CD Review: Uncle Monk's Self-Titled Debut Album

by Ignacio Gonzalez.

Two things about Uncle Monk’s self-titled debut album should be noted. First, if you’re not into bluegrass music, Uncle Monk is your best chance at exploring this time-honored genre - you'll thereafter rarely exit a music store without checking the bluegrass section. Why? Well, consider that Ramones’ co-creator and drummer Tommy Ramone is one half of Uncle Monk. You know, the Ramones? America’s first punk band?

Second, if you’re already sold on bluegrass music, you’ll appreciate the gentle sonic and lyrical combination of traditional and progressive elements that make Uncle Monk a great addition to your music collection. Ramone and partner Claudia Tienan serve up a refreshing, from-the-heart, truly unique and enjoyable progressive bluegrass collection.

Interestingly, Uncle Monk had a soft release early last year by indie Airday Records, but had only been available for purchase through Internet outlets. This month, Uncle Monk hits brick and mortar stores nation-wide to further spread the Uncle Monk gospel and continue to solidify Tommy Ramone’s reincarnation as a progressive bluegrass man.

Ramone and Tienan (singer, songwriter, guitarist and bassist formerly with the group The Simplistics) dish out 14 original songs co-written by the duo and described as “alt-country punk-bluegrass". Don’t be confused by the name T. Erdelyi in the writing credits, as well as the producing credits. That’s Ramone’s real name, Tommy Erdelyi.

What’s the punk element? Process, not sound, thankfully. “There is a similarity between punk and old-time music—both are home-brewed as opposed to schooled,” Ramone explains. “We are doing what feels natural to us. We’re making use of string-band instrumentation along with alternative rock flavorings.”

The combination of old and new is refreshing and makes Uncle Monk both fun and introspective. The album kicks off with “Round The Bend,” “Emotional Needs” and “Happy Tune,” the three tracks driven by the traditional, “strum-on-the-up-beat” rhythm that makes bluegrass a fun listening experience. You feel the hoedown vibe and find yourself wanting to stand up and do some hand clapping and foot stomping.

Then the duo shifts to unique, sentimental tracks like “Home Sweet Reality", “Mean To Me", and “Heaven". These left turns retain the simplicity of the bluegrass experience while at the same time serving as vehicles for Ramone and Tienan’s own brand of songwriting and alternative sensibility. The highlight of this approach, and my favorite track on the album, is “Wishing At The Moon”. This last track takes all the previous songs, with their sentimentality and yearning, and wraps them with a joyful and optimistic vibe that celebrates the duo’s pouring out and new musical adventure.

With Uncle Monk, you don’t get the pretty, polished vocals of mainstream bluegrass. Yet, there’s a rawness and honesty in the vocals of Ramone and Tienan that make the songs more convincing and authentic. The waltzy “Home Sweet Reality” and “Need A Life” capture the essence of Tienan’s shadowy, spirit-like vocal quality. Her singing is a crucial part of the stories, and you come away believing that she really means and probably has lived the tales, journeys and struggles she recounts for us. Ramone’s vocals are also real and convincing and, surprisingly, make up the higher pitch of the two. His vocals on “Mr. Endicott” are one of the strongest examples of the originality and realness throughout Uncle Monk.

I was not surprised at all to learn that Ramone started out in music playing guitar, long before the Ramones-era punk drumming and record producing. The album’s instrumentation clearly shows Ramone’s, as well as Tienan’s, solid bluegrass picking and strumming ability. The tracks are full of the sweet, rich wall-of-sound textures provided by Ramone’s acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo, dobro and fiddle. “Emotional Needs” is a perfectly crafted, banjo-driven piece with an exciting mandolin solo. “Airday” is a beautiful, traditional instrumental, a showcase of Ramone and Tienan’s string abilities and good taste.

“Home Sweet Reality”, “Need A Life” and “Heaven” are tracks that depart a little from the bluegrass tradition with well-executed, twangy electric guitar solos that bring melodic variety to the songs. These solos also reinforce the penetrating nature of the lyrics and give you the sonic space to reflect on the stories being told. “Heaven” adds an electric guitar to help the acoustic rhythm, amplified with the type of tonal warmth that many guitarists consider a heavenly tone. The track has my favorite solo too, which showcases Ramone’s guitar skills and is beautifully accented with a tremolo effect.

Overall, Uncle Monk is a great start for Ramone and Tienan’s journey, the kind of start that leaves you waiting impatiently for more surprises in follow-up albums. The duo is currently wrapping up a concert tour, with plans for a follow up tour of the south. If the duo is truly doing what feels natural to them, it’s exciting to think about what lies ahead for them and the new fans. Who knows, maybe Ramone has more musical re-incarnations up his sleeve. Hip hop anyone?

Uncle Monk Track Listing

Round The Bend
Emotional Needs
Happy Tune
Home Sweet Reality
Mean To Me
Airday
Need A Life
Heaven
Name Of The Game
Mr. Endicott
Urban Renewal
Walking Bandit
Bright Fluorescent
Wishing At The Moon

Related Links
Uncle Monk
Ignacio Gonzalez's IG Blog

[Editor's note: We recommend a visit to Ignacio Gonzalez's IG blog, which provides guitarists with inspiration, education, insights and ideas through the eyes of an everyday guitar player, teacher and writer.]

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