Savor the Burn:

(W2) Wayne Wilkes

Born and raised in St. Louis, I found myself moving to Kansas City, where I attended The Kansas City Art Institute earning my Bachelors of Fine Art in Design and Illustration. My great grandfather was a painter, and at an early age had the opportunity to sit at an easel in his studio with him, exploring the world of art. To this day, I am still active in the local art community, displaying work every chance I get.

Music has also been an influential part of my life. I started playing violin in school in the third grade and quickly excelled, both in school orchestra and with private instruction. In middle school, looking for new challenges, I switched to stand-up bass and eventually found my way to the bass guitar. This foundation set the stage for a life long love of music and would influence my creative process in everything I do.

For the better part of the past thirty years, I found myself in several bands and submerged in the Kansas City local music scene.

Burn the Gates made its public debut in March 2016 at the All Star Bar in North KC. Give a listen, catch a show, and follow us on social media!

I have an amazing wife and a father of three. Never a dull moment with a toddler running rampant at all hours of the day! When I'm not playing music or creating art, I can usually be found riding or working on my motorcycles.

Beyond the bourbon and whiskey, beer holds a special interest for me as well. From roughly 2001 through 2009, I was very active in the home brewing process learningas much as I could about brewing, ingredients, and how to bottle. I love hunting and discovering new beers, new breweries, and have checked-in just shy of 3,000 unique beers into the mobile app Untappd. If you love beer and use the app, look me up @wayneAwilkes. I'm hoping to step back into the brewing world at some point and who knows, maybe try my hand at distilling, we shall see. - W2