Uncle Monk

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Tommy Ramone knows a thing or two about sheer volume: As a founder and producer of the Ramones, the drummer helped pioneer the sound of rock as we know it. Now in his sixties, Ramone spends his time apart from the drum kit and, surprisingly, behind the mandolin, acoustic guitar, banjo, dobro and microphone. Along with fellow singer-instrumentalist Claudia Tienan, Ramone makes up Uncle Monk, a rootsy duo that’s not afraid to strip bluegrass and country folk down to its barest essentials. Of course, that’s what the Ramones were always about, too, so there’s less of a stretch between Ramone’s past and present than you might imagine; in particular, the Uncle Monk song “Mr. Endicott” — about an asshole boss who won’t stop riding your ass — could easily have come straight from the great Ramones songbook.