Grace Bowers has announced she's returning to YouTube on her own terms, months after she left the platform.

In April, wunderkind Bowers announced that misogyny had led her to quit YouTube. “Bye YouTube,” she wrote. “I’m deeply uncomfortable with the amount of old men here. I’m no longer interested in playing blues or whatever the hell keeps attracting yall. Im done.”

However, Bowers now seems to be launching a new era. A couple of days ago, the guitarist announced that she’s coming back to the platform, with changes that reflect her growth and reflections on the music industry.

“Let’s try this again huh? I’m making changes,” she writes on her official YouTube community page. “I’m not bothered by just comments, I’m bothered by the things I had to deal with irl. Things I didn’t think about when I was 14 posting videos for fun.

“I’m not a prodigy. I’m not carrying a torch. Im not here for old heads to sexualize me, as I have been for the past few years. I’m creating music I have never felt is so true to who I am.”

Bowers goes on to say that she’s now crafting “music for the girls in the front row. Not the weird dude w a tripod tryna look up my shorts”.

As she puts it, “I’m not letting anyone push me around anymore. I’ve been thru a lot this year as I get ready to turn 20 next month. You’re either in it w me or not. I’m not who you want me to be, and I can’t wait for this next era of music.”

In a follow-up post, Bowers also confirmed that she's going to start posting videos again soon, but warned: “No more guitar content idc we onto new thing.”

And speaking of moving beyond guitar videos, earlier this year she shared that she’s ditching the blues label she’s been known for so far and leaning more heavily into rock and punk.

“There’s a lot of really awesome bands out right now. I just met The Linda Lindas – I’m a huge fan of them, and Amyl And The Sniffers, Lambrini Girls,” she said.

"Rock bands are coming back. You have Geese and Yungblud… it’s super-inspiring to me. I’m like, ‘What can I add to this?’ What I have is not straight-ahead rock; it’s very modern-sounding.”

In more recent news, Bowers spec’d out her dream SG – teasing what a potential signature Gibson could look like.

When it comes to modern guitar players, few can get a tune out of a Gibson SG quite like young prodigy Grace Bowers. Sitting down with Guitar Center, she’s given some handy pointers for how to get the most out of Gibson’s iconic double cutaway.

Bowers, who has Peter Frampton and a legion of others praising her talents, has made her name in blues rock, but is now looking to move away from the genre – and has also quit YouTube entirely – as she embarks on the next chapter of her career. Her trusty collection of SGs is along for the ride.

“You can get a little bit of everything,” the 19-year-old says of her go-to electric. “My first ever guitar was this uh shitty little acoustic, but my second guitar was actually a knockoff SG. It looked as if you tried to draw an SG from memory and failed. But I've always been drawn to them.”

Bowers’ tone, meanwhile, comes from disregarding convention.

“I barely use the treble pickup,” she confesses. “But it cuts through very well. The pickup [position] I'm on most of the time is the middle, and then I'm always fiddling with the Volume knobs.”

Her preferred rhythm tone dials the bridge pickup's Tone knob to 8 and the bass pickup's Tone to around 4 or 5.

“I use it a lot for soloing, too,” she adds. The neck pickup position, though, is most typically used for holding out chords and is paired with her MXR analog chorus pedal. This, she finds, gives her “a smoother, silkier tone.”

“You can get a little bit of everything if you can work the Volume and Tone knobs enough,” she says.

Yet, speaking previously about the concept of a Gibson SG signature guitar, Bowers has one arguably sacriligeous mod in mind.

Bowers also appears on Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton's blues-coded solo album, and he's hailed her “phenomenal” talents.

“That was the first time we’d met,” he says of their recording session. “She showed up and just ripped, man.”

Over the span of a few short years, Grace Bowers has cemented herself at the forefront of a new generation of Gibson SG players.

Whether she’s playing at the Grammys with Coldplay’s Chris Martin, giving her own wah-laden rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner or playing alongside Peter Frampton and Trey Anastasio, the genre-blending guitarist always has an SG at hand.

“My first ever guitar was this shitty little acoustic, but my second guitar was actually a knockoff SG,” she tells Guitar Center. “It looked like if you tried to draw an SG from memory and failed. But yeah, I've always been drawn to one.

“I can't point to any SG players and be like I wanted to sound like them, or I wanted to look like them. It was never anything like that. It just felt nice and I just like the way it sounded.”

Since then, Bowers has graduated to a fair few higher-end guitars. “I was playing a legit 1961 Gibson SG for a while – beautiful guitar. I loved it,” she gushes. “But I felt like I was always fighting to play it. Old guitars have a lot of issues.”

Her go-to at the moment? “I tried out this Murphy Lab, which is in my hands right now, and it feels like an old guitar, but it plays like a new one. Also, the humbuckers versus the P-90s in my other one fit my sound better.”

And while a Grace Bowers signature is not on the cards quite yet – though it may very well be something Gibson explores in the future – the guitarist did reveal her main dream SG spec, potentially giving us an early indication of what that speculative model could one day look like.

“If I could design my own SG, honestly, I would probably take the one I already have [her Custom Murphy Lab SG], and if there is some way to make my whammy bar sound like a Floyd Rose, without it looking like a Floyd Rose, if it could look the same, but it could do that, that would be so cool.”

Other dreams specs would be “lightning bolts” custom inlays, something that was previously utilized for Angus Young's own SG signature back in the day.

“Other than that, I don't really have a whole lot of modifications I would make to it. I would keep it as it is for the most part,” she adds.

In more Bowers news, the guitarist recently revealed why she decided to distance herself from the blues – and the reason she quit YouTube.

Grace Bowers has quit YouTube, citing her discomfort at the demographic of her audience on the video sharing platform.

Bowers shot to six-string stardom a few years back, and in 2024 was voted by Guitar World readers as one of the standout guitarists of the year. In that year alone, she debuted on Jimmy Kimmel, released a record, covered SRV’s Lenny and Scuttle Buttin, and dropped a cover of Led Zeppelin’s Going to California.

More recently, she’s been rubbing shoulders with the biggest names in the music industry, playing at the Grammy’s with Chris Martin, receiving plaudits from Nancy Wilson, and meeting her biggest guitar hero, Slash.

Over the years, her presence has grown on social media, too. At the time of writing, her Instagram account has 428k followers, and her YouTube channel has 60k subscribers.

However, in a post published on her YouTube feed, Bowers voiced her discomfort at the growth of her YouTube channel, and spoke out against the “old ass creeps” who are making her feel uncomfortable.

“Bye YouTube,” she writes. “I’m deeply uncomfortable with the amount of old men here. I’m no longer interested in playing blues or whatever the hell keeps attracting yall. Im done.

“Too many old ass creeps. To the people who were kind, sorry others ruined it, I appreciate u. I’m making music for my own generation now, quit comparing me to dead people of the past.”

Bowers’ artist YouTube account has since been wiped of all playing videos and now only audio tracks from her albums remain live on her channel.

Bowers has spoken out and attempted to distance herself from the blues on numerous occasions, repeatedly playing down the blues rock camp into which she felt she was pigeonholed when she first burst onto the scene.

Speaking earlier this year, she said, “Nothing pisses me off more than someone throwing a label on me. I’m 19! The music I play now versus the music I played when I was 16 or 17 is vastly different.

“People get upset about that. I’m like, think about when you were 16… You were probably a different person. That’s what kind of sucks about being on social media all the time; I’ve grown up in front of so many people.”

Instead, Bowers has voiced her intent to move towards more contemporary alternative music movements.

“I feel like there’s such a movement right now with hardcore and punk," she says. "Rock bands are coming back. You have Geese and Yungblud… it’s super-inspiring to me. I’m like, ‘What can I add to this?’ What I have is not straight-ahead rock; it’s very modern-sounding.”

Bowers has already shown her pedigree beyond the blues. Last year unleashed her inner shredder with a searing tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and Randy Rhoads.

When Grace Bowers exploded onto the scene, she was lauded as a blues rock wunderkind – cemented by the release of her debut album, 2024's Wine On Venus, a collision of blues, funk, and soul.

However, the guitarist, now 19, is not interested in being pigeonholed – and reveals that she is now more in tune with what she wants to create moving forward.

“I can’t go back and listen to it,” she tells Guitar.com. “I had never written a song before and my agent was like, ‘I’m having trouble booking you because you don’t have music out.’ I’m super-glad that I did it.

“It was an incredible experience, and there are songs on it that will always be near and dear to my heart because of what they were written about [the title track was written in honor of her grandma, who lived to be 100].”

“At the same time, it’s not the kind of music I want to make anymore,” she admits. “I didn’t even know what kind of music I wanted to make when I was 16. I also don’t tour with that band anymore, so it definitely stands as a phase of my life that is documented. But I don’t really associate myself with it anymore.”

Now, Bowers is channeling a more punk-oriented spirit, which will be showcased in her new music. “Nothing pisses me off more than someone throwing a label on me,” she continues.

“I’m 19! The music I play now versus the music I played when I was 16 or 17 is vastly different. People get upset about that. I’m like, think about when you were 16… You were probably a different person. That’s what kind of sucks about being on social media all the time; I’ve grown up in front of so many people.”

The new material is still guitar-led, but leans more heavily into rock and punk, with pop inflections.

“I feel like there’s such a movement right now with hardcore and punk," she says. "Rock bands are coming back. You have Geese and Yungblud… it’s super-inspiring to me. I’m like, ‘What can I add to this?’ What I have is not straight-ahead rock; it’s very modern-sounding.”

Last year, Bowers teased her rock era by channeling her inner shredder with a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and Randy Rhoads.

The Soho Sessions is continuing to unite guitar greats, with Slash, Joe Bonamassa, and a host of special guests teaming up for some superlative blues cuts in New York.

The intimate live sessions, held in the Big Apple, have previously featured Keith Richards and Warren Haynes locking fretboards for charity.

This show was in aid of non-profit organisation Keeping the Blues Alive, which aims to preserve music education for the next generation, and the two guitarists steeped in blues history showed their class every step of the way.

