Uncle Bonsai is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 contemporary folk

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

 trio of Bennington College

Bennington College

Bennington College is a liberal arts college located in Bennington, Vermont, USA. The college was founded in 1932 as a women's college and became co-educational in 1969.-History:-Early years:...

 graduates living in Seattle, Washington. They announced they had disbanded in 1989, but have continued to perform and record occasionally. 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 Federal Communications Commission

Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...

 (FCC) problems when played on the radio. Twenty-odd songs recount the life experiences of a character named "Doug" ("Doug's First Date", "Doug at His Mom's", "Doug's First Job", "Doug Engaged", "Doug Gets Married", etc.) They are also known for their doo-wop version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" which caused controversy when performed at a baseball game in Tacoma.

Uncle Bonsai has opened for various artists, including Bonnie Raitt

Bonnie Raitt

Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...

, TOTO, Suzanne Vega

Suzanne Vega

Suzanne Nadine Vega is an American songwriter and singer known for her eclectic folk-inspired music.Two of Vega's songs reached the top 10 of various international chart listings: "Luka" and "Tom's Diner"...

, Christine Lavin

Christine Lavin

Christine Lavin is a New York City-based singer-songwriter and promoter of contemporary folk music. She has recorded numerous solo albums, and has also recorded with other female folk artists under the name Four Bitchin' Babes...

, Loudon Wainwright III

Loudon Wainwright III

Loudon Snowden Wainwright III is a Grammy Award-winning American songwriter, folk singer, humorist, and actor. He is the father of musicians Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche, brother of Sloan Wainwright, and the former husband of the late folk singer Kate McGarrigle.To...

, and The Bobs

The Bobs

The Bobs were dubbed the first new wave a cappella group in history when they were founded in San Francisco, California in the early 1980s. Now based in Seattle, Washington, this genre-bending, eccentric vocal group has maintained a healthy cult following in the U.S...

. The members were Andrew Ratshin, Arni Adler, and Ashley Kristen O'Keeffe. In March 2008 they announced that they planned to begin performing more frequently, with O'Keeffe replaced "for the foreseeable future" by Patrice O'Neill. Most of the satirical songs were written by Ratshin, but Adler revealed 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

Dr. Demento

Barret Eugene Hansen , better known as Dr. Demento, is a radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograph records to the present....

.

Andrew 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, 'Mel Cooleys'. His records are available on the Yellow Tail Records

Yellow Tail Records

Yellow Tail Records is an independent record label based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in the early 1990s by Andrew Ratshin, it releases a variety of folk, acoustic, and classical music.-Artists:* Geísa Dutra* Electric Bonsai Band* Hilary Field...

label.

Discography

• A Lonely Grain of Corn (1984; re-release 2001)
• Boys Want Sex in the Morning (1986)
• I Am Joe's Eyes (1990) [Electric Bonsai Band]
• The Inessential Uncle Bonsai (1992)
• Myn Ynd Wymyn (1992)
• But I'm Happy Now (1993) [Electric Bonsai Band]
• Plain Brown Wrapper (1999)
• Sponge Boy (CD single) (1999)
• Doug (2000; recorded live on Aug. 4, 1998) [with Electric Bonsai Band and Mel Cooleys]
• Apology (2001)
• The Grim Parade (2010)