Uncle Bonsai

In August 1981, when three Seattle newcomers came together and learned a few songs to busk at the Bumbershoot gates — they made just enough to get into the festival — no one had any idea that they’d be still going strong 43 years later. Now in its 44th year, Uncle Bonsai continues to perform and record, with brand new member Kat Bula and whole bunch of new songs! (Don't worry, at the concerts you'll still hear some of your favorites!) And what can you expect? Well, it's still an Uncle Bonsai show! You'll hear songs from their 10 recordings, a lot of new songs, and selections from their "Seven Sins, Seven Wonders, Seven Dwarfs" song-cycle.

And just what IS Uncle Bonsai? Imagine what might happen if Tim Burton and Edward Gorey hijacked the Andrews Sisters en route to a Stephen Sondheim festival with The Beatles and Tom Lehrer in the sidecar; you'd get Seattle super- harmonizers Uncle Bonsai. With just three voices and an acoustic guitar, Bonsai presents an often dizzying vocal array of intricate harmony. Their songs, dark and hilarious at times, just as often delight with moments of great insight and beauty. The trio aligns itself with the under-achiever, the dejected, the outsider, the black sheep. Densely-packed lyrics fly by in a whir at times, and take a skewed stance on topics such as first-world problems, the creation of the universe, the afterlife, and, of course, holidays with the family. Uncle Bonsai's acoustic folk-pop songs are almost one-act plays or short stories, resisting strict pop, folk, or singer-songwriter categories. Their songs focus 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.