes you feel something. During the day, she’s a clinically licensed social worker at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and a child mental health therapist. She often pull...

Who was Clarence Dan Blachly? Michael came upon his book of poems named “Stubble Fields,” published in 1939, when he was wandering through a used bookstore in Phoenixville, PA more than a decade ago. He was so taken with the beauty of the prose, he asked Aaron to help put music to one of the poems. That led to “I Stood Upon a Hill,” which opens Aaron & Michael’s first album. Michael set anothe...

This week we are featuring a musical force of nature here in the Philadelphia music scene: Rob Lincoln. Rob reminds me a little of myself (Aaron) in his willingness to write about anything, including real people. We share an appreciation of historical figures — he took the stage name Lincoln, after all. (It’s his middle name.) Today we’ll present his song about a different former president. But fi...

These days, so many of the Ronstadt family members actively perform and sometimes tour. In the fall of 2022, they held a family gala that packed the Fox Theatre in Tucson with 1200 seats full! Two of those featured family members are Linda’s nephews Petie and Michael G. Ronstadt, who travel and perform as Ronstadt Brothers. They toured with their late father and Linda’s brother, Michael J. Ronstad...

Aaron’s love of baseball history led him to Rory Costello’s fabulous essay about the secret history of Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the two-year period after the Dodgers left and before the beloved park was razed. Costello’s Essay, “Twilight at Ebbets Field,” (click on this link to read it) tells of the many activities that took place at the park during its final years, includin...

She’s Liz, he’s Pete, they are Liz & Pete. Liz Cerepanya and Peter Dalton Ronstadt (Michael’s brother) join musical forces to explore material old and new. Liz’s heartfelt voice with Pete’s haunting harmonies and rich guitar arrangements captivate the mind and tug at the heart. After a few passing introductions in their shared music scene, Liz Cerepanya joined Peter Dalton Ronstadt on stage at...