Flatpick Hotel is a guitar passion project of Ian Ly and Owen Ragland. The duo was formed out of a mutual love for the bluegrass flat-picked guitar discovered over late nights jamming. Ian and Owen met at the CBA Father’s Day Festival in 2022 and became quick friends, bonding over their love for picking fiddle tunes on the guitar. In 2023, they recorded an album of live instrumental tunes on the guitar, which is still to be released.
Ian Ly has been wowing audiences worldwide as the guitarist for The Crying Uncle Bluegrass Band. As one of the best guitar pickers from the West Coast of this era, his picking style is like a freight train: powerful, clear, and fast. 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.
Owen Ragland is no slouch, either. A fiddle player turned guitarist, he has performed with groups such as Honey Run, The Brothers Strong, Poor Man’s Whiskey, and many others. He turned his focus to guitar some years ago and has developed a dynamic and interesting playing style. His picking is unique and explosive, and he amazes audiences (and jam circles) all over the state with his guitar playing.
The group is an experiment in which excellent players push each other to do interesting and creative things with their instruments. It is a niche style, but if you loved the Blake & Rice albums or the Doc Watson and Tony Rice recordings, this is the show for you.