Uncle Monk is none other than ex-punk Tommy Ramone, and Claudia Tienan, formerly of The Simplistics. Based in New York, the duo's first incarnation as Uncle Monk took place in the early 1990s, while The Ramones were still active. Then an electric jam duo, the group was later resurrected by Ramone in 2004, this time with a focus on bluegrass and folk, with indie rock sensibilities. Born Thomas Erdelyi in Hungary in 1952, Tommy Ramone's first musical love was for string bands and folk, thanks to his brother's influence. In Uncle Monk, Ramone sings and plays mandolin, fiddle, banjo and guitar, while Minneapolis-born Tienan handles some vocal duties as well as acoustic bass and guitar. The pair's first album was released in 2007, featuring original material penned by both Ramone and Tiernan.