The Bowmans

The Bowmans visited Bob Harris in his London BBC Radio studio for an hour-long performance/interview with Bob in January, 2009 during their UK tour. On his program, Bob told listeners he'd been wanting to get The Bowmans in his studio for a long time since hearing their first album, Far from Home. Bob asked the Bowmans about recording their upcoming release with Malcolm Burn, their experiences in New York and about growing up together as a musical duo.

This recorded session aired on May 16, 2009 and can be heard in the archives at www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/bobharris/ - Bob Harris

NPR has selected The Bowmans' song, Diggin' For Gold off of their soon to be released new album, Far From Home.

March 27, 2006 - All Songs Considered to feature a song by The Bowmans!

October 6, 2006, by David Malachowski
3 out of 3 stars for "Far From Home" - The Daily Freeman, Woodstock, NY

In short, The Bowmans are the best vocal duet to grace the Jezebel Music Songwriter Showcase. Sarah Bowman's lyrics are deceptively mysterious in that the listener catches one level of the meaning to later find the dark twist of the story. Their beautiful harmonies can be heard by listening to the "The Kitchen Song", the Song of the Week.

http://www.jezebelmusic.com/showcasejournal0805-0406.html - JezebelMusic.com, New York, NY

http://www.swissrecords.ch/

The Bowmans are mainly the sisters Sarah and Claire Bowman. On "Far from home" they court Folk music. But it's got nothing to do with the eccentric Anti-Folk (or however you wanna call it) of Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom or Josephine Foster. Their laid-back songs are accessible on first listen and keep resonating pleasantly. The Bowmans draw from artists like Joni Mitchell, Nanci Griffith, Thea Gilmore (her acoustic side) and sometimes even Neil Young. Just listen to their "You're right" on "Far from home" in that concern. The twelve songs on "Far from home" go from opulent arrangements (ie "Digging for gold" or "Forever") to reduced to the minimum (ie "Pick one piece" or the title track). The Bowmans are convincing on both ends. Worth a special mention are also the fine vocal harmonies of the two sisters. - Swiss Records

The harmonies are indeed stunning, especially during unaccompanied moments in songs such as "Make It Last"?. Classical influences show on "The Kitchen Song"?, where the choral purity of their voices lends a hymn like quality to the song. Generally speaking, the twins play a folky americana, but with more straightforward singer-songwriter and classical influences, and Sarah cites Gillian Welch, Hank Williams, Allison Krauss and Cat Power among her inspirations. You can see the influence of Gillian Welch in "Forever", but opener "On The Road"? has a jazzier feel and "You're Right"? is more in the realm of straightforward rock. Throughout the songs are lifted and shaped by the twins' impeccable harmonies, which are always delicate, especially on the beautiful melancholia of "Williamsburg Bridge"?, but never saccharine and on a song like "Pick One Piece"? can sound slightly eerie. The strength of the material and those amazing voices, which blend so seamlessly it's hard to tell where one starts and the other begins, has ensured The Bowmans have a growing following on the New York folk scene.

http://www.americana-uk.com/auk/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=2495 - J. Alder January 2007

Chris Cantalini
http://gorillavsbear.blogspot.com/2006/02/bowmans.html

"The Twins...have the uncanny chemistry that only comes from making music together since birth. I'm a total sucker for Eisley-esque harmonies, the kind where you can't tell where one voice ends and the other begins, and The Bowmans have the gift. "

February, 2006

This article was linked to by DoneWaiting.com


- GorillavsBear.net

NYC Artists on the Rise: The Bowmans

We imagine that when Sarah and Claire Bowman dream about a place on a hill "where we can be little girls and swing on the tire swing and sing", they must really be dreaming about their past. As childhood music makers, Sarah and Claire developed a knack for songwriting that still hasn't managed to lose its sense of imagination. As twin sisters, The Bowmans developed a musical camaraderie that is absolutely uncanny. Now they’ve traded in their tire swings for the Sidewalk Café, the hill for the Williamsburg Bridge, and the New York music scene is all the better for it. At a time when every twee boy with a harmonica is rediscovering his Americana roots, and in a city where indie rockers idolize Donovan with more fervor than the Dylan folk-purists of our parents’ generation could muster to scorn him, it’s an exercise in humility to sit down and listen to an album where the banjo plucking isn’t just for effect, it’s for real. Then see if you really are a fan of indie folk music, or just amused by the novelty of a little fiddling. Either way, you’ll find it hard to dislike this album. The Bowmans may be "Far from Home", but if their music can stay this sweet in a city this tough, or this authentic in a world so quick to adapt and discard the latest fad, they’ll never have left that Iowa hill behind. - Christin Roman - The Deli Magazine

The close-knit harmonies that mark the Bowmans’ debut comes as no surprise, considering they’re twin sisters sharing a genuine folk finesse. Often introspective, the music maintains a steady lilt, unencumbered by over-embellishment. Other than a subtle hint of brass, banjo and occasional violin, acoustic guitars dominate the arrangements, giving the album a laidback feel in both its ambiance and execution.

While the Bowmans’ ballads aim to embrace tradition, the music resonates with a distinctive personality all its own. On songs such as “Make It Last,” “Digging for Gold” and “World With No Boundaries,” their gentle demeanor finds them wistful and whimsical. It’s a sound that brings the Roches to mind … but only when those Roche siblings reveal their more sobering side.

http://www.performingsongwriter.com/pages/music/index.cfm - Mare Wakefield

There's something unique about the way harmonies sound when they're sung by talented sisters who've been performing together for their whole lives, and the Brooklyn duo the Bowmans reveal an enchanting blend of voices on their new CD, Far From Home (Mother West). Sarah Bowman, who plays cello with Rasputina, writes most of the songs, although her sister Claire penned the disarmingly childlike album-closer, "Porker Song," a don't-eat-me plea sung from the point of view of a pig who doesn't want to be "your bacon in the morning." The mood is more somber on the placid ballad "Williamsburg Bridge," where Sarah contrasts their Iowa upbringing with life in New York City, before the sisters kick up their heels on the countrified lament "World With No Boundaries." Clearly there are no boundaries that keep the Bowmans fenced in as they find themselves "On the Road," a pastoral slice of Jesse Sykes-style rustic pop where they discover (but don't care) that "the road may take a toll on you."

http://www.laweekly.com/music/music/rock-picks-autolux-rickie-lee-jones-black-mountain-the-gourds-and-more/18242/


- www.laweekly.com