Uncle Bonsai

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Uncle Bonsai is an American contemporary folk trio. They disbanded in 1989, but still occasionally perform together. They were based in Seattle, Washington, and their better-known songs during the 1980s included Suzy, Charlie and Me, Penis Envy, and Boys Want Sex in the Morning, some of which occasionally resulted in FCC problems when played on the radio. They opened for artists including Bonnie Raitt, Suzanne Vega, Loudon Wainwright III, and The Bobs. The members were Ashley O'Keeffe, Arni Adler, and Andrew Ratshin. In March 2008, they announced that they planned to begin performing more frequently, but that O'Keeffe would be replaced "for the foreseeable future" by Patrice O'Neill. Most of the (raunchy but often bittersweet) songs were written by Ratshin, but Adler had her own brand of absurdist wit in several songs including fan favorite Penis Envy. The band's songs continue to receive airplay on college radio and Dr. Demento. Ratshin also performs and records solo as The Electric Bonsai Band ("It's not electric, it's not a band."), and as part of a sextet, The Mel Cooleys. His records are available on the Yellow Tail Records label.