Holly Bowling

Last updated
Holly Bowling
Hobo Wiki.jpg
Background information
Birth nameHolly Earnest
Born (1984-05-11) May 11, 1984 (age 39)
Genres Classical, Rock, Improvisational rock, Jam band, Psychedelic rock
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Piano, Keyboards
Years active2014 – present
LabelsRoyal Potato Family
Website www.hollybowling.com

Holly Bowling (born May 11, 1984) is an American pianist, and keyboardist based in San Francisco. [1] She is known for her solo instrumental performances in addition to her work with Ghost Light, Phil Lesh and Friends, and Greensky Bluegrass. She was named by Rolling Stone as one of "Ten New Artists You Need To Know Right Now." [2]

Contents

Early life

Bowling grew up in Michigan [3] and began playing piano at age 5 [4] under the Suzuki method. [5]

Career

Solo career

Bowling’s work originally focused on instrumental arrangements pulled from the songbooks of bands such as the Grateful Dead and Phish. [6] Her career ignited when she released a solo piano performance mirroring a passage of extended improvisation from Phish’s 7/30/13 concert near Lake Tahoe, [7] followed by a rendition of the Grateful Dead’s “Eyes of the World" from their 6/18/74 Freedom Hall show. [8] Subsequent years saw Bowling’s intricate arrangements shift from being the focal point of her live shows to serving as bookends guiding listeners through long stretches of improvisation, peppered with extended techniques that stretch the intended limits of the instrument.

Bowling has released four instrumental piano albums beginning with 2015’s Distillation of a Dream: the Music of Phish Reimagined for Solo Piano. [9] Her second album, Better Left Unsung, a collection of solo piano arrangements of the Grateful Dead, followed in 2016 and reached its peak position on the Billboard Classical Albums charts at #25. [10] The album release party for Better Left Unsung was held at Phil Lesh’s Terrapin Crossroads [11] and the night of the album release, Bowling performed with Bob Weir at the Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina, during Warren Haynes’ Christmas Jam. [12]

Bowling’s first live album, Live at the Old Church, was released in 2019 and chronicles her September 21, 2018 performance in Portland, Oregon. [13] Her second album of Grateful Dead staples, Seeking All That’s Still Unsung, was released in 2020 and charted in the top ten of Billboard’s Classical Crossover category. [14]

In 2020, Bowling released a series of eleven performances filmed in remote outdoor settings across the United States titled The Wilderness Sessions. Locations included Yosemite National Park, South Dakota’s Badlands, Wyoming’s Beartooth Mountains, and Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats, the latter of which saw an official release as a 2-LP set. [15]

In addition to the Wilderness Sessions, Bowling also filmed and released a series of nine live-streamed home concerts during the pandemic titled Alone Together: The Living Room Sessions. [16]

Bands, collaborations and guest appearances

In 2018, Bowling co-founded improvisational rock outfit Ghost Light with guitarist Tom Hamilton Jr. [17] They released two records as a five-piece, Best Kept Secrets and The Healing before Bowling announced her departure from the band in December 2022. [18]

In 2021, Bowling formed Lacuna with Tom Hamilton Jr. as an acoustic improvisation duo. They released a self-titled album and played select shows to support the release. [19]

Bowling regularly appears on keyboards with Phil Lesh and Friends [20] as well as with Greensky Bluegrass. [21]

Artists she has shared the stage with include:

Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Page McConnell, Warren Haynes, John Scofield, Ivan Neville, Steve Kimock, Oteil Burbridge, Dave Schools, Branford Marsalis, Marco Benevento, Claude Coleman Jr., Duane Trucks, Natalie Cressman, Jennifer Hartswick, Jim James, Greensky Bluegrass, Railroad Earth, Don Was, Robert Randolph, Billy Strings, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, Tony Hall, Ross James, Tom Hamilton Jr, Dan Lebowitz, Jay Lane, Scott Law, Reed Mathis, Neal Casal, Karl Denson, Steve Berlin, John Molo, Rick Mitarotonda, James Casey, Umphrey’s McGee, and LP Giobbi.

Discography

2015-08-10 Distillation of a Dream : The Music of Phish Reimagined for Solo Piano
2016-12-09 Better Left Unsung : The Music of the Grateful Dead Reimagined for Solo Piano
2021-03-22 Best Kept Secrets: Ghost Light
2019-08-23 Live at the Old Church : Solo piano recorded 9/21/2018 at the Old Church Concert Hall in Portland, OR
2020-11-20 Seeking All That's Still Unsung: Solo piano renditions of the music of the Grateful Dead
2021-02-11 Live from the Salt Flats: Solo piano from the Wilderness Sessions
2021-11-19 Lacuna: Duo album with Tom Hamilton
2022-10-07 The Healing: Ghost Light

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trey Anastasio</span> American guitarist (born 1964)

Ernest Joseph "Trey" Anastasio III is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Phish, which he co-founded in 1983. He is credited by name as composer of 152 Phish original songs, 141 of them as a solo credit, in addition to 41 credits attributed to the band as a whole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Lesh and Friends</span> American rock band

