Episodios

  • To bridge or not to bridge?

    To bridge or not to bridge?
    May 9 2025
    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.
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    13 m
  • Oh baby: The word songwriters can't live without

    Oh baby: The word songwriters can't live without
    May 3 2025
    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!
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    4 m
  • Michael's tribute to Bobby Ronstadt

    Michael's tribute to Bobby Ronstadt
    Apr 24 2025
    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
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    34 m
  • The beauty of near rhymes in songwriting

    The beauty of near rhymes in songwriting
    Apr 17 2025
    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.
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    5 m
  • Why "This Land Is Your Land" is surprisingly subversive

    Why "This Land Is Your Land" is surprisingly subversive
    Apr 10 2025
    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.
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    25 m
  • Spook Handy: Why "This Land is Your Land" endures

    Spook Handy: Why "This Land is Your Land" endures
    Apr 3 2025
    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 […]
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    19 m
  • Angels & Aliens: How Michael connects two very different songs

    Angels & Aliens: How Michael connects two very different songs
    Mar 27 2025
    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.
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    9 m
  • Just don't use this word in songwriting

    Just don't use this word in songwriting
    Mar 20 2025
    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 […]
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    4 m
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