Holly Bowling

Whether behind the piano on a windswept mountainous cliff, at a hallowed venue such as Carnegie Hall, or playing shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the most legendary musicians in history, solo pianist Holly Bowling subverts convention with virtuosic playing, emotional immersion, and a thirst for invention. Acclaimed by Rolling Stone, Billboard, Relix, and more and sought-after by icons such as Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, and Warren Haynes, she once again flips the script on her 2020 album and second reimagining of Grateful Dead staples entitled Seeking All That’s Still Unsung.
“When you go to see someone play solo piano, you’re not expecting them to stand up, pluck the strings, drum on the frame, hit the strings with mallets, or place magnets and EBows inside of the piano,” she smiles. “It doesn’t fit with the expectations of how you’re supposed to play this instrument. I think it works though.”
Her introduction to the instrument happened at just five-years-old when mom and dad bought a piano from a yard sale down the street. They gave their daughter a choice: ballet or piano. As the sounds of Mozart, Beethoven, and The Grateful Dead piped through their home, she obviously chose the latter without hesitation.
After a childhood dedicated to the instrument, she studied piano performance at SF State University. Intermittent gigs around San Francisco followed before she ended up on stage for an impromptu jam with Marco Benevento. “I paid him a dollar to go up there,” she recalls. “It reminded me that for most of my life I wanted to be on stage playing, and I couldn’’t let that slip away.”