Scott Allan Knost

Ever been at a local show and thought to yourself, “Isn’t that guy in another band?” He probably is.

There is an abundance of musical talent in Wichita – so much so that for some, it can’t be contained to only a solo act or one band. I asked several local musicians how and why they do it. Interviewed below are:

* Dustin Arbuckle of Moreland & Arbuckle and Arbuckle & Page
* Scott Allan Knost, solo musician and of Uche and the Crash
* Wayne Gottstine of Split Lip Rayfield and The Sluggos
* Doug Van Es of The Sluggos and Monterey Jack
* Tom Page of The Tom Page Trio, Arbuckle & Page and owner/engineer of TOPTone Records, a local music studio.

How did being in more than one band at the same time happen for you?

DUSTIN ARBUCKLE: It’s pretty much always been that way for me. Almost as long as I’ve been playing in one band, I’ve had another one (at least) on the side.

SCOTT ALLAN KNOST: I had just started performing solo full time in March 2007, when Uche and The Crash asked me to open for them at Kelly’s. I played my set and watched them play their first couple songs. After that, I couldn’t stop hearing these parts, so I grabbed my acoustic guitar and plugged back in, not knowing whether they would appreciate me doing so. But they all smiled and we jammed the rest of the night, after which they asked me if I would consider playing electric for the band.

WAYNE GOTTSTINE: Not sure, I’ve always been in multiple bands.

DOUG VAN ES: I couldn’t say no.

TOM PAGE: It started out as a desire for artistic variation. I was in a rock band, Sunshine Family, in the 90s and I had the opportunity to play acoustic in the Bluegrass Spiders. In that band, I learned to play mandolin and mountain dulcimer. As time went on, the acoustic band became the focus, rather than the rock band. Currently with the Tom Page Trio and Arbuckle and Page, again, I have the variety of artistic expression.

How do you balance practices, shows and your personal life?

DUSTIN ARBUCKLE: It isn’t always easy. You have to set priorities. For me, M & A is my main thing, so pretty much everything else has to work around our schedule. Also, strange as it may seem, playing in bands that have kept a heavy gig schedule has opened up my time for other things. Gigging a lot keeps you tight, so when you’re busy, you really only have to rehearse occasionally to work up new tunes. That can open up off nights for side gigs and personal time. Of course, whatever is going on in your personal life can greatly influence how easy/difficult it can be to juggle all the musical stuff.

SCOTT ALLAN KNOST: It’s difficult; things have to be constantly updated and in the know. Usually Uche or I will be texting, emailing or calling the other person as we’re locking a date with a venue, to make sure the schedules coincide. Things fall through the cracks sometimes, and you just have to fix it. The art of music is very creative and free, but the business end is very much “Type A” stuff, which can be hard to balance. As far as personal life, its important to try and make time to be normal, you don’t have to take every show you’re offered.

WAYNE GOTTSTINE: It’s pretty easy, because I don’t have a regular job.

DOUG VAN ES: Usually it’s not a problem because between the two bands I am in, the Sluggos and Monterey Jack, I average about one gig a month. Both bands have members that either live out of town or are on the road regularly, so we get together and practice whenever schedules allow, which is not all that often.

TOM PAGE: With the Trio, I flex the time with my bandmates because they have children. When the studio was in the “working phase” (during building renovation), it was difficult, it wore me out. With Dustin it’s not so much an issue. Having the studio makes it easier, we have a place to rehearse, etc.

What do you enjoy about being in more than one band?

DUSTIN ARBUCKLE: Lots of things. Playing several different styles of music, the experience of a different creative dynamic, and the supplemental income are probably the main attractions.

SCOTT ALLAN KNOST: I enjoy getting to have a creative outlet bigger than myself. My music is very intimate and personal, but when I play with Uche I get to do the rock and roll thing, it’s a little bit more gutsy. From a business standpoint, it helps if I don’t have a solo show but Uche picks up a band show or vice versa, I am able to fill that date financially.

WAYNE GOTTSTINE: I like playing a variety of music.

