Biography
Though rock performers often shift their creative directions, few might have foreseen Ramones drummer Tommy Ramone surfacing again as a bluegrass instrumentalist. Born Thomas Erdelyi on January 29, 1952, Ramone traced his interest in traditional sounds to childhood. In a 2007 interview he explained, "I've been into old time music since I was a kid. My older brother would bring string-band and folk music records home from the library. We'd make tape copies and I'd listen to them all the time. I've always been into music of classic simplicity, with basic chord structures, but great depth of meaning and emotion. There is a direct connection between genuine folk music and punk. You can hear [that influence] on songs like 'Susie Is a Headbanger,' 'Can't Give You Anything' and the musical arrangements on the album, Road to Ruin to name just a few."
He first took up folk guitar during those early years, yet the arrival of the Beatles prompted him to switch to electric guitar and form a rock group. The Ramones followed. "What made the Ramones so good was their musical dynamic and unique personalities," Ramone recalled. "What made us so creative, our volatile and neurotic temperaments also made it hard to [work together] around the clock. I eventually thought it would be better for my well being if we brought in another drummer, but I continued to write songs and produce the records and be a creative influence on them."
Ramone had already met Minneapolis, MN folkie Claudia Tienan well before the Ramones disbanded. During the early '90s the pair formed an electric jam band, also named Uncle Monk, with Tienan on bass and Ramone handling lead guitar. He later shaped the present-day acoustic Uncle Monk as a folk ensemble carrying alternative and indie rock sensibilities, merging the instrumentation and phrasing of old-time and bluegrass traditions with contemporary subject matter and lyrics. "I bought a banjo about 15 years ago and soon after got a mandolin," he noted. "I fell in love with both instruments and worked hard learning how to play them. I loved the music so much that I wanted to play the other string band instruments too, so one by one, I taught myself to play them."
Within the Uncle Monk duo Ramone delivers lead and harmony vocals while playing mandolin, banjo, dobro, fiddle and guitar; Tienan supplies lead and harmony vocals on guitar and acoustic bass. Both contribute original material. "I've always loved acoustic music," Ramone said. "[In Hungary] every restaurant and many other establishments had live bands playing all the time -- gypsy music, swing, jazz and folk music." Upon arriving in America, the soundtrack to Blackboard Jungle lodged Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" in his memory, while the Weavers' rendering of "Wimoweh" on their Live at Carnegie Hall album left another lasting mark; Pete Seeger's voice and the song's arrangement helped shape his developing tastes, and the Weavers' relaxed atmosphere influenced his vision for Uncle Monk.
The pair began composing and shaping songs in 2004, then devoted the following year to recording and mixing their debut album. They activated their website and initiated digital sales the same year they performed their first concert at South by Southwest in 2006. The self-titled album appeared officially in 2007, after which the duo maintained a steady touring schedule.
Uncle Monk produces an energetic yet playful sound, though the musicians labor to project spontaneity. "It's part of our aesthetic to keep things loose and comfortable," Ramone observed. "We work hard to keep things free and easy. Songwriting and arranging are very much connected and part of the same process. We feed of each other when it comes to final arrangements."
The duo's unpolished vitality echoes the anarchic approach that distinguished the Ramones, and audiences have responded warmly since touring began, drawn both by Ramone's established profile and by the unexpected shift from his earlier high-volume work to this gentler acoustic format. "Uncle Monk is about the love of music and the opportunity to express ourselves," he stated. "We hate the hype and artificiality that's a big part of what's out there in the music world. We try to keep what we're doing as natural as possible. We take the music seriously and think that what we're doing has real meaning and substance."
He first took up folk guitar during those early years, yet the arrival of the Beatles prompted him to switch to electric guitar and form a rock group. The Ramones followed. "What made the Ramones so good was their musical dynamic and unique personalities," Ramone recalled. "What made us so creative, our volatile and neurotic temperaments also made it hard to [work together] around the clock. I eventually thought it would be better for my well being if we brought in another drummer, but I continued to write songs and produce the records and be a creative influence on them."
Ramone had already met Minneapolis, MN folkie Claudia Tienan well before the Ramones disbanded. During the early '90s the pair formed an electric jam band, also named Uncle Monk, with Tienan on bass and Ramone handling lead guitar. He later shaped the present-day acoustic Uncle Monk as a folk ensemble carrying alternative and indie rock sensibilities, merging the instrumentation and phrasing of old-time and bluegrass traditions with contemporary subject matter and lyrics. "I bought a banjo about 15 years ago and soon after got a mandolin," he noted. "I fell in love with both instruments and worked hard learning how to play them. I loved the music so much that I wanted to play the other string band instruments too, so one by one, I taught myself to play them."
Within the Uncle Monk duo Ramone delivers lead and harmony vocals while playing mandolin, banjo, dobro, fiddle and guitar; Tienan supplies lead and harmony vocals on guitar and acoustic bass. Both contribute original material. "I've always loved acoustic music," Ramone said. "[In Hungary] every restaurant and many other establishments had live bands playing all the time -- gypsy music, swing, jazz and folk music." Upon arriving in America, the soundtrack to Blackboard Jungle lodged Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" in his memory, while the Weavers' rendering of "Wimoweh" on their Live at Carnegie Hall album left another lasting mark; Pete Seeger's voice and the song's arrangement helped shape his developing tastes, and the Weavers' relaxed atmosphere influenced his vision for Uncle Monk.
The pair began composing and shaping songs in 2004, then devoted the following year to recording and mixing their debut album. They activated their website and initiated digital sales the same year they performed their first concert at South by Southwest in 2006. The self-titled album appeared officially in 2007, after which the duo maintained a steady touring schedule.
Uncle Monk produces an energetic yet playful sound, though the musicians labor to project spontaneity. "It's part of our aesthetic to keep things loose and comfortable," Ramone observed. "We work hard to keep things free and easy. Songwriting and arranging are very much connected and part of the same process. We feed of each other when it comes to final arrangements."
The duo's unpolished vitality echoes the anarchic approach that distinguished the Ramones, and audiences have responded warmly since touring began, drawn both by Ramone's established profile and by the unexpected shift from his earlier high-volume work to this gentler acoustic format. "Uncle Monk is about the love of music and the opportunity to express ourselves," he stated. "We hate the hype and artificiality that's a big part of what's out there in the music world. We try to keep what we're doing as natural as possible. We take the music seriously and think that what we're doing has real meaning and substance."
Albums