Kansas based rock, Americana, bluegrass composer/singer/guitarist/mandolinist Wayne Gottstine has signed with Lightning In A Bottle Records. Plans are being made to record an album in the PNW March 2024. The new album, being discussed under the project name of "Wayne Gottstine and PNW Thunder", will be recorded in Portland OR at a studio yet to be determined, and produced by Timmer Blakely, Wayne Gottstine, and Timothy James. The as of yet untitled album will feature 11 new original songs written by Wayne and assembled by the PNW Thunder crew, comprised of TJ Wong(guitar), Alec Donn (drums), and Timmer Blakely (bass). Many special guests are being discussed and it's safe to say that the new album will be dusted with appearances from several LIABR artists, as is common on LIABR releases. Rough estimates have the album being released in May of 2024. Live shows with "Wayne Gottstine and PNW Thunder" are currently being set up to coincide with Waynes PNW visit. Watch for those dates.
Wayne's most recent album "Fallen" was released independently earlier this year to rave reviews, strong stage sales, and solid streaming numbers. "Fallen" features 11 original songs written by Wayne........ Production of the "Fallen" album was begun just as Wayne was recovering from chemotherapy treatments for stage 4 lung cancer. The album reflects all of the emotions anyone may experience going through that difficult journey, and the questionable future it presents you with. "Fallen" showcases the remarkable pool of talent that Wayne brought together for the project. Fallen was produced by Colin Mahoney who also played drums on the album joined by bassist Brian Schey, steel and assorted strings by Charlie Rose from Elephant Revival, and vocal goddess Melody Walker sang back up vocals. They all convened in Lyons, Colorado to make what Wayne thought would be his last record. Fortunately, he has cancer on the run and is continuing to play shows throughout 2023.
Wayne's musical journey has been a long and rich one. He first tasted success with his band Scroat Belly who signed to Bloodshot Records in 1995. Bloodshot quickly learned that they were in over their head with Scroat Belly, so Wayne joined another Bloodshot act called Split Lip Rayfield. Coast to coast touring and recording from 1998 to 2019 with the notoriously wild punk/bluegrass band, Wayne honed his skills to a razor sharp edge. Split Lip Rayfield was a force to be reckoned with, and the boys played all over the continent including Red Rocks, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, and on the flipside tours with Primus and The Reverend Horton Heat.
In 2020, Wayne kicked off his solo career with the independently released album "Cars and Stars". This guitar driven album was well received and still shows strong streaming numbers. Like many albums of this time frame, due to the pandemic lock down, this album did not receive any live show support in it's sales.
"I found Wayne a few years ago on TikTok and felt an immediate liking for him. He had a brilliant sense of humor and a very charming, dare i say sexy, demeanor. Then i heard him play! What a talent, what a composer. I wanted to sign him to LIABR when he was discussing the release of "Fallen". At that time, i felt like we didn't have enough to offer him. LIABR has grown remarkably since then and i feel that we can develop a very symbiotic relationship now. Plus i really want to record with him. He is a monster." per Timmer Blakely, bassist and LIABR owner.
Stay tuned for more updates on the "Wayne Gottstine and PNW Thunder" project as details emerge. In the mean time, you can hear Wayne's previous albums here;
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