Introduce yourself & give us a small background on your musical history before you joined the current band your in & did you play any other instruments before you started playing drums?
My name is Jess Bowen and I am the drummer of The Summer Set. Before we started The Summer Set in 2007, myself along with John and Stephen Gomez played in a local band from Phoenix called Last Call For Camden. Our singer was Kennedy Brock, who now plays guitar in The Maine. We started out as a Blink-182, MxPx, and Green Day cover band, playing mostly at our school dances and talent shows. As the years went on we started writing our own music and performing locally around Arizona opening for acts such as Bayside, This Providence, Quietdrive, and many others.
When did you first discover your love for music?
I always had a passion for music growing up since my dad and my older brother were both drummers. However, I was very adamant on playing guitar and not playing the drums, since I wanted to do something different than my family. My dad had promised to buy me a guitar if I played the drums for a year in the school band, and I ended up never getting a guitar because I fell in love with the drums right away. Luckily it worked out!
What’s it like being a female in the music industry?
There are more and more females in the music industry these days, and I love it. I am proud to be one of those females in this industry, and especially being a female playing a male-dominated instrument in this industry. getting a guitar because I fell in love with the drums right away. Luckily it worked out!
Would you say its harder being a female in the music industry? (if yes why? if no, why not?)
Yes and no. I definitely ran into some issues when our band first started touring that I had to overcome. There were a handful of times that I would be questioned entering a venue, or threatened to be kicked out of a venue because they didn't believe I was the drummer of my band. And I have felt more pressure as a female drummer to have to prove myself that I belong with the boys. But I don't run into these issues as much anymore now that we have been touring for about 7 years.