Music Spotlight: Bowl Peace Droppin’ Some Dream Pop

Written by Elijah Newman

Photographed by Megan McEntee

Designed by Miles Imai

Without further ado, meet the all-student indie rock band coming out of the University of Oregon: Bowl Peace. With Elizabeth Bailey sitting on the drums, Holden Hunt strumming the guitar, Owen Akiyama slapping the bass and Elise Benton providing the vocals, they band together to create fun, catchy music for everyone to enjoy. Bowl Peace was a somewhat recent venture. They all met and started making music in November 2022. Holden, in his own words, was the “Nick Fury” of their beginnings. He — like Samuel L. Jackson in the Marvel Universe — recruited everyone, adhered to individual talents and skills and formed a band that was destined to be together.

“We immediately clicked and got along with each other so well,” Bailey said. As a group, their creativity sparked, and the rest is history: Bowl Peace was born.

Attendees of their shows can feel the inherent camaraderie and true intention which is “to just have fun,” said Benton. “We’re about going places and having fun.”

This concept, however, doesn’t derail them from their goal of gaining some attention and getting their music out there. “Right now we’re really focused on playing shows and creating a community in physical spaces. We’re honing in on establishing our presence,” Akiyama said.

The mark of any good band is a lasting name. “It came out of nowhere,” Bailey said. They were sitting around, riffing, thinking of lyrics and new melodies when she lifted the bowl piece up from a bong and a lightbulb went off in everyone’s heads. Their name is not Bowl Piece, but rather Bowl Peace. It fits not only their band and the music they play, but their own individual lifestyles, likeness towards smoking and easy-going demeanor.

Their genre, according to Bailey, is a “softer indie rock.” Bowl Peace’s music isn’t as heavy and punk as many indie rock bands in Eugene. Hunt said they tend to “lean more on dream pop compared to most bands.” That’s why Bowl Peace is so unique; they have an interesting, contemporary style, and their surreal, dream-like melodies deliver a relieving, psychedelic mood. You can feel their cannabis-influenced, impressionistic flair in their narrative-driven songs.

The group currently has one track out on all streaming platforms. The song “Idaho” has an accompanying music video on YouTube, produced entirely by Hunt. You can also find it in our “Very Green Eugene 4/20” playlist on Spotify.

“It’s a Eugene take on a stoner movie,” said Bailey. “It’s about us trying to get to a show in Idaho but everything goes wrong.” The several obstacles along their way enhance the song beautifully.

Their music and online presence show how their influences all stem from different media backgrounds. Hunt said their video has a “Wes Anderson style to it,” while Bailey listed off some bands that have helped them adopt their sound, such as The Cure, The Beatles, Pulp and Alvvays. It’s also not just 80s and 90s rock that have given them inspiration — their ‘ear’ expands to other influential contemporary genres.

It’s always interesting to hear about a band’s writing process. Bowl Peace is adamant about their collective effort when it comes to pen on paper. They don’t believe in one writer who comes up with the story or message. It takes all of them, together.

“We go by sections,” said Benton. “One of us will ask, ‘how does this verse look? No? Ok, what about this one?’ We each write lyrics collectively and go from there — which is how we piece songs together.”

This collaborative process makes their music a wholesome and inviting experience. Their performances create an entertaining and fun atmosphere for everyone involved.

“Our shows usually include five original songs, in addition to weedclassic covers that are fun and engaging for the crowd,” Bailey said.

Watch out for their upcoming song: “Coconaut,” which is about fruit and a surfer who wants to be an astronaut. Akiyama states that the song “has a lot of room for individual interpretations and fun metaphors mixed in.”

Any 21+ music lovers available on 4/20 can attend Bowl Peace’s fun and laid-back show exclusively publicized through the band’s Instagram @bowlpeace. It’ll be the perfect time to vibe to great music and soak up what makes Bowl Peace the dream pop band to look out for.