Bigtree Bonsai
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | SELF
Music
Press
Country, but not too much country, is in. On Thursday, September 12, bands Bigtree Bonsai and Red Daughters played their indie sets with nods to the past.
Following guitar/producer duo Negative Breach, Bigtree Bonsai opened with songs from their first full-length, dropping in December. These songs varied, fitting in with current acts Band of Horses and Avett Brothers, accented with grooves and solos that remind me of favorite Zeppelin and Skynyrd tracks.
Having added to the building-to-a-soar rhythm section heart-forward lyrics that only occasionally borrow from clichés and huge three- and four-part harmonies, Bigtree Bonsai has produced memorable and affecting tracks like “The Game” and “Rain in the Wintertime,” that bring chills and all.
It’s good, appealing whiskey music, whether that whiskey’s sipped at a UMN frat party, while barhopping in Northeast, or around a Boundary Waters campfire.
Andrea Swenson said of them, “I’ve been starved for music with grit and teeth lately, and [“Black Iron”] by Bigtree Bonsai appealed to me right away for that reason. They’re a little country, a little blues, a little stomp-y, but not in a contrived way. I definitely want to check these guys out live.”
Having fielded a much smaller crowd than the headliners Red Daughters, Bigtree Bonsai needs more of that, though it should be easy if they can, like in Swenson’s case, just get their music into your hands. - Logan Adams, TC Daily Planet
Discography
Back To The Start EP
Awoken LP
Photos
Bio
When Bigtree Bonsai reformed in 2010, the band wasted no time carving a niche in the upper-Midwest music scene. Rather than settle into one particular genre, they forged ahead and created their own, blending the sounds of Americana, alt-country, and vintage rock into something evocatively familiar, yet completely new. Bigtrees unique brand of whiskey rock features driving rhythms, powerful harmonies, and deeply rooted lyrical themes of renewal, reflection, and redemption.
The band has grownboth as musicians and as peopleover many late nights, early mornings, long drives, and great stories. The experiences and revelations theyve shared are woven into the songs that would eventually become their first full-length album, Awoken.
The album was recorded over seven whirlwind days at Pearl Recording Studios in Minneapolis with producer Jake Dilley (Color Pharmacy). Bigtree Bonsai then had the pleasure of working with recording engineer Bill Moriarty (Dr. Dog, Joshua James) and mastering engineer Joe Lambert (Local Natives, The National), who added their unique talents to the project.
These final touches lifted the album to a new level entirelyand now, almost one full year later, Awoken is finally ready for the world.
A welcome change from bands unable to recreate their studio sound on the live stage, Bigtree Bonsai doesnt disappoint. With the punch and dynamics of the instruments, the clarity of the vocals, and the character of the overall sonic layers, Bigtree brings a level of musicianship to the stage that combines the studio magic captured on Awoken with the pure joy of performance and a rowdy good time.
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