Such an occasion meant only classics were on the menu, with Joe Bonamassa on the mic, and Slash on lead duty for a take on Bobby Bland's Further up the Road – previously covered by the likes of Eric Clapton and Johnny Winter – and guitar solos were oozing out of the pair's Gibson Les Pauls throughout.

They also took the opportunity to shine a light on the next generation of guitar maestros, with Grace Bowers invited on stage to wring breathtaking leads out of her preferred Gibson SG, playing with passion and fire. Commenting on a clip posted on the Soho Sessions Instagram, Sammy Hagar was quick to praise her talents.

“OK confirmation,” he says. “Does this young lady get it or what!”

Their other big – well, small, actually - guest was a boy JoBo has described as being “a little old for showbiz, he just turned 11” – Bay Melnick Virgolino. The shred-happy young star wowed America's Got Talent last year, and proved that no occasion is too big for him. His playing is as smooth as Egyptian cotton, and the smile twisting Bonamassa's face as he lights up his PRS says it all.

For Slash, it continues his roots-returning form, having dropped a blues album, Orgy of the Damned, alongside a host of guest stars in summer ’24. Then, so impressed was he at how “alive and fresh” the contemporary blues scene is, he took a slew of guitarists out on tour with him.

He’s also made some interesting blues-related comments in light of the record, including revealing the key lesson he got from B.B. King, and why he deems Eddie Van Halen a bluesman above all else.

Since the tragic passing of Ozzy Osbourne, countless guitarists have taken to the stage to honor the Prince of Darkness. Grace Bowers is the latest big name to do so with a scintillating cover of Crazy Train.

Nuno Bettencourt and Extreme have dropped a thrilling Ozzy medley into their current live show, and Wolfgang Van Halen played a tear-jerking rendition of Mama I’m Coming Home shortly after the news of the metal legend's death broke, to name just two.

Teen guitar star Bowers has followed in their wake, shredding through one of Randy Rhoads’ classic guitar solos at a recent show with her band, Grace Bowers and the Hodge Podge. Donning one of her Cherry Red Gibson SGs for the performance, the fast-rising guitarist showed her tapping skills, and she handled it with aplomb.

“Honoring Ozzy and Randy last night,” she wrote on Instagram, sharing a clip of her solo. “Learned the solo the other day, so it’s not perfect, but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t fun to play.”

She plays the solo flawlessly, and with a guitar tone that would impress even the snobbiest of guitarists, to boot.

“Are we just going to graze over [that you learned it the other day]?” one viewer said. “Like, are you kidding me? Incredible.”

Having impressed many veteran players in recent years, the young guitarist has started to show what she can do outside of the blues-rock realm in 2025.

Earlier this year, she joined the All-American Rejects at a house party show and shredded in ways she’d never done before. She also traded licks with Peter Frampton and Trey Anastasio on a solo-laden cover of a Beatles classic in March, and played with Coldplay’s Chris Martin at the Grammys, much to her surprise.

That, she says, is by design as she looks to unshackle herself with that stylistic tag.

“I get the label as a blues rock artist a lot, and I hate that,” she said in February. “That's not the type of music I make, nor is it the kind of music I listen to.”

Yet, despite the brightness of her rising star, which has seen her play Jimmy Kimmel Live! and numerous legendary players championing her craft, she has, sadly, also faced sexism in the industry.

“I get disrespected before I even play,” she told Guitar World last year. But she's been making them look stupid one lick at a time, and this latest guitar solo has further staked her claim as one of the best new guitarists around.

While he's best known for shredding away with Lamb of God, Mark Morton is putting aside thrash and death metal for a minute to showcase his Southern rock and blues chops, as is apparent in his latest solo record, Without The Pain.

While many may not associate Morton with these genres due to his standing in metal, they're well within his wheelhouse. “I was probably tuned into this kind of music even before heavy metal," he tells Guitarist.

“Lamb of God is a big band. It’s well known. I’m certainly most known for that work, and that’s awesome. I’m grateful for that and I still love doing it, but this stuff has always been there for me.”

Alongside collaborations with Jason Isbell and Tyler Bryant on the new record, a fast-rising name appears in the credits, and it's none other than Grace Bowers, who cut her teeth establishing herself in the blues before taking a deep dive into various different genres.

“She’s phenomenal," Morton gushes. “She came in and we cut that [the song Dust] together, but the slide stuff is me and the non-slide is her. We were on stools next to each other, going back and forth on the parts in front of the board. That was the first time we’d met, but we’d followed each other on Instagram, liking each other’s posts and saying, ‘Hey,’ that kind of thing.

“She was in town and I had a spot on the session, and we were filling out leads, so I was like, ‘Do you want to jam on this thing with me?’ She was like, ‘Hell, yeah, I’ll be there!’ She showed up and just ripped, man. She brought that cool early ’60s SG she was playing for a while. I think she leaves it at home now, probably smartly, because she’s touring so much. But watching Grace just blow up in front of the world and become a superstar has been super fun.”

As Morton notes, saying that Bowers is booked and busy is an understatement. This year alone, the wunderkind lent her guitar chops to Coldplay's Chris Martin at the 67th Grammy Awards and performed a Beatles classic alongside Peter Frampton and Trey Anastasio.

For more from Mark Morton, plus new interviews with Molly Tuttle and Skunk Baxter, pick up issue 527 of Guitarist at Magazines Direct.

Despite being just 18 years old, generational electric guitar talent Grace Bowers has already played with some of the best in the business. She’s now added to her already impressive resume after joining alt-rockers All-American Rejects at a Nashville house party – and she’s gone full shred for it.

From recent guest spots covering a solo-lavished Beatles classic with Peter Frampton and Trey Anastasio, to playing at the Grammys with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and making her Jimmy Kimmel debut, no stage seems to phase the wunderkind.

Yet, while she is widely revered for her flawless blues rock chops, Bowers has rarely been seen letting loose on a fretboard quite like this.

Armed with one of her many trusted Gibson SGs, Bowers rips through lick after lick amid a storm of camera flashes and screaming fans. She stops just short of blasting through some two-hand taps, but, if this guest spot is anything to go by, we imagine it won't be long before such fiery fretboard pyrotechnics soon find their way into her playing.

Even with the brakes off as they are here, Bowers' contributions remain tasteful, especially when bass player Tyson Ritter bellows out the song's chorus. She plays in the spaces rather than fighting him in the mix.

The show looks like a riot. It’s no surprise, then, that she posted about the spot later on with the caption, “Not forgetting this one anytime soon.”

It's also a statement solo from Bowers, who has previously gone on record to voice her intention to break out of the blues box that many listeners have put her in. Her plans to venture into other genres looks to be well and truly underway.

“I love the blues. It’s what got me into guitar,” she told Guitar World last year. “But if I’m in my car listening to music, I’m not listening to blues. I’m still very blues-influenced, and as you can hear in my playing, it’s an inspiration to me. But it’s not what I wanted to be boxed into because there’s other things to be done.

“I’ve been really into Cory Henry. I love Anderson .Paak, and Bruno Mars is great. I already want to make another record; I just don’t have the money right now. But if I did, it would have a more modern sound.”

The surprise link-up, which further distances Bowers from the blues, came during the band's current house party tour. Speaking about the concept to CNN, Ritter says it was “born out of a pure, intentional moment of 'Let's go have fun and get back to the way we started.' 30 feet away on an ivory tower it's hard to connect with an audience. This was a way to embrace that spirit again.”

But the tour isn’t without its classic house party problems. The cops shut down their Missouri show – but gave the band permission to play one more song before the plug was pulled.

Duane Eddy. The very name is synonymous with a sound: simple melodies played on the low strings, enhanced with tremolo, deep reverb and a feathering of the whammy bar. In a word – the word that became Eddy’s badge of distinction for over 60 years – twang.

On a chilly April night at the Opry House, the iconic home of Nashville's century-old Grand Ole Opry radio show, a star-studded roster is taking to the stage for the Titan Of Twang: A Celebration of Duane Eddy.

Guitar World is here to pay our own respects, following his death last year and to try to figure out what it is about Eddy”s playing that can still draw together a line-up of guitar greats classic and contemporary.

The bill sees the likes of Peter Frampton, Vince Gill and Albert Lee rubbing shoulders with Grace Bowers and blues-rock firebrand Toby Lee. Joe Bonamassa is in the building, as is Steve Earle, JD McPherson, and a host of other musical talent.

The glowing image of Eddy watches proceedings from above, and at stage right, in a spotlight, his trademark Gretsch 6120 sits with his fedora on the headstock.

“His sound was really compelling because it was not a ton of information,” Vince Gill says ahead of his performance. “It was minimal, part-driven and always memorable. For guitarists it’s a great lesson to relearn, over and over again, how important the melody is.”

Many in the audience are of a vintage who can remember buying Eddy singles like Rebel Rouser and Peter Gunn in the ‘50s and ‘60s.

Yet what unfolds over the next two-and-a-half hours is a testament to how his influence has not only cut across genres, but generations.

Those thundering Eddy lines have become a key part of the DNA of rock guitar and, whether modern players remain conscious of it or not, his playing is a building block for the instrument.

Eddy was born in New York in 1938 and started playing guitar at age five. When he was a teenager his family moved to Phoenix. The vastness of the surrounding desert set him dreaming of how he might convey it with his guitar.

Later, working with producer Lee Hazlewood, that’s exactly what he did – scoring a staggering 34 Top 40 hits in the US and UK, including Rebel Rouser, Cannonball and Movin’ and Groovin’.

It’s easy to forget the sheer scale of his success – and that he did it all through instrumental tracks, letting his guitar do the talking. Indeed, he remains the most successful instrumentalist of the rock era.

The Titan of Twang show is both a tribute and a timely reminder of his legacy. Covers of those early hits conjure up a lost era of beach parties (McPherson on Yep and Ramrod) drag races (Albert Lee on Forty Miles Of Bad Road) and spy capers (Henry Mancini’s Peter Gunn).

While songs inspired directly by Eddy – Steve Earle’s Guitar Town, Bill Lloyd’s Whoa!, Toby Lee’s Stingray and Molly Tuttle and Grace Bower’s White Rabbit – show that his sound still reverberates through country, blues, psychedelia, rock ’n’ roll and even jazz.