DOUG VAN ES: With the Sluggos, I get to play all original music in a band that features two great songwriters. With Monterey Jack, I get to play all covers in a high-energy band that always packs the club and the dance floor.

TOM PAGE: Again the artistic expression and mixing things up help in smaller markets like Wichita. Even with the Trio, there are levels of intensity. We play acoustic and electric. The Trio is working on songs for a new CD. My new slogan is “Dustbowl Rock ‘n’ Roll”! - Denise Grays, VerbICT.com

The Hutch/Wichita music scene is full of talented musicians covering many genres. I chatted it up with a couple of our area's rising stars; Conscious Creatures and Scott Allan Knost, so you can be in the know about their music and where you can hear it.



“Experimental rock, funk and blues” is how Troy Tolbert of Conscious Creatures describes their sound. Other members are Shaun Ford, Nick Roberts, Kyle Norwood, Monty Gray and Rob Gilbert, all from Hutchinson. You may have caught them performing at Metropolitan Coffee, Brooks, Marcella’s Red Lion or The W. They have also become a favorite at Third Thursdays downtown.



The majority of their music is original but they do have 5 covers that they work into their sets. One of their most popular songs is a collaboration with close friend of the band Josh Hernandez. Originally called “Vortex” when performed just by the Creatures, it becomes “Abstraction of Justice” with the addition of Josh’s rap vocals.



The band hopes to do some recording this fall as well as expand their gigs to include Lawrence, Wichita and surrounding areas. For more information on Conscious Creatures and to hear their music, go to their Myspace page.

*Catch them live this Third Thursday at the gazebo at Avenue A Park.*



Wichita musician Scott Allan Knost celebrated his 700th live solo performance at the beginning of July, but has only recently started playing his brand of “gritty, yet hopeful acoustic rock” for Hutch crowds. In March, he opened the Uncle Kracker/Rehab concert at Memorial Hall and has since played several venues for Third Thursday.



Scott has toured from California to Georgia, but is currently working on growing his regional audience. I asked him if he has dreams of moving away and hitting the big time, he responded “There is a lot of room between the top and bottom. I don’t need to make millions. I feel like I’m happy and can do what I want to do here.”



Scott’s original song “The Bottom Line” has become a favorite of his and his fans along with the always requested cover “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”. His passion is the live shows, which tend be approximately 70% his original music with 30% covers. He also has albums available for purchase on Amazon, iTunes as well as at his concerts. Scott’s websites are: Myspace | Facebook.

*Scott will perform at The W this Thursday at 8:30pm. No cover*

- Sara Goertz, Whats Up Hutch.Com

Singer/songwriters are everywhere now, heard on radios and playing in coffee shops and open mic nights all over the country. Scott Allan Knost is one of them, and the Wichita-based artist wants to make a mark without having to change for his audience.

"I don't think I've ever written anything where it was like, 'People will love this, but I can't really stand this,'" Knost says. "Once people see me live, they know what I'm about."

Knost will play at 9 p.m. tonight at Cafe Acoustic, 2605 Frederick Ave. The show is free.

The 31-year-old grew up in the Midwest on a healthy diet of church music and The Judds, only to find his inspiration to pick up guitar in the licks of Prince and Poison lead guitarist C.C. DeVille.

After 17 years of playing, he feeds his ego and scratches his guitar-soloing itch in the Wichita group Uche and the Crash. But when it comes to his songs, the message is clearer when acoustic guitar and vocals are the only elements.

"I've always kind of done it because I feel like by myself, it's translated better," he says.

Knost gave up the whole day job thing back in March 2007 to pursue music full time, mainly playing in the Midwest. His music mixes the style of John Mayer with the emotional, "tell it like it is" honesty of Ryan Adams. Whether he opens listeners up to his own life experiences or incorporates the true tales of others ("It's kind of like the names have been changed to protect the guilty," he says), honest tales win out over imaginative fabrications.

"My market is people that can see right through me if I try to fake them out," Knost says. "I don't think people have time for fake feelings."

