Return of a Ramone...Tommy Ramone & Claudia Tienan Bow Bluegrass Duo Uncle Monk with Self-Titled Album Due Out May 22

Woodstock, NY (PRWeb) February 4, 2007 -- The New York Times preview said it best: "There is life after the Ramones, but who knew it would be bluegrass?" The write-up referred to Tommy Ramone's new bluegrass duo Uncle Monk, co-fronted by Claudia Tienan. In what seems an improbable second act for the man who wrote "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend," Uncle Monk is rooted in the old-timey and bluegrass traditions. The duo's self-titled debut album featuring 14 original songs will be issued on the indie Airday Records label, distributed by Burnside Distribution, on May 22.

"We are doing what feels natural to us," says Ramone. "We are making use of string-band instrumentation along with alternative rock flavorings. We're drawn to the classic simplicity of string-band music, but at the same time we are deeply involved with the aesthetics of indie music. There is a similarity between punk and old-time music -- both are home-brewed as opposed to schooled. Both have earthy energy. And there is a certain cool in old-time music that is found in the best alternative artists."

The songs of Uncle Monk run the gamut of emotions from exhilaration to sorrow, focusing on many aspects of modern existence: small-town life, coming to the big city, urban gentrification, interpersonal relationships and spiritual longings.

Tommy Ramone began his musical career as Tommy Erdelyi, an engineer at the Record Plant. Born in Budapest, Hungary, and raised in Forest Hills, Queens, N.Y., he co-founded the Ramones with Johnny, Joey and Dee Dee and participated in the birth of punk and indie-rock, working as the band's drummer, producer and manager. He has also produced recordings by the Talking Heads, Redd Kross and the Replacements.

Claudia Tienan hails from Minneapolis, where she was part of the local music scene and came to New York to study philosophy at Hunter College. She was later a member of the Simplistics and then formed Uncle Monk with Ramone -- originally as an electric jam band, and later as an acoustic duo. Her penetrating lyrics and haunting vocals add facets and dimensions to the songs. There is a yin and yang sensibility here, a touch of light and dark, of bitter and sweet, as the music of each artist complements the other's.

Uncle Monk delivers thoughtful and measured crafting of lyrics and melodies, and is dedicated to music that inspires the heart and tingles the spine.

Time Out New York recently wrote of the band: "If we tell you that Uncle Monk is a bluegrass duo with Tommy Ramone in it, you're bound to think of something like punkgrass or bluepunk. But [they serve it up pretty straight -- and solid. There is no doubting that Ramone's protean experience informs Uncle Monk, but he's no dilettante. This stuff is real."

# # #

For information on Uncle Monk, please contact conqueroo:
Cary Baker • (818) 501-2001 • cary@conqueroo.com

This press release has been reprinted from PRWEB per the terms and conditions of the copyright notice.

Related Articles:

Musician's Guide To Band Agreements
If you write songs within a band, you need to plan for the day when you will be earning royalties from your songs....

Teach Yourself How to Play the Guitar Using the Internet
There are many gerat resources available for guitar students on the internet. From riffs, chords and tablature to guitar tuning and music theory, there is a wealth of useful information available for little to no cost.

Oh Go On, Say You'll Be My Baby
Okay, so we can spare a moment to remember the sultry vocals of Morrison-esque Hutchinson and his band, INXS, but the story of modern Aussie audio contributions doesn’t stop there. Therefore, it may be high time to give Savage Garden an affectionate hug.

The Rock Band Bundle - Rock Band Bundle Gives You More Playing Choices
MTV has released the newest addition to the rock band gaming industry. Hot on the heels of the popular Guitar Heroes game, the Rock Band bundle offers the consumer more choices than its competitor.

Rock Band Song List - Now and In the Future
The latest entry into the music/rhythm gaming genre is MTV/Harmonix's awesome Rock Band. Just in time for the holidays, this is one hot ticket that's about to set a new level in the gaming industry. The Rock band song list has songs from the Rolling Stones, Smashing Pumpkins, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and many others. Read on for the entire Rock Band song list and future additions.

Bare Bones Rock Band Equipment
What are the "bare bones" needed to start a rock band? Well, besides the desire itself, one of the first requirements is having the...

Big Old Names Touring in Los Angeles in July '07
Given the current big names in music touring today - Beyonce and Justin Timberlake to name a few - it is impressive to see some older bands from 40 years back competing for limelight in the summer concert season.

This Game Doesn't Suck - Don't Get Discouraged With Guitar Hero
Guitar Hero has quickly become one of the hottest games on the gaming market. Unfortunately, some have a tougher time of it than others. This leads them to proclaim that "Guitar Hero sucks". No, it most assuredly does not suck. You just need to take the right steps to develop a little proficiency with the game. This article provides handy tips to get you on the road to being great at Guitar Hero.

How to Start Your Own Band
Have you ever had a desire to start your own band? Do it today by following the three easy steps outlined in this article...

Rock Band Game Review
Rock Band has one major difference from other music games: it's not just about one person's experience. This is a group effort and the game play is geared towards teamwork. While all the members of your band must be concerned with their own performances, you must work together to earn epic scores in Rock Band.

Starting A Band
So you are an excellent musician, you love your music and the notion of performing excites you. From the time you first discovered that music was your life, there has been some hollow feeling deep down inside, this feeling like a part of you has not been born yet, something is incomplete perhaps.

Where Do You Want Your Music To Fall Into? The "Biz" Or The "Everything"?
To quote a question from my favorite movie Almost Famous, "What do you love about music?", the answer,"Well, to begin with.... everything!" There is a pretty big difference between the "everything" that we love in the "Music Industry", and the unnerving abyss that is the "Music Biz". Teetering on the fence between the two, where does today's artist fall?

About My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance is an American rock band hailing from New Jersey that's been around since 2001. It's not easy to categorize exactly what type of music they play, although 'alternative rock' would be a good place to start.

"Muggles" Make Magical Music
Exploring Harry Potter's Influence on Music: This informative and fun article goes beyond the books and into our Muggle world of music which was inspired by J.K. Rowling's series.