The latter is evident in Joe Bonamassa’s swinging cover of Bye Bye Blues, taken from Eddy’s 1967 album The Roaring Twangies. Lacing the melody between stair-stepping horn lines and walking bass, Bonamassa cops Eddy’s signature sound, with a touch of Les Paul thrown in. “I’ve been practicing that all week!” he tells the crowd.

“Duane Eddy was one of those incredibly rare guitar players who didn't need a vocalist to sing a song,” is how Bonamassa puts it, direct to Guitar World.

“His use of space, sound, vibrato, and songwriting transcended anything that could have been sung over those songs – Peter Gunn doesn't need a vocal – and he created a sound that we all copy today.

“Before he created that sound, nothing sounded like it. He just used simple gear to create this wonderful twang that had never been done before. None of the musical instrument manufacturers envisioned that their equipment would be used in such a way to create such a sound."

The blues ace is followed tonight by Gill (who’s flown in from the Eagles’ residency at the Las Vegas Sphere) trading tasteful, steel-like licks with Bowers on country weeper Making Believe and his own hit Whenever You Come Around.

Of all the accomplished players on the bill, the one who sounds most in tune with Eddy’s spirit is Albert Lee. He knew him first as a fan, then as a friend.

“I saw him play the infamous concert at the Lewisham Odeon,” Lee tells Guitar World, referencing Eddy’s breakthrough show in England, in 1960.

“He was opening for Bobby Darin and the audience were going, ‘We want Duane! We want Duane!’ Poor Bobby was backstage, almost in tears – from there on, Duane finished the shows out.”

Music paper Disc said of that show: “The twang flooded the auditorium until the very walls vibrated. Duane tried at first to announce the numbers, but the roar of applause was as unstoppable as Niagara Falls.”

It’s not surprising the moment left an impression. Years later – following his dismissal from Eric Clapton’s notorious late ’70s band – Lee got to know Eddy through his work with mutual friends the Everly Brothers, and fondly remembers Eddy stopping by his house with his old Gretsch.

“Later I did a gig with him at the Baked Potato in LA,” Lee recalls. “Eric was in the audience with Jeff Beck and Jan Hammer; they were there digging us! They’d come to see Duane, not knowing I was playing second guitar with him.”

Eddy made being a guitarist look cool to a generation of teenagers – Clapton, Beck and Albert Lee, included.

On the cover of his 1958 debut Have Twangy Guitar Will Travel, he’s perched on a hardshell case, quiffed and staring pensively, looking like a cross between James Dean and Jack Kerouac – he’s the hipster troubadour.

The instrument inside that case, an orange Gretsch 6120 hollow-body, still holds sway over guitarists. In the Opry lobby there’s a long line at the Gretsch Guitars booth, players waiting to try the latest DE series reissues. Along with Chet Atkins and George Harrison, Eddy is probably the best salesman the brand have had.

Speaking of Harrison, the show is interspersed with video messages from artists and fans, one of whom is Harrison’s widow, Olivia.

She recalls how George was excited and nervous when he got to record two songs with for Eddy’s 1987 self-titled album – The Trembler and Theme For Something Really Important. “He was like a kid meeting his hero,” she recalls.

In turn, it reminds me of a great quote from Harrison: “When The Beatles played a low E, it sounded like a low E. When Duane plays it, it sounds an octave lower!”

Another message of love is beamed in from Bruce Springsteen. Holding his Telecaster backstage before a show, he says, “Without Duane Eddy, there’d be no…” He picks the low-string riff from Born To Run and signs off with: “Duane, rest in peace, and play on in that big house of a thousand guitars. We love you.”

The Opry House feels a fitting venue for the tribute given its poignant location in the city Eddy called home from 1985. The ace backing band includes local session cats who’d collaborated with him, including guitarist-producer Richard Bennett, E Street Band bassist Garry Tallent and Linda Ronstadt’s steel guitarist Dan Dugmore.

After Frampton closes his set with Rebel Rouser and While My Guitar Gently Weeps, everyone gathers on stage for the finale of Peter Gunn. and we see what’s surely the best part of Eddy's legacy: the pure joy of playing a riff on the guitar.

Buddy Miller perhaps describes it best: “Duane was the master of cool. His sound had such elegance and tone. But really, it was all in his hands – and in his heart.”

• Titan Of Twang: A Celebration of Duane Eddy will be aired by NPT in the near future.

Grace Bowers is showing no signs of slowing down. Peter Frampton recently named her as one of his favorite rising guitar stars, calling her “a wonderful, wonderful talent” – now, Bowers has continued to build her already hefty résumé by playing alongside the veteran electric guitar legend himself, as well as Phish's Trey Anastasio, at the Love Rocks NYC benefit concert at The Beacon Theater on March 6.

The three guitarists joined forces for a heartfelt rendition of The Beatles' While My Guitar Gently Weeps – which, as one might expect from such a powerful trio, was anything but short on guitar solos.

“[I'm] a huge, huge fan of both of them. One is a lady that is going to be on your mind for the rest of the weekend because she is an incredible player, [and] one of the up-and-coming phenomenal players. I've known her for a while now, and her name is Grace Bowers,” Frampton says in a fan-recorded video.

“This gentleman that I've always wanted to meet and play with, he has an album called Hampton Comes Alive,” Frampton continues, referring to Phish's live album, whose title is a play on 1976's Frampton Comes Alive! “Please welcome Trey Anastasio.”

What followed was a 10-minute-plus guitar extravaganza of the Beatles classic, which Anastasio and Frampton kicked off with an improvised duet before Bowers joined in.

Armed with her trusty Gibson SG, she delivered a masterclass in soloing, visibly impressing both Anastasio and Frampton. From their end, Anastasio and Frampton showcased their staying power, taking turns flexing their unique approach to solos – Anastasio on his Languedoc and Frampton on his Phenix Les Paul – before culminating in a soaring crescendo that saw all three guitarists bursting into a jam.

Frampton's performance in New York follows his recent appearance at NAMM, where he continued to open up about his decision to tour despite his inclusion body myositis (IBM) diagnosis back in 2015.

However, in order to do so, Frampton revealed to Guitar World the ways he has evolved his playing to overcome the challenges posed by the condition.

It's safe to say that, as far as newer faces go, Grace Bowers has risen to the upper echelons of the guitar world – with a Grammy performance, accolades, late-night talk show appearances, and nods from Dolly Parton, Lainey Wilson, Susan Tedeschi, Devon Allman, and a string of other big names under her belt.

However, while Bowers cut her teeth playing blues, her debut album, Wine on Venus, suggests she may be moving beyond that label and into pastures new.

“I get the label as a blues rock artist a lot, and I hate that,” she tells Cory Wong on his Wong Notes podcast. “That's not the type of music I make, nor is it the kind of music I listen to. Not to rag on people who do make blues rock music, but it's so overdone right now.

“I'm trying so hard to stray away from it, especially with our live shows. It's very much like more funk and soul-based, rather than blues and rock. And there's definitely still elements of that in there.

“But I can't stand that label, and it doesn't help being a quote/unquote Instagram guitarist either, because that's what most Instagram guitarists are, more than likely, blues players, and I just feel like that's so limiting being labeled as that.”

As to why people have imprinted blues rock onto her playing and music, Bowers admits that a lot of the videos she posted a year or two ago were more blues-leaning, simply because that’s what she was listening to at the time. However, as was the case with her playing, her listening palette has also expanded.

“I'm still learning every day and practicing, but it's not blues anymore at all. And listening to our record that might be a bit hard to hear, but our live shows are definitely not blues or rock.”

“What would you call it?” asks Wong.

“Funk and soul, with some rock thrown in,” she asserts. “I mean, there's definitely still a blues influence behind all that. That's what got me started playing guitar. So, of course, it's going to come out quite a bit, but I would label it more funk and soul.”

That said, Bowers recently named her favorite guitar player of all time – and it's a legendary player from the blues-rock stable.

Guitar wunderkind Grace Bowers has been the face of the new school of guitarists who have exploded beyond the confines of social media – and well into every nook and cranny of the music industry.

From her recent link-up with Coldplay’s Chris Martin at the Grammys to her never-ending string of TV spots and onstage appearances with the likes of Dolly Parton, Marcus King, Bob Weir & Wolf Bros, and the Allman Betts Family, the guitarist is well and truly securing her future – while, at the same time, paying homage to the past.

Now, in a new interview, she has named her biggest inspiration.

“Leslie West is probably my favorite guitar player of all time,” she tells Guitar Player. As the co-founder, guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of Mountain, West was known for his vibrato with days-long sustain, thick, commanding tone – and of course, his penchant for a P-90 loaded Gibson Les Paul Jr.

“This [referring to Climbing] was Mountain's first-ever record, after they played Woodstock, and it had Theme From an Imaginary Western on it. The solo that Leslie takes on that is one of the most perfectly crafted guitar solos ever. His tone – not even just on this album, his tone in general – was so good. He's one of those players you can recognize right away. It's that distinct.”

As for why Bowers looks up to West so much, her reply is simple: he wasn't just a shredder – what made him stand out was his inventiveness combined with feel.

“He didn't play really fast, but when he did play he meant it. He almost played with, like, punctuation if that makes sense – his phrasing was so unique and original.

“A lot of people try to imitate that now, but I feel like he was the first guy to really play like that. Obviously, he drew from a lot of blues players, but he had his own way of doing it.”

Aside from Bowers, a gamut of guitarists have credited West for influencing their playing, among them Randy Rhoads, who called the Mountain guitarist's style “melodic but mean.”

Last weekend played host to the 67th Grammy Awards, during which the likes of St Vincent, Andrew Watt, Gojira and other guitar acts all scored big wins.

Aside from the glittering awards and emotional speeches, the evening’s itinerary also included a number of stand-out performances, with Joe Bonamassa, Billie Eilish, Bruno Mars and more all taking the stage at various points.

Perhaps the most intriguing performance, though, came from Grace Bowers and Chris Martin, as the rock/funk/blues electric guitar wunderkind teamed up with the Coldplay frontman for an awe-inspiring performance of All My Love.

