CEDAR FALLS -- Listening to a Raldo Schneider song is like saddling up to the coffee counter at a small town cafe and taking in the local color.

The Cedar Falls singer-songwriter harmonizes about the stuff of daily living -- the weather, true love, a good dog.

But the 53-year-old adds just enough tantalizing details and clever wordplay to keep you rubbernecking until he finishes his story.

"It's about people's personal experiences, and other people can relate to that," Schneider said of his work. "(Folk singer) John Prine wrote a song called 'The Same Thing Happened to Me,' and that's a lot of the appeal."

Schneider, a rhythm guitarist, will be featured at 7 p.m. today on KUNI's Live from Studio One program. The show is staged on the third floor studios in the Communication Arts Center on the University of Northern Iowa campus in Cedar Falls.

"Raldo's kind of a low-key guy, but he can be very humorous and he's a got a definite way with words," said Karen Impola, Studio One host and producer. "This is a chance to see a him in an intimate setting."

During the hour-long radio program, Schneider plans to play songs he's penned throughout the last two decades.

"We are going to play some real old stuff, and we are going to play at least one song in particular that I wrote less than a year ago," Schneider said. "Mostly, I'm going to try to concentrate on songs about the outdoors. I have two or three songs about snow. I have a rain song; a song about a river."

The Americana artist will be joined on stage by John Stortz on lead guitar and Travis Smiley on bass guitar. The acoustic trio has been playing together for about 12 years.

"Both Travis and I have a lot of respect for Raldo and we enjoy his songwriting," Stortz said. "He's a very solid Midwestern person -- very honest and dependable -- we never get tired of playing his songs."

Schneider has been a fixture on the local music scene for the last 20 years, and has been featured on Studio One in the past. Still, Impola calls the musician a well-kept secret.

"He's just as good as a lot of people who are nationally-touring performers, but I guess he doesn't pursue it in that way," Impola said. "We're lucky to have him in the area. He definitely has the talent."

Contact Mary Stegmeir at (319) 291-1482 or mary.stegmeir@wcfcourier.com.

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(319) 273-6400 $3; kids 12 and under get in freeKUNI Studio One, UNI, Cedar Fallsday, 7-8 p.m. KUNI's Live from Studio One featuring Raldo Schneider