Greg Schultz welcomes Boulder-based band Ronjo V into the KGNU studio for a live session featuring songs from their forthcoming album, including “Calling Back,” alongside selections from their recent release. Bandleader Ryan Joseph discusses his path from Austin to Colorado, his early recording work with Leon Bridges, producing local artists such as Sean Hess, and the creative process behind the band’s new record. The conversation also highlights Ronjo V’s upcoming Colorado performances, including stops in Denver, Laramie, Evergreen, Boulder, and Gold Hill. The session features live performances of “Calling Back,” “Colorado Backroads,” “Roundabout,” and “Church Girl.” (Air Date 6/16/26).
Listen to the studio session here:
Transcript:
Greg Schultz: Joining me live is the great band Ronjo V from around Boulder, Colorado. They’re here to play some tunes and talk about their music, an upcoming run of Colorado shows, and their new record. Welcome, guys.
Ronjo V: Hey, Greg. Thanks for having us.
Greg Schultz: Awesome to have you here. Why don’t we kick it off with a couple tunes, and then we’ll come back and talk about the new record, the Colorado run, and all kinds of cool stuff. Tell folks what you’re going to play.
Ronjo V: This one is going to be on our upcoming record. It’s called Calling Back.
[Performance: “Calling Back” and “Colorado Backroads”]
Greg Schultz: All right, awesome stuff. We are blessed to have Ronjo V in the studio this morning. Those two tunes were Colorado Backroads and Calling Back, correct?
Ronjo V: Yes, sir.
Greg Schultz: And they’re coming off the new record?
Ronjo V: That’s right.
Greg Schultz: Fantastic. Before we get started, let’s find out who’s in the band.
Ronjo V: Absolutely. We have Walt Palmer on guitar, Kyle Loffler on bass, Kyle Robinson on keyboards, and Davis Rohan on drums.
Greg Schultz: It’s a great-sounding ensemble, and not a bad-looking group of young men, either.
Let’s talk about your journey. You moved here from Austin about three years ago. You had a recording studio there and worked with quite a few artists. One name that caught my attention was Leon Bridges. Tell us about that.
Ronjo V: I relocated from Austin about three years ago. The Leon Bridges story started when some friends of mine in the band White Denim heard him singing at an open mic in Fort Worth. They called me and said, “We’ve got this guy up here. Can you come help us make a record?”
I loaded up my truck with a one-inch 8-track tape machine, microphones, and a Studer console. I drove up there in the August heat and we set up a makeshift studio in a warehouse. We started cutting the album live.
It was a magical experience. They talk about lightning in a bottle, and that was one of the few times I’ve really seen it. Now Leon’s a superstar.
Greg Schultz: That was around 2015, and he certainly is a superstar. Wonderful performer.
Then you moved here and put this group together. You’ve also produced other Colorado artists, including Sean Hess, who I had on Honky Tonk Heroes last year.
Ronjo V: Sean is an incredible singer-songwriter. I saw him playing at a little hundred-year-old dive bar in Centennial. I sat down and listened and thought, “Let’s make a record.”
Two weeks later he showed up at my house with his band. We set up live and cut the whole album in two days. He’s one of those rare talents who can stand in front of a microphone and just deliver.
Greg Schultz: He’s a terrific songwriter and storyteller.
Ronjo V: He really is. He’s got a place in Laramie called The Roughed Up Duck, and we’re actually playing there this Saturday with some of my Austin friends, a band called The Lonesome Heroes. I’ve never played there before, so I’m excited.
Greg Schultz: That’s a great spot. Laramie loves football, hunting, fishing, and good music.
Ronjo V: Josh Allen went to college there, right?
Greg Schultz: He did.
Ronjo V: It also looks like it gets very cold there in the winter.
Greg Schultz: I’ve sat through a game there in 12-degree weather with brutal wind chill. I thought I was going to die.
Let’s talk about the new record. Where are you recording it, and when can people expect to hear it?
Ronjo V: I’m always recording and writing. This project started last October. Davis flew down to Austin and we spent a few days recording at my studio there. We got a few keepers out of those sessions.
Since then we’ve been meeting once or twice a week, tracking new songs. We’ll probably record 20 or 30 songs and narrow that down to about a dozen for the album.
Greg Schultz: That’s always the challenge—deciding what makes the final cut.
Ronjo V: Exactly.
Greg Schultz: Are you recording up at your place in the mountains?
Ronjo V: Mostly. I basically live inside a recording studio, much to my wife’s delight. We’ve also spent some time at Cowboy Cowabunga Studio in Evergreen, owned by Mark Anderson, and we’ve done some tracking at Davis’s new studio as well.
Greg Schultz: When do you think the record will come out?
Ronjo V: We’re planning to start releasing singles in late July, with the full album hopefully arriving around October.
Greg Schultz: Do you have a title yet?
Ronjo V: Not yet. We have some ideas floating around, including Forever 41.
Greg Schultz: That’s a memorable title.
Make sure KGNU gets a copy. We’d love to play it.
Ronjo V: We appreciate that. KGNU has already been spinning some of our music, and we’re grateful.
Greg Schultz: I like your attitude. You seem to be having fun with all this.
Ronjo V: That’s the goal. Instead of sitting around watching Netflix every night, we work on songs.
Greg Schultz: You’ve got to have something positive to chase.
Before we play another song, Davis, tell us about your new venture.
Davis Rohan: I recently opened a music school in Boulder called Boulder Music Works. It’s a full music school and recording studio. We focus heavily on teaching music through the lens of songwriting.
Greg Schultz: That’s fantastic. Is it geared toward kids?
Davis Rohan: It’s really for all ages. Most students are between six and eighteen, but I have adult students too. My youngest is four years old and my oldest is nearly eighty.
Greg Schultz: That’s great. Music really is a lifelong pursuit.
Ronjo V: And if any bands are looking for huge John Bonham-style drum sounds, Davis has an incredible tracking room.
Greg Schultz: Excellent. Let’s hear another song.
Ronjo V: This one is called Roundabout from our last album.
[Performance: “Roundabout”]
Greg Schultz: That’s a cool song. That record came out last fall, right?
Ronjo V: That’s right.
Greg Schultz: Let’s talk about your upcoming Colorado shows.
Ronjo V: You can always find our schedule on Spotify, but coming up we’re playing:
- Globe Hall in Denver this Friday, opening for Delicate Steve.
- The Roughed Up Duck in Laramie on Saturday.
- The Cowboy Cowabunga Festival in Evergreen on July 11.
- Trident in Boulder with Jackson Cloud on July 31.
- Later this fall we’ll be playing the Gold Hill Store with Something Slight.
Greg Schultz: That’s a great summer run. People should get out and support live music.
Ronjo V: Absolutely.
Greg Schultz: Where can people find you online?
Ronjo V: Instagram is probably the best place: @ronjovmusic.
Greg Schultz: Excellent.
We’re about out of time. Thanks for coming in. I also want to give a shout-out to George for engineering the session. The room sounded fantastic. We’re going to miss this space when KGNU moves downtown, but we’ll start making new history in the new location.
What are you going to leave us with?
Ronjo V: Thanks again for having us. This final song is called Church Girl.
[Performance: “Church Girl”]