The song – lifted from Coldplay’s 2024 record Moon Music – was performed without Martin’s bandmates, and its Grammys run-out was dedicated to the memories of a number of musicians we recently lost, including late punk pioneer Steve Albini and One Direction frontman Liam Payne.

Bowers, her Gibson SG and her spell-binding solo chops were on hand to help a piano-positioned Martin – and a string section – navigate the powerful memorial moment, and although a full clip is yet to be posted online, a snippet from Bowers’ Instagram shows off a snippet of her lead passage.

Leaning away from the out-and-out rock licks for which she’s become so revered over the past year, Bowers instead showed a more cinematic side to her playing, conjuring up anthemic, reverb-soaked and delay-tinged runs that tug at the heartstrings.

The experience and sheer prestige of playing the Grammys stage with Chris Martin surrounded by the music world’s most influential names was not lost on Bowers, who explained in the accompanying Instagram caption that the performance took her somewhat by surprise.

“A few days ago I got a text from @flytetymejam [Jimmy Jam, producer] asking me if he could send my name over to an 'artist' for a 'show,'” she wrote. “Long story short it ended up being Chris Martin from @coldplay who graciously invited me to play the Grammys.

“The honor is not lost on me, and being in a room with all these amazing artists was insane. Thank you Chris and Jimmy for giving me this opportunity, I’ll never forget it!”

It was perhaps Bowers’ most high profile performance to date, and yet another milestone in her skyrocketing guitar career. It certainly gets her 2025 off to a flying start, after she spent much of 2024 establishing herself as one of the finest young guitar talents of her time.

“I feel like an old soul in a young body,” Bowers told Guitar World when discussing her whirlwind year. “People tell me I was born in the wrong era, but I think the reverse is true.

“I love music from the ’60s and ’70s, and I want to update it for current times. I see people my own age in the audience, and their minds are blown. I’m making this stuff sound new to them.”

As mentioned, the 67th Grammys proved to be a successful night for those flying the flag for guitar music. St. Vincent bagged Best Alternative Music Album, Best Rock Song and Best Alternative Music Performance, while Gojira went home with the Best Metal Performance award thanks to their showing at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

2024 Year in Review: There’s no shortage of young guitar talents making their mark on the world, but it feels like Grace Bowers sits at the forefront of the revolution.

The 18-year-old Nashville prodigy released her debut album, Wine on Venus (recorded with her band, the Hodge Podge), in August and established herself as a force to be reckoned with, building a dedicated following, thanks to her well-rounded skill set and sense of musical maturity.

She landed her Gibson endorsement at the tender age of 14, though her main weapon of choice is, in fact, 45 years older than she is. “I have a 1961 Gibson SG that was gifted to me,” she told us at the beginning of the year.

“It’s my absolute favorite – all original with 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!”

At the beginning of 2024, a then-17-year-old Grace Bowers couldn’t have imagined she’d drop her uber-vintage, all-conquering debut record, Wine on Venus – and she definitely didn’t think she’d be one of Guitar World’s guitarists of the year.

But here she is, now 18, having accomplished all that (and more). “Oh, man,” Bowers says. “I don’t even want to know who else is on that list because I’m probably not worthy to be listed next to them.”

Bowers has earned it. There’d been buzz about her before she broke out, but Wine on Venus confirmed she’s here to stay. She’s made no bones about her love for classic rock and blues, and despite her vintage-inspired cover of Led Zeppelin’s Going to California, she’s got other places to go. “I feel like I’ve broken out of that,” she says. “It’s easy to get trapped because it’s comfortable and familiar. But that’s not all I want to do for the rest of my life.”

So where will Grace Bowers go next? “The album we recorded has a throwback sound,” she says. “I love that, but I want to do something new now and again. But I’m just taking it all as it comes. I’ll always be learning. I’ll still be practicing every day. But I want to eventually make another record and get more music out there. I want to keep touring and doing all this stuff. I’m just gonna see where it all takes me.”

You’ve had a hell of a year. Have you had a chance to reflect on it?

“A whirlwind is a great way to describe it. Looking back on a year ago from today, I was in such a different place. What I’m doing now is what I wanted to do then – and it’s all happened so perfectly. I’m very grateful for being thrown amazing opportunities. This is my first year, and I put a record out with my band; I’ve been very lucky.”

Now that you’re in the thick of it, has your perception of the music industry changed?

“I’ve seen and experienced a lot of the ugly side. I’ve had to deal with a lot of horrible people, but at the same time, I’ve gotten amazing experiences. I’m just more aware of what’s happening than last year when I was still playing out in Nashville clubs every night, and that was my life. I’m glad to have broken out of that and to have a broader outlook.”

Not many people have done what you’ve done by their 18th birthday. I’m sure you’ve had people cast you aside because of your age.

“Absolutely. I get disrespected before I even play. People take one look at me, [see] a young female and immediately get a thought in their head of what I am, and they don’t take me as seriously as they should.”

There should be mutual respect, regardless of age.

“For the most part, I feel that way. I feel equal. But there’s been a lot of times when I feel disrespected or lesser, which is not cool. At the same time, being young and a girl is an advantage. There’s a lot of other people who are in that position, so I view it as an advantage – and a disadvantage.”

You’re empowering women to pick up the guitar, which is happening more than ever.

“Yeah, that’s become less of a stigma. I get girls coming to my shows all the time, and they’re like, ‘I picked up guitar because of you,’ or, ‘My dad bought me my first guitar after I came to see you.’ That’s my favorite thing. I love that there’s more female players – but not just guitar players – in music now.”

Who are some of the contemporary players who inspire you?

“Daniel Donato is cracked. We’ve played a few shows together, and he’s just on another level. Marcus King is a monster guitar player, singer and songwriter. He’s all of the above. He’s awesome. Kirk Fletcher is cool, and right now, I think Cory Wong is great, too.”

You’ve become synonymous with a Gibson SG, but if that guitar were taken away, or if you were “banned from the SG,” what would you turn to?

“It can’t be an SG at all? Man, I don’t even know! I genuinely cannot answer that. I don’t know what I would do.”

The SG is quirky. It’s surprising that a young player like yourself would be so committed to it.

“When I’m touring, I play a Murphy Lab SG that Gibson gave me, and the [Maestro Vibrola] tremolo is just perfect. I’ve never experienced neck dive, and it’s never gone out of tune even once. I think it gets a bad rap for that. It looks cool, which is a plus, and I have full access to the neck and can get to those last few frets. And there’s so many tonal differences you can get out of it. But I’ve been playing a Strat now and again, which I’ve come to love because it’s totally different.”

Have you had any gear discoveries while on the road this year?

“I’ve been playing Silktone amps recently. The guy that makes them [Charles Henry] is going to make me a new one, which is like the size of, or a little taller than, a half-stack. I told him I needed something with lots of headroom that wouldn’t break up. I’ve also been using an Analog Man King of Tone [overdrive].”

Are you a tube amp purist?

“I don’t know… I’ve never really messed around with stuff like modelers, to be honest. It would probably make life a lot easier not to lug around tube amps. [Laughs] I’d be open to it if it can sound good, but it’s tube amps for now. You can feel tube amps like they’re real. That sounds kind of cheesy, but there’s something about tube amps that digital can’t really capture.”

As far as technique, how has your playing evolved over the past year?

“I’m learning every day. My playing has changed a lot – especially my rhythm playing. That was never something I focused on, but now I’m playing my own songs, and there’s lots of funk and soul, so the most important part is good rhythm playing. And then I’m kind of backing away from being a ‘blues guitarist.’ I’ve been trying to get out of that realm and playing a bit out of that box.”

Is it challenging to keep yourself from leaning into those things since they’ve given you success?

“I love the blues. It’s what got me into guitar. But if I’m in my car listening to music, I’m not listening to blues. I’m still very blues-influenced, and as you can hear in my playing, it’s an inspiration to me. But it’s not what I wanted to be boxed into because there’s other things to be done.”

Do you see yourself leaning more toward R&B, funk and hip-hop?

“Absolutely. I’ve been really into Cory Henry. I love Anderson .Paak, and Bruno Mars is great. I already want to make another record; I just don’t have the money right now. But if I did, it would have a more modern sound.”

Lack of financial backing is a good point, since you’re an independent artist. Has that held you back?

“Literally, everything is a challenge when you don’t have a label behind you, which is essentially a bank. It’s so hard. I’m still paying off the record we made. People online are like, ‘Her parents paid for it,’ ‘She comes from a rich background,’ or, ‘Her family was in the music business.’ None of that’s true.”

Here and now, what would you say to those people?

“This record was self-funded. I have a distribution company that has helped me, but people don’t see how hard it is to do this by yourself without a whole lot of guidance. With every single show I play, I’m not seeing any of that money because it’s going toward the record. That’s how much I believed in it. I was willing to make that kind of sacrifice because it was something I really wanted to do.”

Odds are that a major label will come knocking. When they do, does getting deeper into the machine – and potentially losing control – scare you?

“The decision to do it without a label was intentional because I wanted complete control over it and for it to be my vision. After going through this cycle and seeing how hard it is financially, I’m definitely talking to some labels. It’s about finding the right person to work with; if you’re butting heads creatively, that’s not the best place to be. If I ever do sign anywhere, I’d make sure we’re on the same page.”

What are your thoughts on the modern guitar scene, which is increasingly geared toward social media and less about what’s “traditional”?

“As someone who got their start from social media, it’s an entirely different realm from 10 or 20 years ago. There’s so many ways you can break through and be noticed.

“That’s cool, but at the same time, you see ‘Instagram guitarists’ who do nothing but that. That takes away from the spirit of playing guitar. It should be about more than showing off. At the same time, it’s a blessing because some people wouldn’t have heard you otherwise.”

How do you differentiate between somebody who’s the real deal and somebody who’s just farming views and clicks?

“Everyone has different intentions. I started on social media, but ultimately I knew I wanted to be playing shows and make my own songs. That was my goal from the get-go. But other people are fine just playing in the bedroom on YouTube; that’s all they want to do. It depends on what you want and are motivated to do.”

• Wine on Venus is out now.

