Liam Gowing, a talented singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, was born in Dallas, Texas, as the "fifth of four" children to a father who served as an Army paratrooper and suffered hearing damage during the Korean War, and a mother who was an opera singer with an exceptional sense of pitch. Gowing's musical journey began at the age of 10 when he taught himself to play the piano and guitar by ear. By seventh grade, he had formed a cover band with his childhood friend Bob Musso, and by 17, he had recorded an album of original songs and composed a rock opera before graduating high school.
Choosing to attend UCLA over a scholarship to Stanford University, Gowing aimed to be closer to the music industry in Los Angeles. There, he performed occasionally with college bandmates Matt Kropp and Chris Varosy. After graduating magna cum laude, he declined an offer from the prestigious University of Chicago Law School, opting instead to travel the world with a $100 Epiphone acoustic guitar. During this journey, he drew inspiration for new songs after meeting the Dalai Lama and witnessing Mount Everest. Upon returning to Los Angeles, Gowing set out to secure a record deal and began recording a four-song demo titled ironically “The Best Thing that Never Happened to Me.”
Tragically, just as he completed the demo, he learned that his mother had been diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer. Overwhelmed with grief, Gowing found it difficult to promote the demo during her six-month illness. After a year of performing solo acoustic shows and a stint as lead guitarist in a friend's progressive jam band, he stepped away from music to pursue a career in journalism. His writing appeared in various publications, including LA Weekly, Filter, Paste, N.M.E., and SPIN Magazine, where his in-depth article on Elliott Smith's death earned a nomination for a 2005 ASME "Ellie" Award in Best Profile Writing. Gowing eventually became a city editor for the A.V. Club and later a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times, where he created the notable recreation-and-adventure column "Action Man" and co-wrote a feature film script.
In 2011, Gowing's music career was reignited by a chance encounter with fellow UCLA alumnus Jerry “Mr.” Pao, a turntablist from the hip-hop group 1000 Clowns. Pao offered to engineer recording sessions at Gowing's home in exchange for a place to stay. Enthusiastic about the opportunity, Gowing borrowed a bass guitar and acquired a drum kit to establish his home studio, "Purdizzy." With Pao's assistance, Gowing meticulously overdubbed multiple instruments to create the backing tracks for ten new songs, which culminated in his debut solo album, Drunk Sluts Forever, released in 2013 and mixed by fellow UCLA graduate Bill O’Neil.
Despite receiving positive reviews, including a declaration from KCSN program director Marc “Mookie” Kaczor that it was “an instant indie rock classic,” Gowing struggled to achieve financial success. The controversial album title led to challenges with radio promotion, and he found it difficult to sustain a touring band. Consequently, Gowing returned to freelance writing and began teaching the LSAT.
Motivated by his friend Kim Huynh, a practicing Buddhist who aimed to complete her bucket list in 2017, Gowing resolved to record songs he had written in the late 1990s and early 2000s following his mother's death and the tragic suicide of his roommate, Josh McGinn. He decided to create a double album that would include both older material and newer, “less haunted” songs. This endeavor gave rise to his project, Mother Lode.
To realize his vision of elaborate productions featuring strings, horns, and symphonic movements, Gowing moved to Shanghai, China, in the fall of 2017 to teach English Literature at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Committing himself to this project, he spent the following five years arranging and recording 27 tracks during his summer and winter breaks. Upon returning to the United States in the summer of 2022, he enlisted Jon Griffin of LunaZen Studios to mix 24 of the songs for the album.
Mother Lode was released on Gowing's own label, MojoSon, through CDBaby, with digital distribution to platforms including iTunes, Amazon Music, Spotify, and Napster on November 15, 2022.
