Andy is a Punk Rocker

I’m not the only rock-and-roller with a taste for weird instruments in the family. My brother-in-law, Andy Koslow, plays balalaika (even playing once at Carnegie Hall) but is porbably better known for his bass playing with Boston’s Ramones tribute band, The Ramoniacs.

(Really, that’s him in the suit.) Let’s go for a more representative photo:

Anyway, the Ramoniacs are featured in today edition of the Boston Globe. Here’s the Andy-centric bit:

The Ramoniacs first came to life at a May 2005 Worcester appearance by Marky Ramone, the longstanding on-again, off-again Ramones drummer. DeLay, who had recently moved east with his wife and son from his native Southern California, handed out fliers in search of fellow Ramones fans interested in starting a tribute band. Woundy, a software programmer and veteran of several Ramones-influenced groups, took one.

DeLay had also placed an ad on Craigslist. Martel, who had recently placed his own ads proposing a Ramones tribute band, quickly responded. They became a foursome with the addition of Andy Koslow, a doctor at Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton, who also saw the ad. Koslow has moonlighted in an array of bands, including one that played 25-minute jams and another that specializes in traditional Russian music.

”Mine was not a punk upbringing,” says Koslow. ”I was into all kinds of out-there stuff. I started seeing the Ramones in 1989. [Their debut] was one of the only real punk albums I owned.”

Yet he has thrown himself into the Ramoniacs with as much zeal as his bandmates. They wouldn’t be a Ramones tribute without donning the classic uniform — black Perfecto-style biker jackets, ripped jeans and T-shirts, canvas sneakers.

“Mine was not a punk upbringing”…I love it! I’m trying to imagine if it was, with my father-in-law, who works in financial planning, wearing Doc Marten boots and saying “Segmented funds: now those are hardcore!”

According to the Ramoniacs website, there’ll be a piece on them in tomorrow’s edition of the Boston Herald and those of you in the Boston area can go check them out at the Abbey Lounge in Somerville tomorrow. Well done, Andy!