Episodios

  • Why 'Yellow Submarine' (and 'Sandwiches') spoke to young Michael

    Why 'Yellow Submarine' (and 'Sandwiches') spoke to young Michael
    Mar 12 2025
    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.”
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    7 m
  • Songwriting critique groups aren't just about the song

    Songwriting critique groups aren't just about the song
    Mar 6 2025
    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 […]
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    7 m
  • Serenity Fisher on writing music for the stage

    Serenity Fisher on writing music for the stage
    Feb 27 2025
    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.
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    29 m
  • The Bob Dylan movie: Why it's so hard to capture songwriting on the big screen

    The Bob Dylan movie: Why it's so hard to capture songwriting on the big screen
    Feb 22 2025
    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 […]
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    6 m
  • When Linda Ronstadt covered Tish Hinojosa

    When Linda Ronstadt covered Tish Hinojosa
    Feb 13 2025
    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 […]
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    12 m
  • "Canto De La Montaña": Tish Hinojosa's fantasy on a flying horse

    "Canto De La Montaña": Tish Hinojosa's fantasy on a flying horse
    Feb 6 2025
    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.
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    25 m
  • How Tish Hinojosa became a songwriter

    How Tish Hinojosa became a songwriter
    Jan 29 2025
    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 […]
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    32 m
  • How can a song this unsettling be this beautiful?

    How can a song this unsettling be this beautiful?
    Jan 16 2025
    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.
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    11 m