PHOTOS AND ARTICLE BY GABRIEL DAVID BARKIN | PUBLISHED ON December 21, 2025

Crying Uncle Bluegrass played at HopMonk Tavern Saturday night, proving once again that these four youngsters are treading a path that leads them ever toward conquest of the NorCal bluegrass scene.

The core of Crying Uncle Bluegrass is the duo of brothers Miles and Teo Quale. Each has won numerous accolades in state and national pickin’ and fiddlin’  contests. Teo’s mandolin playing is as good as any I’ve seen, and the kid is just now a freshman at Cal. Miles has studied fiddle with Darol Anger and Mads Tolling, among others – and heck, the guy’s been teaching fiddle himself since he was twelve.

Andrew Osborn plays upright bass. He lives in San Rafael, and the audience was thick as thieves with his Marin County mates. Oh, and Osborn is also a mechanical engineering student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Word is he’s no slouch on trombone either, though he doesn’t bring one to Crying Uncle shows.

Ian Ly is the relative newbie in Crying Uncle Bluegrass. He’s already graduated college, so that puts him a leg ahead of his bandmates. He’s also a national flat pick guitar champ. It shows.

For 70 minutes, Crying Uncle Bluegrass kicked out the bluegrass jams at the HopMonk. Most of the songs were originals, including the title track from 2025’s I Still Remember June. It’s a sweet tune that harkens back melodically to mid-tempo Flying Burrito Brothers cuts like “Sin City.”

Several other cuts from the new album filled the set, including a nice reworking of Steely Dan’s “Do It Again.” Some of the songs were even newer, including a brand new one written by Ly that doesn’t even have a name yet. Given that, it’s worth quoting the refrain here:

Wonder why the desert sky
Looks just like it did that day
When I was a child 

These dudes can pick. Given their accolades, one shouldn’t wonder that their solos are wicked good. But they can also sing. The new song (let’s call it “Desert Sky” for kicks) featured well-tuned vocal duet on the chorus by Ly and Osborn. Throughout the evening, everyone had a few turns singing leads on the mic, and the harmonies were tight and pretty all the way through.

The instrumental original “Song for My Mother” closed the set. Fans of David Grisman and Dawg music will dig this one, a rolling tumble with brilliant, fun solos by Ly and both Quale brothers. It will take you places – and yes, Crying Uncle Bluegrass is going places.

This show was the third annual holiday-time show by the Crying Uncle gang at the HopMonk in Novato. For this occasion, the Quale bros brought along their new electric ensemble. Crying Uncle Electric took the stage for the second set, replacing Ly and Osborn with guitarist (acoustic and electric) Vincent Maclauchlan and electric bass player Aidan McCarthy. Henry Plumb played drums.

The electric thing is a new gig for the Quales, and it needs time to season. Teo Quale puts his mandolin aside and plays mostly acoustic guitar in this lineup. Both he and Maclauchlan show promise as jammy performers. But that’s not enough to put the current Crying Uncle Electric on the map.

The vibe veered from classic country (think Dylan’s Nashville Skyline groove) to that “Hey, what songs does everybody know?” exploration that many new bands take out for a spin. George Jones’ “She Thinks I Still Care” fell into the former camp, while a guest singer crooning Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie” was in the latter.

(Side note: I’m not the only person I know who thinks “Valerie” is overplayed by cover bands. If you’re gonna hit up the great Winehouse catalog, may I humbly suggest “Back to Black” or “You Know I’m No Good”?)

Crying Uncle Bluegrass. Sorry, I cried “Uncle!” But give them time. They’re not as accomplished as the Crying Uncle Bluegrass ensemble yet – but given the firepower on stage, they may get there.

# # #

Photos by Gabriel Barkin | www.gdbarkin.com | IG: @gabrieldavidbarkin