Grace Bowers has successfully transitioned from TikTok guitarist to bonafide Gen Z guitar hero, and her recent late-night television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday night continued to showcase her guitar prowess and rising star status.
Brandishing her trusty Gibson SG with a strap boldly emblazoned with the word ‘Vote’, Bowers treated audiences to a wah-laden version of her track Tell Me Why U Do That from her band Grace Bowers & The Hodge Podge’s debut album, Wine on Venus.
The performance showcased Bowers' funk and blues-driven acumen before climaxing in a lengthy classic rock solo à la Slash starting at the 1:34 mark. She was accompanied by her bandmates: singer Esther Okai-Teteh, keyboardist Joshua Blaylock, bassist Eric Fortaleza, drummer Brandon Combs, and guitarist Prince Parker.
In a 2024 Guitar World interview, Bowers talked about how the Hodge Podge got together. “For a while, people would book me for things, and I didn’t have a band. I would throw a bunch of random musicians together and make it work,” she admitted.
“Doing it that way was great, but at the same time, it was a total shit show! So I called the band Hodge Podge and found a winning combination of people. We’re more of a band than something thrown together.”
The Gibson endorsee also gave more insight into her setup, including the pedals that keen-eyed viewers spotted during her inaugural TV appearance. “My guitar is a Gibson ’61 SG, which was gifted to me two years ago.
“It’s my absolute favorite – it’s all original and has P-90 pickups. I play it on almost everything and I’m very connected to it. I’ve been pairing it with a Fender Reverb and a sparse pedalboard, including a Grindstone Audio Solutions Nightshade overdrive, an Echoplex tape delay, and a wah. That’s it!”
Bowers and the Hodge Podge released their debut album, Wine on Venus, just last week. Produced by Brothers Osborne guitarist John Osborne, the release arrives just in time for her Instrumentalist of the Year nomination at next month’s Americana Music Association Honors & Awards.