With a studio and live EP and his 2006 full-length album "Stream of Consciousness" behind him, Knost continues to hit the road before he heads down to Texas to record his next release. Knost's performance at 9 p.m. tonight at Cafe Acoustic will be the first time he's played the Cafe in two years, but owner Lisa Hancock recalls certain characteristics about Knost that stick out.

"He's pretty folk-rocky," Hancock says. "I think he takes a lot of his stuff from real life and writes a lot about love and the ups-and-downs."

In a recent show in Chicago, Knost played for a crowd of 12 people. Out of the 12 that saw his show, three people bought a CD. Not a bad ratio for a guy whose sole focus is writing for himself and performing for others, hoping that everybody can get on the same page.

"For me, my underlying goal is not to be dismissible folk," Knost says. "I don't want to try to hard to be different. I want to write what I believe." - Blake Hannon, The St Joseph News-Press

Scott Allan Knost jokes that he'd like to introduce his guitar to Willie Nelson's famously battered ax. They both share holes in the top worn by long, hard playing.

"This is Guinevere," Knost said, strumming his acoustic. "His is Trigger. I've been trying to set up a play date but I haven't heard anything back."

Then again, Knost might have been out when the call came. Last week, he played his 700th show since going full-time as a musician in 2005. He'll perform tonight during an after-work party at the Brickyard and Wednesday at Larry Bud's.

Knost is probably best known for solo acoustic shows on the patio at Mort's in Old Town, where by his count he's played 120 times, and in particular for his interpretation of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," a Cyndi Lauper song not covered by many male performers.

Despite being a little chagrined at just how often the song is requested, it's a pretty good indication of the "raw, vulnerable" side he tries to expose when playing solo acoustic gigs and writing his own songs.

What makes Knost unusual is that he's also capable of laying down screaming electric guitar leads, as he does when appearing as a sideman with Uche and the Crash, headed by his good friend Uche.

"Playing the lead guitar, it's the 'Id' part," Knost said, grinning again. "I get to go out and play the rock star for the cause."

In an interview on an Old Town patio, Knost appears much closer in personality to his acoustic side. He lights a cigarette and, after a few minutes of talking, apologizes for not having removed his sunglasses earlier. Later, he checks to make sure he doesn't sound conceited or jaded (which he doesn't).

"This is what I want to do with my life," he said. "This is what I've always wanted to do."

A Wichita native, Knost grew up listening to all kinds of music and playing in various local bands. He was in a band called Symbiant that got some local radio play, and then got a call from a traveling casino band needing a guitar player in 2004.

"I had to learn 60 songs in two days," he said. The band played six nights a week for three months in "everything short of Vegas."

When Knost returned to Wichita, he started concentrating more on solo acoustic gigs and writing original songs. His percussive acoustic guitar style evolved. He wrote about things he knew; his song "Wichita" is partly about the havoc our weather can wreak on outdoor gigs. He waited tables and worked construction to make ends meet until 2007, when he realized he could support himself playing music.

Knost has recorded several self-produced CDs, most recently a five-song EP called "No Truth Like the Weather," and ventured as far as Chicago and California to play gigs and open-mike nights for the exposure to potential fans.

He makes aggressive use of the Internet for promotion, with Facebook and MySpace accounts touting his music and upcoming shows. Indeed, he used a Facebook campaign to help snag his best gig to date — an opening slot for Uncle Kracker and Rehab in Hutchinson earlier this summer. Knost went on stage in front of 1,500 people who he knew were there to see somebody else. Afterward, he sold out of CDs and T-shirts, and even signed autographs.

"I walked away thinking, 'I got 'em. That works. Maybe I could do this.' "

Those are the kind of shows he's trying to find more of now. He wants to play more of his own songs, which right now comprise about 80 percent of his act, and play in the surrounding area to attract as many listeners as possible.

"I'm always just trying to catch that thing," he said, putting Guinevere in her case for a bit. "I hope to take some people with me."
- Joe Stumpe, The Wichita Eagle