Phil Lesh and Friends is an American rock band formed and led by Phil Lesh, former bassist of the Grateful Dead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Weir</span> American musician; member of the Grateful Dead

Robert Hall Weir is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the group disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead, together with other former members of the Grateful Dead. Weir also founded and played in several other bands during and after his career with the Grateful Dead, including Kingfish, the Bob Weir Band, Bobby and the Midnites, Scaring the Children, RatDog, and Furthur, which he co-led with former Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh. In 2015, Weir, along with former Grateful Dead members Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, joined with Grammy-winning singer/guitarist John Mayer, bassist Oteil Burbridge, and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti to form the band Dead & Company. Dead & Company's last performance occurred on 16 July 2023 at Oracle Park in San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Gordon</span> American bass guitarist and vocalist

Michael Eliot Gordon is an American bass guitarist and vocalist most recognized as a founding member of the band Phish. In addition to bass, Gordon is an accomplished banjo player, and is proficient at piano and guitar. He is also a filmmaker and author. He has released six solo studio albums and three studio albums with acoustic guitar pioneer Leo Kottke.

<i>Infrared Roses</i> 1991 live album by Grateful Dead

Infrared Roses is a live compilation album by the Grateful Dead. It is a conglomeration of their famous improvisational segments "Drums" and "Space".

<i>Anthem of the Sun</i> 1968 studio album / Live album by Grateful Dead

Anthem of the Sun is the second album by rock band the Grateful Dead, released in 1968 on Warner Bros/Seven Arts. It is the first album to feature second drummer Mickey Hart. The band was also joined by Tom Constanten, who contributed avant-garde instrumental and studio techniques influenced by composers John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen. The album was assembled through a collage-like editing approach helmed by members Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh, in which disparate studio and live performance tapes were spliced together to create new hybrid recordings. The band also supplemented their performances with instruments such as prepared piano, kazoo, harpsichord, timpani, trumpet, and güiro. The result is an experimental studio amalgam that is neither a pure studio album nor a live album.

<i>Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings</i> 2005 live album by Grateful Dead

Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings is a 10-CD live album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It contains four complete concerts recorded on February 27, February 28, March 1, and March 2, 1969, at the Fillmore West in San Francisco. The album was remixed from the original 16-track concert soundboard tapes. It was released as a box set in November 2005, in a limited edition of 10,000 copies.

<i>So Many Roads (1965–1995)</i> 1999 box set by the Grateful Dead

So Many Roads (1965–1995) is a five-disc box set by the Grateful Dead. Primarily consisting of concert recordings from different periods of the band's history, it also contains several songs recorded in the studio. All but one of the tracks were previously unreleased. The album was released on November 7, 1999. It was certified a gold record by the RIAA on April 12, 2000.

<i>Rockin the Rhein with the Grateful Dead</i> 2004 live album by Grateful Dead

Rockin' the Rhein with the Grateful Dead is a Grateful Dead triple live album released in 2004. It was recorded April 24, 1972, at "Rheinhallen", in the German town of Düsseldorf, during the band's European tour of 1972. The complete concert is included, but the order of the tracks on the CD was altered to fit the show on three discs, while preserving groups of segued tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greensky Bluegrass</span> American bluegrass band

Greensky Bluegrass is a five-piece American bluegrass jam band founded in Kalamazoo, Michigan in mid-2000. The band has evolved over the years, growing from 3 to 5 members, adding electric effects, and touring with a full light show. Partly because of their name, many articles written about the band address the fact that what Greensky does is "not quite" bluegrass. In their own promotional material, GSBG describes their sound as "their own version of bluegrass music, mixing the acoustic stomp of a string band with the rule-breaking spirit of rock & roll".

<i>The Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack</i> 2005 live album by the Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack is a five-CD live album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It was recorded on October 16–20, 1974, and was released on March 15, 2005. The album was remixed from the original 16-track concert soundboard tapes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benevento/Russo Duo</span> American jazz duo

The Benevento/Russo Duo is an American alternative jazz/rock band from New York City, featuring Marco Benevento on keyboard instruments and Joe Russo on drums.

<i>Road Trips Volume 3 Number 2</i> 2010 live album by Grateful Dead

Road Trips Volume 3 Number 2 is two-CD live album by the American rock band the Grateful Dead. The tenth in their "Road Trips" series of albums, it was released on February 24, 2010. It contains the complete concert recorded on November 15, 1971, at Austin Memorial Auditorium in Austin, Texas. This concert was the 16th concert after Keith Godchaux joined the Grateful Dead on piano. Ron "Pigpen" McKernan did not perform at this or any of the October and November, 1971 concerts due to poor health.

Tom Hamilton Jr. is an American songwriter, musician, and producer best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the bands Brothers Past, American Babies, Joe Russo's Almost Dead, Bill Kreutzmann's Billy & the Kids, and Electron.

