Bonsai Tree signals Ursidae’s time to grow

Groove Tube with Cian O’Connell

Dónal Tuípéar’s Ursidae have been a mainstay on the Galway scene for the last year and a half. Versatile enough to appear in any venue and inventive enough to make a mark on any audience, the frontman-driven three-piece have forged an impressive reputation here as well as in Donal’s native county of Cork.

And with a wealth of experience in the public eye, they are now set to progress off of it with the release of their debut single Bonsai Tree.

Ursidae had planned on celebrating their release with an Eclectics gig in the coming weeks but that show, along with every other local gig scheduled over the next couple of months, has unfortunately had to be postponed.

In a difficult time for everyone, it is a welcome reminder that Irish artists can be supported in a variety of ways. While it won’t be possible to see Ursidae live for a little while, you can and should purchase and stream Bonsai Tree when it becomes available.

“It’s one of our live staples,” Dónal says of the single. “I wrote it when I was in Spain just after I turned twenty-one. I’d seen a fella I know from home – I won’t mention his name… He’s basically a kind of a guitar prodigy. He’s been amazing since he was thirteen but he’d just been doing the same thing then for about six years. It was sort of like ‘Oh, you’re playing Jimi Hendrix again?’

“Anyway I was kind of jealous because my music wasn’t going anywhere at the time really. So I wrote this really scathing song and now, on reflection, it’s probably more about me than it is about him.”

Ursidae have taken their time with Bonsai Tree. Nowadays, there’s a pressure on artists to release music as quickly and as frequently as they can.

Dónal is thoughtful in his approach to music and his decision to finally record was spurred on by the success of the band’s winter residency in The Ol’ 55.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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