What can we say about the guitar solo in 2024, besides the fact that 2025 is around the corner and, still, lead guitar remains relevant and vital? And by that we mean it still has the capacity to surprise us, to lift an arrangement, to maybe even change how we think of the instrument and what can be done on an electric guitar.

That’s what all of these solos have in common, even if they sound nothing alike. They are also as good as a fingerprint for knowing who is doing what. There is a lesson in that: a solo could have technical merit but it has to have something of yourself in it, just as the song does.

So, y’know, it’s all stuff to keep in mind when learning the rudiments and what you want to say with the notes in front of you. There are infinite possibilities. Knowing what we want to say is the first step…

10. Steve Cropper with Billy Gibbons and Brian May – Too Much Stress

Nominated by: Matthew Owen (Senior Staff Writer)

This magnificent coming together of three musical icons was convened the old-fashioned way, via email, an offer from producer Jon Tiven that Brian May politely declined. “Too much stress,” he said.

Well, that’s how the track got its name – and lyrics. When they came back and asked him again, how could May refuse? Anyhoo, he’s on this backbeat groover that speaks to the power of friendship, and the back and forth between Gibbons and May has the same energy as old pals catching up over some drinks, and that’s infectious.

9. Intervals – Mnemonic

Nominated by: Michael Astley-Brown (Editor-in-Chief)

Only Aaron Marshall has the sleight of hand – and agility of mind – to design a long-form instrumental around stop-go dynamics and still make it flow, a super-smooth musical fondue for the digital era. Crazy to think that the raw materials for this are electric guitar, drums and bass.

Marshall’s got this ability to stop the clock, giving tunes like this the room to execute his musical ideas unencumbered by physics. He makes time march to his tune. Maybe we should call him gravity.

8. Dream Theater – Night Terror

Nominated by: Amit Sharma (Guitar World contributor)

2024 was a great year for prog-metal guitarists looking for extra homework. Why? Because Dream Theater released the lead single from their 16th opus – notable for being their first with Mike Portnoy behind the kit in 15 years – and naturally it featured a slew of dazzling leads from John Petrucci.

There’s the fret-burning unison lines with keyboardist Jordan Rudess, the modulated taps and sweeps that follow shortly after and a half-time melodic section – the kind of thing he’s described to this writer as “standing on the mountaintop with your hair blowing in the wind and eagles flying around” – before the final chorus. Full marks from us. (AS)

7. Tetrarch – Live Not Fantasize

Nominated by: Michael Astley-Brown, Matt Parker (Features Editor)

And the award for Best WTF Solo goes to Diamond Rowe for Live Not Fantasize, which had judges examining the EverTune on her signature Jackson single-cut for evidence of foul play. There’s nothing we can see there. It’s the pedalboard, the pitch-shifting…

But wait, this solo was always going to be memorable, effects or not. It’s kind of got that Aristotelian three-act structure, and when the stompboxes are engaged, well, it’s like “Avengers, assemble!” and a textbook example of what a solo should do: power up the song.

6. Spiro Dussias – Python

Nominated by: Mike Dawes, Aaron Marshall (Intervals), Angel Vivaldi

Spiro Dussias is most definitely not sweating the technique on this bruising work of 21st-century metal, all-action, popping harmonics, until that solo emerges, covered in the vernix caseosa of glissando and vibrato, assuming motor skills in quicktime and giving us a decades-late echo of Marty Friedman at the apogee of his metal guitar shred exoticism – ie, the back end of Hangar 18.

In fact, Python sounds like Rust In Peace tuned down and condensed into a three-minute instrumental. No wonder Jackson used it to demo the American Series Soloist.

5. Joe Satriani and Steve Vai – The Sea of Emotion, Pt. 1

Nominated by: Noé Efira (hooded guitarist from the Paris Olympics closing ceremony)

Of course, artists have to look forward, but it would impoverish the human condition if they stopped digging deep into their past in search of connection.

That’s what electric guitar’s two great kings, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, are doing here – teacher and student, friends since teenage years, taking their story back to the beginning to pool their virtuosity for ’70s-style celebration of friendship and belonging. It’s Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused as instrumental rock guitar.

4. Grace Bowers – Tell Me Why U Do That

Nominated by: Ellie Rogers (Guitar World contributor)

A good guitar solo might contain an impressive lick or two, but a great one will tell a story – and that’s exactly what Grace Bowers does in this extended call-and-response blues/funk throwdown from her debut album.

From the first fluid flourish, it feels as though Bowers might have mastered powers of expression far beyond her young years. But, as antagonistic licks give way to articulate jazz-inflected runs, inquiring hammer-on and pull-off passages and a finale of sweet guitarmonies, there is absolutely no doubt about it. (ER)

3. David Gilmour – A Single Spark

Nominated by: Chris Holt (Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs)

Rumor has it that many of his leads from 1973-1974 are still sustaining, suspended like satellites in the ether after a successful launch from a Binson Echorec and Big Muff, so maybe it’s a miracle David Gilmour found the bandwidth for this.

But then, Luck & Strange, the prog icon’s first studio album in nine years, is a work of small miracles. Here, Gilmour makes room in the heavens to write an elegy among the stars, big melodies so the world won’t miss ’em.

2. Mdou Moctar – Imouhar

Nominated by: Jason Narducy (Bob Mould), Janelle Borg (Staff Writer)

Imouhar belongs to a different era, a time when the relentless drive for efficiency – and human attention – had yet to place its vice-like grip around the throat of art.

This is like Santana’s Soul Sacrifice at Woodstock or Hendrix’s Machine Gun, an act of freeform radicalism, liberation masquerading as virtuosity, with Moctar reminding us of the reward that comes from choosing not to refine established techniques such as two-handed tapping to the point of ruthless mechanization. This is spectacular, imperfect, brilliant, electric, and human.

1. Matteo Mancuso – Paul Position

Nominated by: Matheus Canteri, Ellie Rogers

Cue the unmissable pun: Matteo Mancuso’s virtuosic homage to Paul Gilbert claims pole position in this year’s rundown of spectacular solos – and he scores extra cool points for performing the whole thing on a Bacci baritone guitar.

Taking to Instagram to introduce the track back in July, he teased that we “may recognize some of [Gilbert’s] signature licks on the solo section”, but it’s Mancuso’s own jaw-dropping signature fingerstyle techniques, his superhuman speed and knack for tasteful melodic touches that make this a truly peerless performance. (ER)

Grace Bowers has had what can only be described as an absolute whirlwind of a year. At 18, the fast-rising guitar sensation released her debut album, Wine on Venus, made her late-night TV debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, performed The Star-Spangled Banner at a stadium, joined forces with Gary Clark Jr. and Marcus King, played in the house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and met her all-time guitar hero, Slash — to name just a few highlights.

Despite these stunning achievements – all while she’s still in her teens – Bowers admits she’s still underestimated and struggles with being disrespected in the industry.

“I get disrespected before I even play,” she tells Guitar World. “People take one look at me, [see] a young female and immediately get a thought in their head of what I am, and they don’t take me as seriously as they should.

“For the most part, I feel equal. But there’s been a lot of times when I feel disrespected or lesser, which is not cool. At the same time, being young and a girl is an advantage. There’s a lot of other people who are in that position, so I view it as an advantage — and a disadvantage.”

Bowers also opened up about her decision to release her album independently – no easy feat considering the costs involved, and even more admirable given the opportunities she wrangled as a result.

“I’m still paying off the record we made,” she asserts. “People online are like, ‘Her parents paid for it,’ ‘She comes from a rich background’ or ‘Her family was in the music business.’ None of that’s true.”

“This record was self-funded. I have a distribution company that has helped me, but people don’t see how hard it is to do this by yourself without a whole lot of guidance.

“With every single show I play, I’m not seeing any of that money because it’s going toward the record. That’s how much I believed in it. I was willing to make that kind of sacrifice because it was something I really wanted to do.”

For more from Grace Bowers, plus new interviews with Matteo Mancuso and Duane Denison, pick up issue 586 of Guitar World at Magazines Direct.

Wunderkind Grace Bowers has ticked another milestone off her bucket list: playing The Star-Spangled Banner at Lucas Oil Stadium, right before the Indianapolis Colts versus Miami Dolphins football game on October 20.

Bowers put her own psychedelic twist on the national anthem of the United States, with a heavy emphasis on the wah pedal, which seemingly paid homage to Jimi Hendrix's wailing, history-making take on The Star-Spangled Banner. Moreover, it showcased Bowers' fast-developing and distinct style, complemented by her trusty Gibson SG's tone.

While brimming with originality, she was criticized by netizens for not interpreting the anthem in a more traditional, by-the-book way, to which Bowers replied: “No, this is not a note-for-note rendition. And no, I don’t care that a bunch of people online hated this.

“I’m proud of myself for playing to this many people, and I want to thank Blue from the Colts for making this incredible opportunity happen!”

Since the release of her debut album, Wine on Venus, the fast-rising guitarist has had a packed schedule, bringing her unique brand of funk, psych, soul, and blues-infused rock to Gen Z and beyond.

“I feel like an old soul in a young body,” Bowers told Guitar World. “People tell me I was born in the wrong era, but I think the reverse is true. I love music from the ’60s and ’70s, and I want to update it for current times. I see people my own age in the audience, and their minds are blown. I’m making this stuff sound new to them.”

Over the past week alone, aside from her appearance at Lucas Oil Stadium, Bowers opened for The Roots, played with the house band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and joined forces with Marcus King at his New York show.

Two of today's fast-rising blues-rock stars – Marcus King and Grace Bowers – recently joined forces at King's show at the Brooklyn Paramount in New York on October 13 for a blistering rendition of Kris Kristofferson classic Me & Bobby McGee, alongside Brittany Spencer on vocals.

“If you know this one, feel free to sing along,” King told the audience as the guitarists launched into the track, paying tribute to the country music legend, who died last month.

King wielded an acoustic guitar – specifically, a prototype of the Epiphone El Dorado rumored to be his potential signature model – while Bowers brandished her trusty Gibson SG, treating the audience to multiple solos throughout the six-minute performance.

