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Cover Story
Tommy Ramone speaks on his migration from punk to bluegrass
Date published: 10/2/2008
BY JOHN KOVALCHIK
It's New York, 1974, and you're a strapping young man of 22. You could either:
(A) work hard on your master's degree to climb your way up the corporate ladder;
(B) travel down to Southern California, enjoy a cool beverage in a coconut and partake in some soul-searching; or
(C) decide to manage an up-and-coming group of young musicians and spearhead a revolutionary movement that will shape most of modern music; lie low for a couple of years; and, from there, take the obvious route of starting a bluegrass duo.
The third choice is the one that led Thomas Erdelyi--better known to legions of punk fans as Tommy Ramone--to where he is today. Erdelyi, the last surviving member of punk's legendary Ramones to have been in the band during its '70s heyday, will visit Jammin' Java in Vienna next Tuesday as part of his current project, Uncle Monk.
Thinking back to his early days, Erdelyi said in a recent phone interview that it was seeing another band perform that shaped the Hungarian-born recording engineer's future as one of the founding fathers of American punk.
"What had happened was that I saw the New York Dolls," he began.
"And at that time, what was happening in the mainstream music was progressive rock--and the New York Dolls were such a refreshing change from that. And I saw that even though they lacked virtuosity, their ideas were fresh and interesting. So, I thought about the guys I knew from my hometown of Forest Hills, N.Y.--a bunch of neurotic, fascinating people that I thought would make an interesting band, [and] I put them together."
HEY HO, LET'S GO
At first, the lineup included guitarist John Cummings, drummer Jeff Hyman and bassist/vocalist Douglas Colvin, with Erdelyi acting as the band's manager and producer. But, in keeping with the band's "anything goes" attitude, several changes came about that would soon be etched into the musical consciousness of millions.
Cummings, Hyman and Colvin changed their names to Johnny, Joey and Dee Dee Ramone, respectively. And the band moved Joey up to take Dee Dee's place on vocals, opening the drummer's seat for Erdelyi, who became Tommy Ramone.
| What: Uncle Monk performs bluegrass and Americana.
Where: Jammin' Java, 227 E. Maple Ave., Vienna
When: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $10 advance; $12 door
Info: 703/255-3747
Web: jamminjava.com |
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BY GORDON PHILLIPS
If it ain't broke, feel free to fix it.
Many musicians have broken away from their norms and pursued other projects. These can be very similar to the artist's original band or group, or they can be in completely different styles or genres altogether.
One example of this is The Nightwatchman. By day, Tom Morello is the guitarist for the influential rap-core group Rage Against the Machine. But by night, he is a solo folk singer, armed with only an acoustic guitar.
Travis Barker has also had a very successful cross-genre extracurricular career following the break-up of his previous band, Blink-182. He has produced and recorded multiple rap albums and singles, and was collaborating with DJ AM before last month's tragic plane crash put the pair's musical pursuits on hold.
Two members of the band AFI, Davey Havoc and Jade Puget, also have a fairly successful techno side project called Blaqk Audio.
A variety of things can influence these groups. Some musicians simply get bored with the genre they are currently in and want to try something new. Others have tried to get with the current trends when they feel their music is no longer "in." An example of this would be Dee Dee King, the name under which Dee Dee Ramone's attempted rap career was marketed in the late '80s.
While some musicians are skilled in many styles of music, others seem to be more inclined toward one particular genre--as Dee Dee King's short-lived rap career proved.
Gordon Phillips is a senior at Stafford High School.
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Date published: 10/2/2008
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