Breakthrough guitarist, songwriter and bandleader Grace Bowers raised $30,000 for MusiCares® and Voices for a Safer Tennessee with her 2nd Annual “Grace Bowers & Friends: An Evening Supporting Love, Life & Music” benefit concert, which took place last week at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl. In addition to Bowers and her band, The Hodge Podge, the event featured performances from Lukas Nelson, John Oates, John Osborne, The Cadillac Three, Butch Walker, Charlie Worsham, Lucie Silvas, SistaStrings, Devon Gilfillian, Terence F. Clark, Melanie Faye, Abby Hamilton, Shane Hawkins, Sierra Hull, Caroline Jones, Meg McRee, Jared James Nichols, Tommy Prine, Maggie Rose, Jeremy Short, Zach Williams and more.
The fundraiser adds to a breakout year for Bowers, who is nominated for Instrumentalist of the Year at the 2024Americana Music Association Honors & Awards and released her debut single, “Tell Me Why U Do That,” earlier this spring to critical acclaim. Of the song, Forbes praises, “an infectious, joyous party and a worthy introduction to Bowers,” while RIFF Magazine calls her “The next generation’s star of American rock, blues and funk guitar.” Produced by GRAMMY Award-winner John Osborne (Brothers Osborne), the single was written by Bowers, Osborne, Lucie Silvas, Meg Mcree and Ben Chapman. Bowers will continue to release new music this year, additional details to be announced soon.
In celebration of the new music, Bowers will make her debut performance on the legendary Grand Ole Opry on her eighteenth birthday, July 30, 2024. Other performances this year include shows supporting Slash, The Red Clay Straysand Brothers Osborne as well as stops at Levitate Music & Arts Festival, Floyd Fest, Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, Bourbon & Beyond, XPoNential Music Festival and Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival. See below for complete tour itinerary.
Originally from the Bay Area and now calling Nashville home, Bowers began garnering attention after sharing videos of herself playing guitar on social media during the pandemic. In the years since, she’s been featured on “CBS Mornings” in a piece focused on a new wave of young female guitarists, performed alongside Dolly Parton as part of her Pet Gala special on CBS, joined Lainey Wilson as part of CBS’ New Year’s Eve Live celebration, performed as part of the “Men’s Final Four Tip-Off Tailgate Presented by Nissan” and been sought after by everyone from Devon Allman to Tyler Childers and Susan Tedeshi to Gaslight Anthem. Of her 2023 Newport Folk Festival debut, Rolling Stone declared, “Her 20-minute performance gave the distinct sense that everyone lucky enough to have attended was witnessing a star in the making,” while The Tennessean calls her “a 17 year old Blues guitar prodigy,” with a, “heart as big as her talent is vast.” In response to the tragic Covenant School shooting in Nashville last year, she organized and headlined the Grace Bowers & Friends benefit, which supported Covenant Heals and MusiCares® and featured Butch Walker, Hannah Wicklund, Devon Gilfillian and Daniel Donato.
GRACE BOWERS & THE HODGE PODGE CONFIRMED TOUR DATES
June 22—Los Angeles, CA—Fired Up For Summer Benefit Concert~
June 24—Washington, D.C.—U.S. Department of State-YouTube Global Music Partnership Event
July 5—Marshfield, MA—Levitate Music Festival
July 14—Vail, CO—Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater+
July 27—Floyd, VA—Floyd Fest
July 30—Nashville, TN—Grand Ole Opry
August 3—Mammoth Lakes, CA—Mammoth Festival of Beers & Bluesapalooza
August 5—Bethlehem, PA—Wind Creek Steel Stage at PNC Plaza*
September 7—Mill Valley, CA—Sound Summit 2024
September 13—Telluride, CO—Telluride Blues & Brews Festival
September 15—Bristol, TN—Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion
September 18—Silver Spring, MD—The Fillmore#
September 19—Pittsburgh, PA—Stage AE#
September 20—Louisville, KY—Bourbon & Beyond
September 22—Camden, NJ—XPoNential Music Festival
September 29—Franklin, TN—Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival
October 11—North Charleston, SC—Riverfront Revival
~performing with Billy Idol
+supporting Brothers Osborne
*supporting Slash
#supporting The Red Clay Strays