Speaking about her affinity for Gibson SGs and how the model became her go-to guitar, Bowers told Guitar World, “I have three SGs. Gibson sent me two new ones a month ago. I have a 1961 SG, and that’s my favorite.

“At first, I started playing SGs because they look cool and they’re lightweight. But then I discovered how I had full access to the neck, which I didn’t have on a Les Paul. I think they sound good, too; those P-90 pickups are something else.”

During the same week as her surprise appearance with Marcus King, Bowers also sat in with Louis Cato and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's house band, further solidifying her rising star status.

Meanwhile, King has been on tour since the release of his Rick Rubin-produced album Mood Swings in April, and recently spoke about the experience of joining his hero, Gary Rossington, at the late Lynyrd Skynyrd legend’s final show.

When she was nine years old, Grace Bowers had dreams of hair metal glory. “I was totally into Winger, Ratt, Warrant, Poison – just the cheesiest bands imaginable,” she says. “I persuaded my mom to buy me a guitar, only she got me an acoustic. She didn’t think I’d stick with it, so she went for the cheapest thing the store had.”

The pre-teen shred wannabe tried in vain to master lightning-fast licks, but her musical ambitions changed one day while she and her mother were in the car running errands.

Bowers flipped through radio stations and landed on a blues channel, and that’s when she first heard B.B. King playing Sweet Little Angel. “I thought, ‘He says more in five notes than the metal guys can with a million notes,” she says. “All at once I said, ‘That’s what I want to do.’”

With a clear-eyed focus and a preternatural dose of confidence, she did just that. Today, 18-year-old Bowers is making waves as one of the hottest young guitarists around, and she leads her own band, the Hodge Podge, that specializes in soulful, rock-funk jams.

The group’s debut album, Wine on Venus – produced by guitarist John Osborne, half of the Brothers Osborne – is a non-stop party, brimming with feel-good originals that recall the sound and spirit of bands like Parliament-Funkadelic and Sly and the Family Stone (there’s even a knockout cover of Sly’s Dance to the Music).

“I feel like an old soul in a young body,” Bowers says. “People tell me I was born in the wrong era, but I think the reverse is true. I love music from the ’60s and ’70s, and I want to update it for current times. I see people my own age in the audience, and their minds are blown. I’m making this stuff sound new to them.”

You were inspired by B.B. King, but you didn’t go down the trad-blues rabbit hole.

“Not so much. Blues is a big influence, but I got more into players like Leslie West. Leslie is my absolute favorite guitar player. Then I got into a lot of late ’60s classic rock, but after a while I really went for Funkadelic, Sly and the Family Stone and Buddy Miles.”

You’ve been called a prodigy.

“I know, but I’m not a natural by any means. I’ve put hours and hours into practicing. I still practice every single day, or at least I play guitar every day. This is still a learning process for me.”

When and how did you make the leap to go pro? Were your parents on board?

“It started a few years ago when my family moved from California to Nashville. I thought I’d be a bedroom player my whole life, but I discovered this amazing music scene in Nashville. People started inviting me on stage, and pretty soon I was going to these dive bars and sitting in with people. If I wasn’t playing, I was watching somebody else on stage.”

Wait a second. You were playing in bars while underage? Did your parents have to accompany you?

“They would come with me and stay for a while, but after a bit they’d be like, ‘We’re done.’ I’d stay kind of late, but I never did anything stupid. I wasn’t out trying to buy drinks or anything like that. Venue owners broke the rules to let me play, but sometimes I got kicked out for being underage.”

There’s a maturity to your playing way beyond your years. You make short, punchy statements when you solo, but you don’t ramble on endlessly.

“That comes from a lot of listening. When I’m on stage, I step back and listen to the band, and I always try to serve the song. Sometimes that means not soloing – I’ll just play some rhythm. When I do solo, I try to build it and make it mean something.”

Your band is composed of musicians older than you. How did you develop leadership skills so quickly?

“My band makes it easy because everyone is just such a monster musician. There’s a lot of eye contact between us on stage. Sometimes I’ll cue them to go to the bridge or the chorus, but they’re so good that I rarely have to tell them anything. We have a strong musical connection without a lot of words exchanged.”

You’re an easygoing, diplomatic leader.

“[Laughs] Kind of, yeah.”

What was it like working with your producer, John Osborne?

“Fantastic. John is one of the best guitar players out there. He was brilliant in the studio, and I couldn’t imagine making this record with anybody else. He totally understood the sound I was going for. He was open to all my ideas, and he had great ideas of his own. We worked really well together.”

You seem to enjoy playing around with feedback and sustain. I hear a Hendrix influence.

“Hendrix, for sure. Eddie Hazel is another big inspiration, and I love Carlos Santana.”

What made you gravitate to a Gibson SG? Is that pretty much your go-to guitar?

“It is. I have three SGs. Gibson sent me two new ones a month ago. I have a 1961 SG, and that’s my favorite. At first, I started playing SGs because they look cool and they’re lightweight. But then I discovered how I had full access to the neck, which I didn’t have on a Les Paul. I think they sound good, too; those P-90 pickups are something else.”

• Wine on Venus is out now.

Fast-rising blues rock electric guitar star Grace Bowers has dropped her latest single – and it’s a cover of Led Zeppelin’s Going to California, which has premiered on Guitar World.

Armed with her trusty Gibson SG, the occasional Fender Strat, and her loyal Hodge Podge backing band, the 18-year-old sensation has fast become one of the biggest names in guitar – and the hottest name in blues – over the past few months.

In the space of just three months, Bowers has released her debut album, made her late-night US talk show debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, donned a Strat to cover two Stevie Ray Vaughan classics, and sat down with Guitar World to discuss her love of the SG.

Now, in the latest development to her skyrocketing career, Bowers has tackled another iconic hard rock cut, recruiting an all-star all-female band for a melancholic take on Led Zeppelin’s Going to California.

As a California native and long admirer of Page’s playing, the cover means a great deal to Bowers, who takes the opportunity to treat the atmospheric acoustic cut to some sizzling, cinematic leads that pay homage to Page’s original efforts.

It’s certainly a change of pace for Bowers, who has received plaudits from the likes of Nancy Wilson, Brian May, Susan Tedeschi and more for her untethered, hard-hitting blues rock style.

Bowers’ band for the track features vocalists Lucie Silvas and Caroline Jones, mandolin player Sierra Hull, and strings duo SistaStrings.

“I picked that song because I did a charity show in June in Nashville, and it was me, Caroline Jones and Sierra Hull,” Bowers tells Guitar World of her new single. “We were on stage, and we played that song together, and the whole room was dead quiet.

“It was just such a moment. I realized that while we were playing, and just wanted to capture that.”

Honoring Page’s playing was one thing, but being able to do so alongside a group of musicians she admires made the experience all the more sweeter.

“I think it's really cool that it's all women on it, and all women who I really look up to as well, because they're all incredibly talented,” she continues. “It’s always been such a special song to me, being from California, and also, just loving Jimmy Page’s playing on that.”

Though this track sees Bowers take an acoustic turn, expect her to return to the comfort of her Gibson SG soon – and don’t expect to see her revisit the acoustic again any time soon. As she explains to Guitar World, she has no plans to release anything similar.

“We stayed pretty truthful to the original, while giving it a deeper sound, I would say,” she concludes. “I'm definitely excited for people to hear it because it's very different from what I have put out.

“I don't think I'll do a whole lot of this kind of stuff because it does lean more on the acoustic, almost cinematic-sounding side of things, which is why I think it's so cool. It’s wildly different from what I have put out and from what I plan to put out, so that's a cool thing. It’ll appeal to a different audience, I'm sure.”

Grace Bowers is set to go on tour later this month. Visit her website for a full list of dates.

• Grace Bowers' cover of Going to California is available to stream now. Her debut album, The Wine On Venus, is also available now.

Teenage blues guitar up-and-comer Grace Bowers' weapon of choice is a Gibson SG, a stunning all-original ’61 model in particular.

Though happy to sometimes drop it if the occasion calls for it, Bowers still favors the model onstage and in the studio, and – thanks to her relationship with Gibson – now owns three of them.

Asked recently by Guitar World why she prefers it to the Les Paul, Bowers explained that her preference was originally based on aesthetics and weight, but her reasons have – as she's grown more seasoned – expanded to feel and tone.

“At first, I started playing SGs because they look cool and they’re lightweight,” Bowers told GW. “But then I discovered how I had full access to the neck, which I didn’t have on a Les Paul. I think they sound good, too; those P90 pickups are something else.”

Labels like 'the future of rock/blues/blues guitar/rock guitar' are tired, and get thrown around quite a bit (and Bowers certainly never asked for them) but it's hard to ignore her mix of virtuosity and tastefulness – oh, and the plaudits she's gotten from already-established guitar heroes.

“There’s a whole difference in my mind between just shredding, like wanking off, as opposed to melodically conversational-type shredding. That’s what the great players do, like I think Grace Bowers is already at 17,” Heart's Nancy Wilson told Total Guitar earlier this year.

“She has a significant voice. I would pick her out in a crowd of shredders, like, ‘Oh, I know who that is,’ like David Gilmour.”

Susan Tedeschi, meanwhile, told Guitar World earlier this year that Bowers is on her way to becoming a “household name.”

“She’s got this crazy blonde curly hair and she’s very pretty and very sweet – but she can rip it and she has a nice understanding of chords. I think, because she’s so young, she could really get somewhere in the next 10 years.”

To read our full interview with Bowers, which also covers how she turned to the blues, what she's like as a bandleader, and her musical chemistry with John Osborne, pick up a new issue of the mag at Magazines Direct.

Grace Bowers is part of the vanguard of the new blues-rock generation. In a new interview, she talked about her deep connection to the genre and named the blues legend who compelled her to sharpen her guitar chops.

“It was right when Covid started. I was sitting in my mom's car flipping through radio stations, and I heard B.B. King,” recounts Bowers on The Zach Sang Show. “He was playing Sweet Little Angel [a blues standard recorded by many artists], which is a song off of his very first album.”

“And before I heard this, I was super into hair metal, like really, really cheesy hair metal. Hadn't heard anything else, because that's all I listened to.

