Biography
Nathan Bowles has operated as a key figure across the folk and experimental communities of Virginia and North Carolina, pursuing a multifaceted path that encompasses collaboration, instruction, multi-instrumental performance, and solo endeavors. Through affiliations with groups such as Pelt and the Black Twig Pickers, he has occupied a distinctive space bridging Appalachian folk traditions and minimalist drone approaches, while also teaming with figures including Jake Xerxes Fussell, Rosali, Steve Gunn, and Hiss Golden Messenger. As an independent artist, his releases—among them 2016’s Whole & Cloven and 2018’s Plainly Mistaken—center on clawhammer banjo and drums, the core instruments he deploys across both conventional and forward-thinking contexts. Following a shared 2021 project with Bill MacKay, he assembled a trio for the Drag City-issued Are Possible in 2024.
Hailing originally from Blacksburg, Virginia, Bowles evolved into a roving collaborator whose singular lane emerged from folk roots yet incorporated improvisation and experimental elements. From the early 2000s onward, he contributed various instrumental parts to recordings by Spiral Joy Band, Pelt, and Jack Rose, alongside activity with his own experimental string band the Black Twig Pickers, which issued numerous works via VHF and Thrill Jockey. His debut solo effort arrived with 2012’s A Bottle, A Buckeye, spotlighting his skills on banjo and as a composer. He maintained involvement with the Black Twig Pickers and other artists’ ensembles while issuing further solo outings, such as 2014’s Nansemond, marking his initial release on Paradise of Bachelors.
Bowles later settled in Durham, North Carolina, where he sustained a prominent presence in the area’s folk and experimental circles. He issued two additional Paradise of Bachelors albums—Whole & Cloven in 2016 and Plainly Mistaken in 2018—the latter incorporating piano, tape loops, and drone textures alongside his banjo and drumming. Additional credits include appearances on releases by Steve Gunn, Rosali, Michael Chapman, Jake Xerxes Fussell, and Joan Shelley, frequently extending to their live ensembles.
In 2021 he joined the Drag City roster with Keys, a duo recording alongside Bill MacKay. That year also saw the Black Twig Pickers deliver Friend’s Peace on VHF Records. Subsequent contributions to projects by Pelt and Sally Anne Morgan preceded the formation of a trio featuring Bowles on banjo, double bassist Casey Toll, and drummer Rex McMurry. Operating as the Nathan Bowles Trio, the group unveiled Are Possible in 2024.
Hailing originally from Blacksburg, Virginia, Bowles evolved into a roving collaborator whose singular lane emerged from folk roots yet incorporated improvisation and experimental elements. From the early 2000s onward, he contributed various instrumental parts to recordings by Spiral Joy Band, Pelt, and Jack Rose, alongside activity with his own experimental string band the Black Twig Pickers, which issued numerous works via VHF and Thrill Jockey. His debut solo effort arrived with 2012’s A Bottle, A Buckeye, spotlighting his skills on banjo and as a composer. He maintained involvement with the Black Twig Pickers and other artists’ ensembles while issuing further solo outings, such as 2014’s Nansemond, marking his initial release on Paradise of Bachelors.
Bowles later settled in Durham, North Carolina, where he sustained a prominent presence in the area’s folk and experimental circles. He issued two additional Paradise of Bachelors albums—Whole & Cloven in 2016 and Plainly Mistaken in 2018—the latter incorporating piano, tape loops, and drone textures alongside his banjo and drumming. Additional credits include appearances on releases by Steve Gunn, Rosali, Michael Chapman, Jake Xerxes Fussell, and Joan Shelley, frequently extending to their live ensembles.
In 2021 he joined the Drag City roster with Keys, a duo recording alongside Bill MacKay. That year also saw the Black Twig Pickers deliver Friend’s Peace on VHF Records. Subsequent contributions to projects by Pelt and Sally Anne Morgan preceded the formation of a trio featuring Bowles on banjo, double bassist Casey Toll, and drummer Rex McMurry. Operating as the Nathan Bowles Trio, the group unveiled Are Possible in 2024.
Albums
Singles
