BTW: Magnus Taylor

by Faith Bennett
Though the name of mandolin musician Magnus Taylor may conjure a different image, the girl responsible for the music is the diminutive and soft-spoken Hannah Bowlus, who spoke with EU on the source of her inspiration and her pseudonym.
It wasn’t too long ago that Hannah Bowlus began performing under the “rich, Roman” moniker Magnus Taylor, which, she notes, was her great-grandfather’s name and would’ve been her name too, if she had been born a boy. “It’s a persona,” she says. “I went by my own name for a while, but figured it wasn’t powerful enough.” Her music does certainly live up to her new, powerful name.
Bowlus began playing when she came across her father’s 70s-era mandolin and decided to teach herself, discovering her knack for the instrument. She has since recorded enough material to put out an independently produced album, titled Magnus, that is for sale at her shows and available for purchase through Facebook.
As for Magnus Taylor’s music, it is lively mandolin folk music influenced by Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, as well as local and Southern music, and could easily capture the same audience as bands such as Neutral Milk Hotel (whom Bowlus sometimes covers), The Band, or Beirut. In true folk fashion, she sings Magnus Taylor songs with a bit of a Southern accent and tends to tell vividly visual stories, which Bowlus says are more fact than fiction, though the line is sometimes blurred.
Though Bowlus frequently graces house shows and parties with the original music of Magnus Taylor (in addition to creative mandolin covers of other bands), her other performances are rare. To those wanting to keep up with Magnus Taylor and catch her upcoming performances, the Magnus Taylor Facebook page (www.facebook.com/pages/Magnus-Taylor) is the place to go. In the past, she’s played stages like that of the newly renovated Jack Rabbits a few times; Magnus Taylor should have more shows in the future that are sure to impress.