“So B.B. King starts this song out. He plays like five notes, and those five notes said more than any of these metal shredders could ever wish they could say. It's so striking, because I'd never heard something like that before, and so I went home, and I started learning his solos, note for note.”

When asked whether she still does that with the work of other guitar players, she responded, “I still sometimes hear someone play something and go back and learn what they played, just so I can incorporate it into my own playing. But there has to be a line between copying and taking inspiration from something.”

In an interview with Guitar World earlier this year, Bowers talked about her blues revelation. “It started with seeing Slash on YouTube playing Welcome to the Jungle," she said.

“I got really into ‘80s music – but that changed when I heard B.B. King when I was 13. I discovered the blues, and now I find myself listening to lots of soul, funk, and great stuff like Mountain, Buddy Miles, Shuggie Otis, and Sly & The Family Stone.”

Bowers' blues cred was recently solidified by a stellar rendition of two Stevie Ray Vaughan classics.

Grace Bowers and her band, The Hodge Podge, have just delivered their own renditions of two Stevie Ray Vaughan classics, Lenny (1983) and Scuttle Buttin’ (1984) as part of a recorded performance at The Underdog in Nashville.

For this occasion, Bowers ditched her trusty Gibson SG and opted for a white Strat. This gesture served as a nod to Vaughan's Charley Stratocaster, a white custom-made hardtail Strat-style guitar built by his friend Charley Wirz, which he played on Life Without You (1985) and Live at Montreux 1982 & 1985.

“When Grace and her band The Hodge Podge take the stage with their blend of blues, rock, and soul, suddenly age becomes just a number as they weave something entirely their own,” wrote Western AF in the performance description.

“As we watched Grace and her band tear through a set that could rival any seasoned veteran, we couldn't help but feel like we were witnessing the early days of something truly special. This is an artist who's not just carrying the torch for rock 'n' roll – she's igniting a whole new fire.”

The young guitarist's virtuosic performance was complemented by Nate Felty on drums, Esther Okai Tetteh on vocals, Joshua Blaylock on keys, Eric Fortaleza on bass, and Prince Parker on rhythm guitar.

Bowers recently made her late-night TV debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with a wah-laden performance of her track Tell Me Why U Do That.

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.

Grace Bowers can cross another thing off her bucket list after meeting Slash last Sunday (June 30). The two met at downtown Nashville's Gibson Garage, where Slash was promoting his new solo album, Orgy of the Damned, with an intimate performance of some classic blues jams. 

“Met my guitar hero last night @slash,” posted Bowers on Instagram, alongside various photos with Slash. In early June, Bowers also announced that her band, The Hodge Podge, will open for Slash on August 5 in Pennsylvania as part of the latter guitarist's S.E.R.P.E.N.T Festival.

The encounter served as a full-circle moment for Bowers, who credits Slash as one of the main reasons she decided to pick up the guitar in the first place. 

“I somehow found the Welcome to the Jungle music video by Guns N' Roses. You know, Slash in that, with his Les Paul and everything. He looked cool. I wanted to look cool, like Slash, so I asked my mom for a guitar,” she said in an interview with Marty Music. 

In addition to being endorsed by Slash, Bowers has received nods of approval from a number of other big-name guitarists. Heart's Nancy Wilson heaped praise on Bowers, calling her a “Clapton-type shredder” on the Broken Record podcast. 

“There’s a whole difference in my mind between just shredding, like wanking off, as opposed to melodically conversational-type shredding. That’s what the great players do, like I think Grace Bowers is already at 17,” Wilson remarked in a recent Total Guitar interview.

“She has a significant voice. I would pick her out in a crowd of shredders, like, ‘Oh, I know who that is,’ like David Gilmour. You could shred ’til kingdom come, but it doesn’t stick until there’s a conversation going on.”

Susan Tedeschi also pointed out that Bowers is on her way to becoming a “household name.”

“She’s got this crazy blonde curly hair and she’s very pretty and very sweet – but she can rip it and she has a nice understanding of chords. I think, because she’s so young, she could really get somewhere in the next 10 years,” said Tedeschi in a Guitar World interview. 

In addition to Slash's S.E.R.P.E.N.T Festival, Bowers has a busy couple of months ahead. She will release her first album, Wine on Venus, in August and has a packed touring schedule, which includes a support slot with Brothers Osborne.

Hello there, and a very warm welcome to Guitar World editors’ picks – our new-and-improved, comprehensive monthly guide to the guitar tracks that have captured the attentions of our editors over the past four weeks or so.

With the aid of our Spotify playlist below, we’ve rounded up all our favorite new releases from the month of May, and put them under the microscope to wax lyrical on the playing, tones, and songwriting that have set our six-string senses a-tingling.

So, without further ado, let’s hand things over to our EIC MAB to kick things off…

Michael Astley-Brown – Editor-in-Chief, GuitarWorld.com

We’ve had an awful lot of pro guitarist offspring land in our inboxes lately, but few have taken on their father’s mantle quite like 13-year-old Roman Morello, who not only wrote but also plays the guitar solo on new Tom Morello single Soldier in the Army of Love.

The drop D sledgehammers that bookend the track are eerily similar to something Morello senior would produce, but while the leads are heavy on the wah pedal, Roman brings a fresher, more freeform energy than some of his dad’s latter-day efforts. Indeed, Morello Sr. maintained that Roman “can shred circles around me” at the age of 11. Make no mistake, big riff energy is in this kid’s blood – and he might even solo better than his dad…

As well as new talent from famous families, this month has played host to some big releases from returning legends – most notably, influential post-hardcore forebears The Jesus Lizard, who are readying their first album in two decades. Hide & Seek is its first taste, and while it takes a more straightforward punk approach for much of its duration, guitarist Duane Denison slashes out a series of typically jagged hooks that are so ‘outside’ they’re kinda inside.

A bittersweet return also comes from the MC5, following the passing of founding guitarist Wayne Kramer back in February. Heavy Lifting is their first new album in 53(!) years, and Boys Who Play With Matches is fun, frantic and full of wiry hooks. With guests including Slash, Tom Morello, William DuVall and Vernon Reid, the new record should be a fitting tribute to the Kick Out the Jams trailblazer.

Other shoutouts this week go to Ghost for going full Americana (The Future Is a Foreign Land) and Mr. Big for Up On You, a latter-day single that’s better than it has any right to be, featuring one of this year’s swaggiest Zeppelin riffs.

Finally, for my instrumental brethren, may I humbly point you in the direction of Asymmetric Universe? Italian brothers Federico Vese & Nicolò Vese sound like the culmination of every technical guitar movement of the 21st century. It’s jazz, it’s metal, it’s ambitious and it’s jaw-droppingly executed.

Damian Fanelli – Editor-in-Chief, Guitar World magazine

UK post-punkers the Chameleons – who made a minor splash in 1986 with Swamp Thing – are back with a new three-song EP, their first new music in more than 20 years. Among the highlights of this all-too-tiny box of confections is the catchy title track, Where Are You?, and better still, a thunderous ditty called Endlessly Falling.

There’s something pleasingly familiar about this chugging tune, with its angular riffs, flawless construction and well-timed breakdown section; it’s as if the band – led, as always, by Mark Burgess – consider “'80s British post-punk” an active, thriving genre in 2024, so they’ve gone and written the best damn ’80s British post-punk the world has heard in 40-odd years. A welcome return for sure.

I said it back in 2021, and I’ll say it today: Tulsa’s Seth Lee Jones is the most original and intriguing roots/blues/rock guitarist to come down the pike since Derek Trucks and his generation. Sadly, judging by the number of views on this guy’s YouTube videos, I don’t think too many people are listening to me! On the bright side, Jones’ new album – Tulsa Custom, his first since 2021’s explosive Flathead – brings with it another chance for the world to catch on.

Just picture yourself in the studio; the producer plays you the backing tracks to the funk-fueled Bird of Paradise and asks you to add a guitar solo. You probably play something cool; if you’re Albert Cummings, Grace Bowers, or Chris Buck, you might even play something brilliant. But whatever you play, I can assure you it wouldn’t sound anything at all like the cool-as-hell, out-of-left-field solo that Jones committed to tape (or someone's hard drive).

Jones’ six-string handiwork – on this track and the rest of Tulsa Custom – is a majestic, wild gumbo of skillful B- and G-bending, slinky slide guitar and some serious black magic. It’s time to catch on, people!

Jackson Maxwell – Associate Editor

Though the summer usually sees the frenzied spring album release schedule subside, I found myself spoiled for choice with killer new tunes this month – previews from fall albums and otherwise.

First, I wanted to point to the Cactus Blossoms, a Minneapolis rockabilly (of sorts) duo who first came to my attention via a stirring performance at “the Roadhouse” in the 2017 Twin Peaks revival. Guitarist Jack Torrey is an absolute master of economy and storytelling, and the way he takes the melodic chestnuts of their new single, There She Goes, and runs with them in the chiming arpeggios and effortlessly hooky single-note lines in his solo is as easy on the ears as it gets.    

I’ll never say no to grunge-y shoegaze, to be honest – if I do, there’s something seriously wrong with me; call an ambulance. I’ve had my eyes and ears on Tacoma, Washington-based quartet Enumclaw for a few years now, and Change – the first taster from their forthcoming Home in Another Life album – has a true belter of a chorus with all the swirling-wall-of-guitar action you could ever ask for.

Their name has always been a bit of a headline-generator, but for my money, high-concept hardcore practitioners Fucked Up have laid down some of the most intricate and engaging punk rock guitar work in the 21st century. With send-the-troops-into-battle, lock-step, dual-guitar leads, recent single Stimming would sound just as at home at Wacken Open Air as it would in a dingy punk house. 

Otherwise, the neon-lit funk of Los Bitchos’ Don’t Change, spidery droning of Thurston Moore and Laetitia Sadier’s Sans Limites, and twanging lead guitar heroics of MJ Lenderman’s She’s Leaving You have all been on repeat in my headphones, and are each worth a spin. 

