Gretchen Bowder
Banjo
Gretchen Bowder has been on the Boston music scene for the past 30 years. She’s been a member of numerous bands on electric bass, guitar, vocals, and most recently, mandolin - but she is known mostly for her work on the BANJO.
Gretchen plays 3-finger style and relishes everything from classic bluegrass to Newgrass, fiddle tunes, Western Swing, Bossa Nova, and jazz of the Great American Songbook. She gives private lessons and teaches at music camps.
You can hear Gretchen perform with a number of New England-area bands, including
Upcoming Shows
Tue Mar 18 - With the Frank Drake Equation at Lily P’s in Cambridge, MA 8pm
Tue Mar 25 - Duo gig with Nash Reilly at Lily P’s in Cambridge, MA 7pm
Wed Mar 26 - with the Mudsills at Nick-a-Nee’s, Providence, RI 8 pm
Fri Apr 11 - with The Hazel Project at the Word Barn, Exeter, NH . The Mountain opens. Tickets HERE
Fri May 16 - Sun May 18 - I’ll be teaching at Banjo Camp North in Charlton, MA with a cast of luminaries! Register at MusicCampsNorth.com
Mon June 9 - Duo with Frank Drake in Lincoln, MA 8pm. Details to follow.
Tue June 10 - with the Tim Kiah Band at Lily P’s in Cambridge, MA 8pm
Fri Jun 13 - with The Hazel Project at the Kittery Dance Hall, Kittery, ME
Tue June 17 - with the Hazel Project at Lily P’s in Cambridge, MA 8pm
Sun June 22 - with Walker Russell and His Little Cabin Pals. House concert, details to follow.
Sat June 28 - Sun June 29 - the Hazel Project at the Jenny Brook Bluegrass Festival, Turnbridge, VT.
Sat July 19 - the Hazel Project at Apple Crest Farm Hampton Falls, NH.
Thur July 24 - the Bagboys at the Ossipee Valley Music Festival, S. Hiram, ME
Sun July 27 - the Hazel Project at the Ossipee Valley Music Festival, S. Hiram, ME
Teaching
A former middle and elementary school teacher, Gretchen’s teaching style is hands-on and rooted in developing and practicing actionable skills. Gretchen offers private lessons both in person and on Zoom. She also gives workshops at area music camps such as Banjo Camp North and the Ossipee Valley String Camp. Photo by Lynne Fountain
Contact Gretchen by clicking HERE
Videos
I played Jobim’s Wave at Blue Ridge Banjo Camp 2023 with a masterful backing band: Casey Campbell, Casey Driessen, Bryan McDowell, and Mark Schatz. What a thrill!
Vernon Derrick wrote this tune while he was playing in Jimmy Martin's Sunny Mountain Boys. He named it after his hometown of Arab, Alabama. The town was so named after a county clerk incorrectly transcribed the name “Arad” into the records to incorporate the town.
The Hazel Project plays “Love Me or Leave Me Alone,” March 2025.
Some fun at Blue Ridge Banjo Camp playing a snippet of John Reischman’s Little Pine Siskin with buddies Lluis Gómez and Jake Schepps.
Two Irish jigs: Fly in the Porter + Gan Ainm. I learned them from the playing of Dave Cory and Eliot Grasso on their album North by NorthWest. These are challenging! The fingering in the left hand is very specific, and there are some tricky passages for my right hand too.
The Hazel Project plays “Hello Stranger,” March 2025.
Oh hey, I used to play bass in this super cool rock band called Inner Beauty back in the early 1990’s.
You can hear us here:
