Ian Ly is a flatpick guitarist who makes his home in San Francisco and is the guitarist for Crying Uncle. Drawing upon the influence of guitar greats like Clarence White, Tony Rice, Doc Watson, and Norman Blake, Ian’s picking demonstrates both a reverence for the rich history of American acoustic guitar and a sense of violent, reckless abandon.

Ian grew up in Santa Cruz, California and started playing guitar at the age of 15, quickly becoming an adept flatpicker under the tutelage of Santa Cruz bluegrass legend Steve Palazzo, who gave him a deep knowledge of bluegrass and flatpick lore and sensibility, and Jake Workman of Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, who helped hone his technique and vocabulary. While attending college in his birth state of Kansas, Ian began competing in the Walnut Valley National Flatpick Contest; he is the 2023 National Flat Pick Guitar Champion.