<i>The Warner Bros. Studio Albums</i> 2010 box set by Grateful Dead

The Warner Bros. Studio Albums is a box set of five vinyl LPs by the rock group the Grateful Dead. It is a reissue of their first five studio albums: The Grateful Dead (1967), Anthem of the Sun (1968), Aoxomoxoa (1969), Workingman's Dead (1970), and American Beauty (1970). These albums were originally released by Warner Bros. Records. The box set was released by Rhino Records on September 21, 2010.

Lockn' Festival, first known as Interlocken Music Festival, was an annual four-day music festival held at Oak Ridge Farm near Arrington in Nelson County, Virginia. The festival focused primarily on jam bands and other music improvisation acts. Its inaugural event took place September 5–8, 2013, drew nearly 25,000 fans and featured notable groups such as Furthur, Trey Anastasio Band, Gov't Mule, Widespread Panic featuring John Fogerty, The String Cheese Incident featuring Zac Brown, and The Black Crowes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Peach Music Festival</span>

The Peach Music Festival is a music festival started by the Allman Brothers Band and Live Nation Entertainment that has been held annually since 2012 at the Pavilion at Montage Mountain and Montage Mountain Ski Resort in Scranton, Pennsylvania. One exception was in 2020.

<i>Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ, 4/25/77</i> 2016 live album by Grateful Dead

Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ, 4/25/77 is a live album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It contains the complete concert recorded at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey on April 25, 1977. It was produced as a four-disc vinyl LP, in a limited edition of 7,700 copies, and released on April 16, 2016, in conjunction with Record Store Day.

<i>Fillmore West 1969: February 27th</i> 2018 live album by Grateful Dead

Fillmore West 1969: February 27th is a live album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. As the name suggests, it was recorded on February 27, 1969, at the Fillmore West in San Francisco. It was produced as a four-disc vinyl LP, in a limited edition of 9,000 copies. It was released on April 21, 2018, in conjunction with Record Store Day.

Ghost Light is a five-piece American jam band formed in 2017 by Tom Hamilton, Raina Mullen, Holly Bowling, Scotty Zwang, and Steve Lyons. Ghost Light's debut album, Best Kept Secrets, was named one of Glide's top 20 albums of 2019. Ghost Light has performed on major festival stages and in historic venues including Lockn' Festival, Jam Cruise, Electric Forest Festival, Mission Ballroom, Brooklyn Bowl, The Peach Music Festival and Terrapin Crossroads. Ghost Light toured as an opening act for Greensky Bluegrass in the winter of 2020.

References

  1. ↑ Ayers, Mike (2015-09-02). "Turning Phish Into Solo Piano and Holly Bowling's Devotion to a Dream". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  2. ↑ "10 New Artists You Need to Know Right Now". Rolling Stone. 17 November 2016. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  3. ↑ Sinkevics, John. "Michigan native and piano whiz Holly Bowling soars in national jam-band scene". The Holland Sentinel. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  4. ↑ "Bio | Holly Bowling". www.hollybowling.com. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  5. ↑ "Under the Scales".
  6. ↑ Holly Bowling: Distilling a Dream , retrieved 2023-12-07
  7. ↑ Miller, Jeff (2015-04-17). "Phish Fan Decodes Band's 35-Minute Jam, Launches Album Campaign". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  8. ↑ "Songs Of Their Own | Holly Bowling - Eyes Of The World". JamBase. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  9. ↑ Werksman, Hans. "Holly Bowling: Distillation of a Dream: The Music of Phish Reimagined For Solo Piano" . Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  10. ↑ "Holly Bowling | Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  11. ↑ "Songs To Fill The Air: Holly Bowling On Her New Grateful Dead Inspired Album & More". JamBase. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  12. ↑ Deflin, Kendall (2016-12-15). "Listen To Bob Weir, Tom Hamilton, Holly Bowling, & More At The Christmas Pre-Jam [Set Audio]". L4LM. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  13. ↑ "Holly Bowling Announces New Album 'Live At The Old Church'". JamBase. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  14. ↑ "ARTIST INDEX" (PDF). Dec 11, 2020.
  15. ↑ Tell, Caroline. "How I Travel: Holly Bowling". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  16. ↑ Broerman, Michael (2020-05-26). "Holly Bowling Releases 'Alone Together' Volumes 3 & 4 From Living Room Streams [Stream]". L4LM. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  17. ↑ "Ghost Light: A Ghost is Born". Relix Media. 2019-10-01. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  18. ↑ "Holly Bowling Announces Departure from Ghost Light, Final Performance in Denver". Jambands. 2022-12-06. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  19. ↑ "Tom Hamilton and Holly Bowling Find the Right Lacuna in Lacuna". Slide and Banjo. 2021-11-17. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  20. ↑ "The Peach Festival Closes with Phil Lesh & Friends, featuring Warren Haynes, John Scofield, Holly Bowling and More". Relix Media. 2019-07-29. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  21. ↑ "holly-bowling-soars-in-national-jam-band-scene-local-spins". Local Spins. 2022-07-31. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.