“People would book me for things, and I didn’t have a band. Then I found a winning combination of people and called the band Hodge Podge”: Grace Bowers solos her way through her late-night TV debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Bowers delivers a wah-heavy performance of her track Tell Me Why U Do That accompanied by her band the Hodge Podge
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!”
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
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.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month**
Join now for unlimited access
US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year
UK pricing £2.99 per month or £29.00 per year
Europe pricing €3.49 per month or €34.00 per year
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology, and how this is shaping the future of the music industry. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Dream Wife, K.Flay, Yīn Yīn, and Black Honey, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her art-rock/psych-punk band ĠENN.
“We were opening for ZZ Top at Madison Square Garden. I told the guys, ‘I’ll go out there and blow for 60 seconds, then we’ll go into the first tune.’ I hit the first chord and my Marshall blew up”: Richie Sambora on Bon Jovi's nightmare arena debut
“My first real gig with The Band was in front of 25,000 people and we had no real rehearsal… We just flew out to Dallas and opened for Crosby, Stills & Nash”: Jim Weider on replacing Robbie Robertson – and the ’52 Tele he got while working at a car wash