"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
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, Uncle 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 whirr 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.
The group has eight recordings, a reversible/hard cover book for parents (and their kids), and is currently preparing an all-new show, “Seven Sins, Seven Wonders, Seven Dwarfs,” a 25-song song cycle which will premiere in March 2023.
It’s been over a decade since Uncle Bonsai visited Carnation and now, finally, the trio returns to Miller’s to celebrate their 41st Anniversary. Expect songs from four decades of performing/recording, including the most recent releases “The Family Feast: The Study of the Human Condition, First World Problems, and the Lasting Physiological and Psychological Effects of Eating Our Young” and “The Grim Parade.” But that’s not all; Uncle Bonsai will be performing a few songs from the aforementioned “Seven Sins, Seven Wonders, Seven Dwarfs” song cycle including perhaps — shhh, it’s a secret — a world premiere or two!
"Singers Ratshin, O'Neill and Adler are pitch-perfect in their delivery of often complex harmonic arrangements. And if there were an Ella Fitzgerald Award for Exquisite Elocution in Song, they would surely get it. The trio officially bills itself as a "folk" outfit, but has none of the naiveté that label might suggest. These are nicely edgy, sour-sweet songs, written for grown-ups." - The Seattle Times
Uncle Bonsai Home Page
*Tickets are nonrefundable, unless show is cancelled, or rescheduled.
All ages.
Beer, wine & nonalcoholic drinks available.
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