Nathans & Roncast

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 another Blachly poem, “Evening,” to music for the latest Nathans/Ronstadt project.  But Clarence Dan Blachly remained something of a mystery. Aaron and Michael had been in touch […]

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 first, i want to tell you a little more about Rob. He’s a leader in the local music scene. I met him shortly after I moved back East in the mid-2000’s, and at […]

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. Ronstadt, as Ronstadt Generations. That group was an outstanding five-piece band featuring saxophone, upright bass, cello, guitars, banjo, drums and tons of family harmonies.  In the 1990’s, Michael J. Ronstadt closed up shop at the Ronstadt […]

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, including soccer, amateur baseball, and even an auto thrill show. Aaron and Michael interviewed Rory from his home in Brooklyn. Rory Costello is Co-Chairman of the Society for American Baseball Research’s BioProject Committee […]

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 Monterey Court in Tucson in the fall of 2019. They had had a brief opportunity to work up a couple of songs, including Rodney Crowell’s Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight, and an instant musical match […]

In Aaron & Michael’s first real-life podcast adventure, they take to the high seas in search of whales. What could possibly go wrong? (Hint: almost EVERYTHING goes wrong.) So how do our heroes manage to sully what should be a straightforward whale watch on a beautiful day off the coast of Boston? Tune in as Aaron and Michael recap their adventure, complete with audio from the boat, and reflections on a storyteller’s responsibility to their audience.

This week we are featuring an old friend of mine, Beth Kille, who fronts the Beth Kille Band in Madison, Wisconsin. I lived in Madison in the late 90s until the mid 2000’s, and that’s where I learned the craft of songwriting as a member of the Madison Songwriters Group. It was a group that met monthly at a local brewery, and we sat at a table in the private back room and critiqued each others’ new songs.  We all became a tight-knit bunch, discovering who we were as writers and performers, and supporting one another through our nascent musical […]

We dive deep into the ocean — and the past — to explore whales, Earth’s most fascinating animals, with Dr. Nick Pyenson. He is the curator of fossil marine mammals at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., as well as author of the acclaimed non-fiction book “Spying on Whales: The Past, Present and Future of Earth’s Most Awesome Creatures.”  His work has taken him to every continent, and his scientific discoveries appear frequently in the New York Times, the Washington Post, National Geographic, and more. Along with the highest research awards from the Smithsonian, he has […]

This week we are featuring a good friend of Aaron’s, a very special artist named Meghan Cary. The singer-songwriters in Philadelphia know that Meghan is the sun around which the rest of us planets orbit. She’s an extrovert, a songleader, convener of the tribe, and a wonderful, empathetic soul. The song we feature this week is “River Rock,” off of her 2017 release “Sing Louder.” You can find more information at Meghan’s website. Her music has been hailed as healing, inspiring and infectiously joyful. Named Billboard’s “Critic’s Choice” for her debut EP, the stage actress turned folk rocker engages listeners with masterful […]

Lost in Holland was Michael’s duo with Josh Hisle from 2008 to 2012. “Son of a Roofer” is off Lost in Holland’s new EP, “The Next Great Loss,” their first newly released recorded music in more than a decade. Hisle, a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq war, is one of the most honest and passionate songwriters today. His work with Neil Young and Crosby, Stills and Nash in the film “Déjà vu” sped him into a life of honest songwriting and solo performance. Hisle’s work has been reviewed by critics from Rolling Stone, Glide Magazine and Variety. He was […]