“A folk-pop trio from Seattle, performs funny original songs whose exquisite musical detail and subtle needling wit attain a level of craft not often seen in pop” -- NY Times The Seattle trio Uncle Bonsai performs original, contemporary folk/pop music. With their soaring and intricate 3-part vocal harmonies and biting humor, accompanied by only an acoustic guitar, Arni Adler, Patrice O'Neill, and Andrew Ratshin deliver poignantly unflinching portrayals of life, love, and a guy named Doug. The t...
“A folk-pop trio from Seattle, performs funny original songs whose exquisite musical detail and subtle needling wit attain a level of craft not often seen in pop” -- NY Times
The Seattle trio Uncle Bonsai performs original, contemporary folk/pop music. With their soaring and intricate 3-part vocal harmonies and biting humor, accompanied by only an acoustic guitar, Arni Adler, Patrice O'Neill, and Andrew Ratshin deliver poignantly unflinching portrayals of life, love, and a guy named Doug. The trio's influences range from the Beatles to Stephen Sondheim. Some say Zappa cross-bred with Peter, Paul and Mary. Loudon Wainwright III, the Roches. Three tightly tiered and adhered voices, acoustic guitar. That's it. Nearly naked folk-pop for everyone.
Uncle Bonsai's acoustic folk-pop songs are almost one-act plays or short stories, resisting strict pop, folk, or singer-songwriter categories. Consequently, in the '80s the trio paired with a wide range of artists --- Bonnie Raitt, Suzanne Vega, Tracy Chapman, They Might Be Giants, The Persuasions, The Bobs, and Robyn Hitchcock -- reflecting a diversity of categorization. In addition to their regular appearances at clubs and festivals, the group stretches the boundaries of "folk" music, appearing in theaters and concert halls throughout North America.
Their most recent recording, The Grim Parade, is a collection of live and studio performances of songs focused on the passing of time, the passing of genes, and the passing of pets -- the truth of everything seemingly buried somewhere under the family tree.
Now entering its 31st year, Uncle Bonsai continues to perform and release new material and in May, 2013, the group will be releasing its first ever book, the reversible "children's" book, The Monster in the Closet/Go To Sleep, which features two new songs, as illustrated by group members Arni Adler ("Monster") and Patrice O'Neill ("Sleep). This hard cover book features the two stories and includes a cd with recordings of the songs. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
