PRESS PHOTOS

www.thebowmansmusic.com

SCRUTINY BY THE BOWMANS OUT NOW (Fall 2021)

In 2016, Sarah and Claire Bowman lost their mother, Anne Corbi, an acclaimed community activist, brilliant legal mind, and at times, an intimidating and aggressive person. Until the time of her death, Anne gave many things to Sarah and Claire: compassion for those less fortunate, a formal musical education, and a passion for justice; but also, she gave them each an unparalleled and relentless inner critic. 

The songs of Scrutiny are the result of an unexpected side-effect of grief: empowerment. After her mom’s passing, Sarah, The Bowmans’ primary songwriter, felt liberated to finally see herself truly and speak about her life’s events—including painful childhood memories that might have otherwise remained locked away. 

Certainly, the songs contain highly personal subject matter. Themes include family dysfunction, coping mechanisms, destructive societal norms, and overcoming mental illness. However, the music doesn’t buckle under the weight of its content. Many of the songs carry a groove, and stick-in-your-head, upbeat choruses reminiscent of the alt-rock, grunge, and 80’s pop that Sarah and Claire were into during their formative years. Scrutiny finds a way of being light— without making light— of personal struggles. 

And what better way to cope with the stuff of life than raw, open dialogue and play? The twin sisters will talk and “play” in a new monthly podcast where they will have heart-to-hearts about their adult struggles related to the Scrutiny songs, while also bringing back the imaginary world they co-created with their stuffed animals in their childhood years.

THE BOWMANS BIO

With harmonies that seem to come from one astonishing voice, The Bowmans share a rare, near telepathic musical bond. Twin sisters Sarah and Claire Bowman are a “roller coaster” duo, whose music ranges from poignantly captivating to serendipitously joyful. Their music is both sophisticated and imaginative, and they deeply move and delight their audiences with uncanny, evocative, and unforgettable performances. 

The twin sisters started creating songs as little kids, eventually going public at age 14 with their first regular gig at Theo’s Java Hut in their American hometown, Davenport, Iowa. They continued to perform original songs throughout their college and post-graduate studies in Pittsburgh, PA and Baltimore, MD. In 2004, they abandoned their conventional career paths to convene in New York City and focus on The Bowmans full-time. 

The sisters’ performances proliferated in clubs in Greenwich Village, the Lower East Side, and Brooklyn. They took to the highway in 2005, touring extensively across the United States. They quickly expanded their densely-packed touring style to Europe in 2006 following the release of their first album, ‘Far From Home’, on Mother West Records. Through several years of touring and living part-time out of Sarah’s Toyota Corolla and part-time in Brooklyn, the Bowmans amassed over 1000 performances in 48 states and seven countries by 2011. By 2013, they had released four full-length albums.  

Some of The Bowmans’ career highlights thus far include: Paste Magazine Winners for the Cayamo Americana Festival Cruise with headliners Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin, Brandi Carlile and others. Appearance with Jim Lauderdale on The Tennessee Shines Live Radio Concert, Featured guest artist with Whispering Bob Harris on BBC2 Radio, national and regional radio exposure in Spain, Portugal, the UK, Switzerland, and the United States, and favorable music reviews in renowned Annabelle, No Depression, Paste, American Songwriter, Americana UK, LA Weekly and Performing Songwriter magazines.

The twins’ mother’s cancer diagnosis had a sobering effect on their career, and the twins’ lives took new directions. In 2012, Sarah moved to Switzerland to start a family, and in 2013, Claire relocated to Berkeley, California to focus on painting. Whereas their Mom’s diagnosis triggered their hiatus, the eventual loss of their mother became the impetus for the sisters to reunite and create their most poignant songs yet, a body of work they’re calling “Scrutiny,” which will provide the inspiration for a podcast, A Bit*Challenging, (see below) where they discuss the subjects of the songs while returning to their playful roots.