Nashville’s Engelhardt Music Group has announced the signing of fast-rising California band Crying Uncle, fronted by young bluegrass picking sensations Teo and Miles Quayle.
Officially known as the Crying Uncle Bluegrass Band, this quartet is composed of four young men, one still in his teens, and they play a vigorous and exciting blend of bluegrass and acoustic string jazz, a la the David Grisman Quintet. Folks out west have seen them for years as a part of the California Bluegrass Association’s Kids on Bluegrass program, which has helped guide and promote young grassers up and down the state.
Teo Quayle plays mandolin, with older brother Miles on fiddle, along with Ian Ly on guitar, and Andrew Osborn on bass. All four share vocal duties in the band.
EMG label head Adam Engelhardt says that he has been following their development for some time.
“I have watched and admired these boys from afar for several years, which made it an easy decision to approach them about making an album.
Working with them in the studio has been a pure joy. Their musical knowledge and skill is far beyond their years. They’re professional, creative, and they strive to pull the best sound from their instruments and voices.
The upcoming album will truly be a demonstration of Young Masters of Bluegrass.”
With this announcement, EMG has also released a first single from Crying Uncle, an instrumental Teo wrote called Roland. It’s a real showcase for these young men’s stellar ability as instrumentalists.
Teo shared a few words about the tune.
“When I started writing tunes, I got into the habit of naming them after my family members. This one is special to me because it’s a tune I wrote for my grandpa, Rolando, whose name I inherited as my middle name. When writing Roland, the goal was to write a guitar centered tune. I started by writing a catchy, simple A part, and surrounded it with guitar riffs switching between 4/4 and 7/4.”
Got all that? Check it out.
Roland is available now from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers are invited to reach out to Engelhardt Music Group online for airplay copies.