Matt Parker – Features Editor

At the turn of the month, I saw LA Priest hold a venue in the palm of his hand as a one-man band rattling through a dumpster amp, a paint-covered ’60s catalog guitar and a network of DIY pedals and synths. Our subsequent conversation made me question everything I thought I knew about what makes a good guitar tone. Back home, the shuffling, muted Too Cool from his new EP La Fusion is on constant rotation.

Japanese funk-hip-hop-rock-pop-something group Kroi, released their third album Unspoiled in the middle of June. It will not be for everyone, but if you want to blow the dust off with some technicolor madness – including no fewer than three tracks that have become anime theme tunes – well, then, buckle up.

It runs the gamut from grunge-y metal to funk rock, rap and space laser keyboards – all interspersed with shonky little electric licks that ricochet around the mix – and that’s just on one track (Hyper). 

Finally, any news from Delicate Steve (AKA Steve Marion) is good news, in my book. He’s worked with everyone from Yeasayer to the Black Keys, Amen Dunes and even Paul Simon and Miley Cyrus – but his solo material has a voice unlike any other guitar player.

New album Delicate Steve… Sings taps into the vocalists that have inspired his playing, with first track I’ll Be There taking a few phrasing cues from Bill Withers. It’s ideal midsummer mood music.

Matt Owen – Senior Staff Writer

After having had a relatively tame May on the new-music-discovery front, it was business as usual for me this month, as I was able to sift through playlists and PR emails aplenty to beef up my 2024 soundtrack.

As such, it turned out to be an eclectic few weeks for me, with my listening habits spanning the whole spectrum from math rock and midwest emo, all the way to soulful blues, dream bedroom indie pop, fusion acid jazz jam, classic blues rock and beyond.

So… where to start? Well, the biggest releases on my radar came courtesy of Steve Cropper, whose long-awaited collaboration with Brian May – written, funnily enough, using May’s rejection email – finally arrived with a lovely unexpected Brian May/Billy Gibbons solo-off. 

Those two were given a run for their money by Gibson endorsee Grace Bowers, though, who dropped the first few singles from her debut EP this month. Listen to Tell Me Why U Do That and Wine On Venus and you’ll have a hard time believing the Hodge Podge leader is only 17 years old – but it’s true.

Both tracks are mind-boggling examples of Bowers’ ridiculous fretboard command, delivering a tour de force of dynamic slide soloing and high-octane scale licks that not only break out the box, but absolutely smash the box to pieces. Did I mention she’s only 17?

As for something a little left-field, Hot Mulligan went full-on math rock for their latest single, End Eric Sparrow and the Life of Him, combining the intricacies of a Polyphia-esque opening riff that would make Tim Henson proud with the full boar power of their usual emo thrash-ery.

And, with an eye on an upcoming Mdou Moctar gig I am soon attending, I’ve been indulging in some expansive jam music, and Hiatus Kaiyote have more than delivered the goods with Cinnamon Temple. I long for the day when I am able to navigate such topsy-turvy time signatures and helter-skelter riffage with such effortless intuition and butter-like ease. One day.

Janelle Borg – Staff Writer

I feel like I must preface that I haven't been as committed as I usually am to digital crate digging this month. I have, however, been quite active in the gigging circuit with my band. 

From re-discovering Hoobastank's The Reason, to seeing Tropical Fuck Storm and Italy's Duck Baleno live at Fans Out Festival in Italy, it has been a period defined by physically experiencing the joys of a live show.

New releases-wise, I've just come across Cypriot band Buzz' Ayaz, who fuse psych rock with elements of Eastern Mediterranean folk. Their latest release, Buzzi Ayazi, makes for a truly enthralling listen, going through contrasting dynamics and moods, and addictive riffs, in the span of 4 minutes.

London's Heartworms, the solo project of Jojo Orme, has been capturing the hearts and minds of alt-rock aficionados since bursting on the scene with 2022's Consistent Dedication. The latest single, Jacked, continues building Heartworms' world. 

Orme's fine guitar work anchors the cacophony of synths, with the final product heavily evoking post-punk vanguards Siouxsie and the Banshees and Joy Division but with an undisputedly modern twist. 

Speaking of modern twists, Hinds' En Forma is the band's first-ever Spanish-language single. It stays true to the quintessential Hinds garage-rock/jangly-indie-guitar sound but shows a songwriting duo in their prime, which makes me very excited for their upcoming album Viva Hinds. 

Wrapping up June’s song round up is the Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin-esque Occult Witches from Quebec, Canada. Their track Faustian Bargain is chock-full of classic rock guitar moments that will satiate even the most hardcore classic rock fan. The overall sound sounds deliciously '70s in the best way possible, perfectly complementing the lyrics' fantastical narrative. 

Heart's Nancy Wilson has recently heaped praise on many young guitarists who are making waves and challenging stereotypes. However, one guitarist in particular has impressed Wilson to the point that she called her “a Clapton-like shredder” with a “significant voice.”

“There's so many women right now that are younger women coming up that are just shredders, like Grace Bowers for example,” Wilson asserts on the Broken Record podcast.

“She is kind of a Clapton-type shredder. She's a blues player who, instead of for the quantity of notes, she plays for the quality of the expression of the notes that she chooses that sound more like sentences than show off stuff.”

In the latest issue of Total Guitar, Wilson name-checks Boygenius, Angel Olsen and Sleater-Kinney as some of her favorite contemporary guitarists and artists. However, she reserves her greatest praise for Grace Bowers. 

“There’s a whole difference in my mind between just shredding, like wanking off, as opposed to melodically conversational-type shredding. That’s what the great players do, like I think Grace Bowers is already at 17. 

“She has a significant voice. I would pick her out in a crowd of shredders, like, ‘Oh, I know who that is,’ like David Gilmour. You could shred ’til kingdom come, but it doesn’t stick until there’s a conversation going on.”

In addition to Wilson, Nashville's Grace Bowers has already grabbed the attention of Devon Allman, Margo Price, Susan Tedeschi and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. Last year, she appeared at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival. For 2024, she took things ever further by playing guitar for Dolly Parton and opening for Bleachers, all before releasing her debut single Tell Me Why U Do That.

Meanwhile, Nancy Wilson is in the midst of Heart's first North American tour in five years. This will be followed by Heart's largest-ever UK headline show on July 1 at London's O2 Arena. 

For more Nancy Wilson – including the story behind Heart's acoustic masterpiece – plus new interviews with Slash and St. Vincent, pick up issue 384 of Total Guitar at Magazines Direct.

From a child prodigy in Nashville, Tennessee, to a 17-year-old gunslinger with an affection for a particular cherry red Gibson SG, Grace Bowers has burst onto the scene with just the right amount of old-school cool.

Her band Hodge Podge will debut a yet-to-be-titled EP – currently being produced by John Osborne – later in the year. Asked to describe the music, Bowers offers the word “authentic” before digging into her process. “At this point, I pull from a little bit of everything – soul, funk and classic rock.

“But lately, I’ve been focusing on writing songs rather than jams. I take a lot of inspiration from songs like Mountain’s Mississippi Queen; that riff’s always been a favorite of mine.”

Asked if shades of Leslie West’s blues licks are an influence while recording, she confirms: “Leslie West definitely influences me. He’s one of those players you can recognize just by sound alone because it’s so unique. I really respect that. Not to mention he’s written some of the most iconic riffs ever.”

Bowers’ star is rising: she’s crushed events like the Newport Folk Festival and Crossroads Festival and she’s consistently compared to some of the classic players she names as inspirations. It may seem unfathomable for someone so young, but since Devon Allman, Margo Price, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, and Susan Tedeschi keep on name-checking her, there must be something to the notion.

Surely, when she was 9 years old and just starting to play, Bowers never imagined she’d be in the studio less than a decade later, recording an EP with a band of musicians that she didn’t just assemble, but leads?

“It started with seeing Slash on YouTube playing Welcome to the Jungle,” she says. “I got really into ‘80s music – but that changed when I heard B.B. King when I was 13.

“I discovered the blues, and now I find myself listening to lots of soul, funk, and great stuff like Mountain, Buddy Miles, Shuggie Otis, and Sly & The Family Stone.”

Such a varied musical lineage sheds light on the reason for naming her band Hodge Podge. But there’s more to it than that: “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.

“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.”

Even during the cobbled-together period, Bowers must have been doing something right, since the six-stringer has amassed a hell of a following: she boasts 178,000 followers on Instagram and 51,000 on TikTok. 

“I view social media as a tool that one must use in moderation,” she says. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without it, and I’m grateful for that. But I do catch myself getting sucked in too often, which is something I don’t like about it.”

Her increasing success has manifested in other ways, such as the Gibson endorsement she scored when she was 14. However, her primary guitar isn’t very modern: “My guitar is a Gibson ’61 SG, which was gifted to me two years ago,” she reports.

“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!”

With her love for vintage kit, tried-and-true add-ons, and an affection for emotive blues and hard-driving classic rock, it's clear what Grace Bowers is after. Still, she’s not just about three-chord, set-it-and-forget-it rock: “My taste and feel have evolved,” she says. “I’ve been playing for seven years – but only learned the pentatonic scale three years ago!

“Figuring out a bit of theory and what you can do on the guitar has been huge for me. Even looking back at videos of myself from one year ago, I feel there’s a pretty distinct difference – and that came from a lot of practice, with more to come.”

Since things are moving quickly for Bowers, she’ll have to learn on the fly. And with the deluge of information out there and the competition being fiercer than ever, she’ll have to drive her amp harder than ever to keer her edge. 

”There’s so many great new players and bands out there,” she agrees. ”Living in Nashville, I’m surrounded by this new wave 24/7. A lot of amazing music that nails that classic sound is being made now. But sometimes solos can be overblown. You have to go with whatever serves the song best – and the answer isn’t always another solo!”

Bowers has the right idea, some not-so-subtle blues chops, and a decent head on her shoulders to boot. Just how high her star will rise remains to be seen; but she’s too busy to worry too much.

”Right now I’m happy to be in the studio with my band, recording this EP with John Osborne, and we’ll be playing tons of festivals very soon,” she says. ”I just want to be happy while making the music I love and continue to play it for people who love it too.”

• Follow Bowers’ progress on Instagram and TikTok.