The Ronstadt Brothers Return to MCTA, May 1st.

 

The Ronstadt Brothers will perform an eclectic tour of Americana music anchored by the Post-Modern Southwest on Sunday, May 1, at 4 pm at Mountain City Traditional Arts, 25 E. Main Street, Frostburg.

Ronstadt Brothers, Michael and Peter, are keeping their family’s music legacy alive. While their aunt, Linda Ronstadt, is the most famous of the Ronstadt family, Michael and Peter represent the fifth generation of musicians in a family where musical virtuosity runs deep. The Ronstadt Brothers present a new and fresh take on the traditional Southwestern and Mexican folk songs and offer innovative original material to millennials discovering the treasure of roots music. An aural illustration of inception to creation, this musical journey will take you from the past to the present steeped in the Americana vein, carrying forward a sound closely tied in its infancy to their aunt Linda and their father Michael.

For two decades, Michael G. Ronstadt has entertained audiences throughout North America on cello, guitar and voice. An exceptional musician-composer conversant with a wide range of styles, he not only executes captivating solo performances, but participates regularly in duo and trio situations with a diverse camp of young, innovative musician-songwriters including Lisa Biales and David Trotta. His versatile talents have been tapped for concert and studio work by such artists as David Bromberg, Linda Ronstadt, Muriel Anderson and Craig Bickhardt.

Michael G. displays genre-blending explorations on cello and guitar in complement to thought-provoking lyrics. To say his originals are unusual is an understatement. They set the bar at Olympian heights in their depth and breadth. In addition to his solo recordings as well as those with Ronstadt Brothers, Michael G. is a much sought-after studio musician, who has appeared on more than fifty albums in the last dozen years. Dan Buckley writing for The Tucson Citizen noted his “amazing command of the typical and exotic sounds of the cello, a true virtuoso and a man of instinctive musicality.” Michael holds both a Master and Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance and studied under esteemed pedagogues Yehuda Hanani, Nancy Green and Dr. Gordon Epperson. 

Starting out on violin in grade school, Peter “Petie” Ronstadt traded “up” to bass guitar and upright bass in middle school, playing in the school’s orchestra and jazz band. The band director tapped Petie to play tuba in the concert band as well. He continued on all three instruments in his high school concert, marching and jazz bands.

Petie first explored composing in high school, during which time he founded an indie rock group, The Goodbye Kiss, in which he played guitar and sang. This led to a record deal with a small Southern California label and the release of a self-titled EP. It was this set of circumstances that provided the engineering education and fueled Petie’s passion for the recording process. He teamed up with bassist Sam Eagon (a member of Los Tucsonenses) and founded LandMark Sound Recorders, a studio in Tucson, where they continue to serve the regional music community.

 Petie’s keen ear and his sensitive songwriting – such as the exquisite imagery heard in “Hummingbird” – are key to Ronstadt Brothers’ future tradition-building. Whether harmonizing with father and brother or quietly offering his own compositions, Petie demonstrates an engaging, easy-going stage presence.