A pair of secondhand pants, a curious dog and a songwriter who keeps listening: Aaron Kelly on Roots Music Rambler
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A good song can start just about anywhere. For Aaron Kelly, that includes a trip to Goodwill, a dog sniffing his pants and a biology final that needed something better than a boring PowerPoint. The Chicago-area songwriter joins Frank and Falls this week with stories that make a pretty convincing case for paying attention.
Kelly grew up where Chicago’s sprawl met the country, and he still keeps a foot in both worlds. His farm has goats and chickens, and until recently, a Jersey cow named Helen. Sending Helen to live with other cows turned out to require a little adjustment: she had spent her life around goats. It’s the kind of everyday detail Kelly notices, remembers and sometimes turns into music.
His influences include Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt and John Prine. A Goodwill copy of Prine’s Fair & Square sent him deeper into the catalog, where the songs felt like they had always belonged in the American songbook. These days, he also plays Prine’s music with his side project, The Illegal Smiles.
Then there are the pants. Kelly donated a much-loved, patched pair, found them still hanging at Goodwill more than a year later and bought them back. His dog Banjo’s investigation of their new smells helped spark “Secret Science.” Frank and Falls have questions. Of course they do.
The conversation also gets into the lessons Kelly carried from Overman into leading his own band, the professor who encouraged his writing and the new record he’s working on. Songwriting still feels like therapy, and the excitement hasn’t worn off.
Before the interview, Frank and Falls trade favorite Prine songs. For Pickin’ the Grinnin’, Frank recommends Magnolia & Johnson Electric Co., while Falls points listeners toward Moonlight Mile and songwriter Jonathan Pennington.
Find Aaron’s music on Bandcamp, including Songs Still Sing, Letting the Animals Out and “I’ll Never Trust You (With My Heart Again),” and follow him on Instagram.
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Notes and links:
- Get the Roots Music Rambler Backstage Pass on Patreon – https://patreon.com/rootsmusicrambler
- Aaron Kelly on Bandcamp – https://mynameisaaronkelly.bandcamp.com/
- Aaron Kelly on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/aaron_nathaniel_kelly/
- Aaron Kelly on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/aaron.kelly.39948
- Songs Still Sing, including “Secret Science” and “Bluegrass Cats” – https://mynameisaaronkelly.bandcamp.com/album/songs-still-sing
- Letting the Animals Out, including “Talking USPS Blues” – https://mynameisaaronkelly.bandcamp.com/album/letting-the-animals-out
- “I’ll Never Trust You (With My Heart Again)” – https://mynameisaaronkelly.bandcamp.com/track/ill-never-trust-you-with-my-heart-again
- John Prine online – https://www.johnprine.com/
- The Roots Music Rambler Store – https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store
- Roots Music Rambler on YouTube – https://youtube.com/@rootsmusicrambler
Pickin’ the Grinnin’ picks:
- Frank: Magnolia & Johnson Electric Co. – https://magnoliajohnsonelectricco.bandcamp.com/album/magnolia-johnson-electric-co
- Falls: Moonlight Mile – https://music.apple.com/us/artist/moonlight-mile/15621726
Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler for free on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts. For early access and ad-free episodes, plus bonus content, outtakes and more, join the Backstage Pass community at Patreon (https://patreon.com/rootsmusicrambler).
Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 – Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.