Takamine

Aside from being a solo artist in his own right, singer-songwriter Brandon Robert Young had spent a decade touring with music legend John Hiatt, first as percussionist and background vocalist, and eventually as one-third of The John Hiatt Trio. He worked on three of the famed artist’s albums, the last of which was nominated for a Grammy in the Americana category. 

In fact, Brandon was at home preparing for a Hiatt tour when an incoming text read, “Stop what you’re doing, download this song and call me.” Brandon listened to the tune and made the call. “Can you sing it?" he was asked. “Yes,” Brandon answered matter-of-factly. “Great, I need you at Bridgestone Arena in 24 hours to sing it with my client.”

The client referred to was charismatic Australian singer-songwriter/actress Clare Bowen, who had moved to the US to play the role of Scarlett O’Connor in what would become the mega-hit tv series Nashville, making a name for herself in the process by virtue of her remarkable acting and singing prowess. It was the massive impact of Clare’s performance in Nashville that brought her centerstage at the 20,000-seat Bridgestone in Nashville, the city. And it was her original duet partner’s 11th-hour cancellation that would leave her to perform the duet for the largest live audience of her career at that time, with a guy named Brandon she’d only met twenty minutes before walking onstage together.

As you might guess, and as great love stories go, Clare and Brandon’s performance that night was pure magic, revealing an undeniable chemistry between the two that would lead down a path to solidarity as a performing duo, and eventually husband and wife.

Fast forward past scores of sold-out shows in the US, Germany, the UK, and Australia, and we find the duo BOWEN * YOUNG having just finished a January 2024 acoustic tour of Australia, as well as the springtime release of their long-awaited debut album Us. The first single and video from that album, "Water to Wine," was released this past summer, assuring their burgeoning fan base that keenly visual songwriting and hypnotic vocal harmonies will remain the beating heart of the duo, and that Clare’s own description of their finely tuned style, “Cinematic Americana” applies more than ever.

The all-acoustic format of their recent tour is a familiar one for BOWEN * YOUNG, as a good portion of their live performances have consisted of their seamless vocals accompanied only by Brandon’s Takamine P3NY, a cedar top, satin finish New Yorker from Takamine’s very popular Pro Series 3, as was the case for their performance on the main stage at “British Summertime in Hyde Park” in support of headliner Billy Joel.
 
“The P3NY is a dream,” says Young. “It’s incredibly consistent, sounds beautiful, and feels great to play.” Get to know more about BOWEN * YOUNG and their music on their official site.