Earl Burrows
Nashville, Tennessee, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2013 | SELF
Music
Press
After years being indie rock’s greatest utility player, Mark Watrous is stepping up to front his own band. Beginning his career as a member of Gosling/Loudermilk, Watrous would go on to become a touring member for the likes of The Raconteurs and The Shins. Now, he’s set to release No Love for the Drowning, the first record from his Earl Burrows project, on September 18th.
Though it may be Watrous’ big coming out show, Earl Burrows isn’t a one-man band. Watrous’ brother Joel Watrous and fellow sibling pair Will and Carson Medders join him in the Nashville indie rock outfit. What’s more, his Raconteurs bandmate Brendan Benson tagged along to produce the LP.
Tapping into a lifetime of industry involvement, brotherly love, and the talent of Benson, No Love for the Drowning is a massive debut that proves Watrous is more than the man in the background. The album mixes big indie sounds (“Our Kind“) with the playful attitude of pre-’90s rock (“I Live in the Walls”). While roots styles drip off of everything (from opener “Delicate Ribbon” to closer “Infinite Space”), “Go Home Girl” shares as much with Spoon as it does the bands twanging down in Nashville dives. The whole thing acts like a testament to the talent that served Watrous so wells during his years as a musical journeyman. - Consequence of Sound
The Nashville-based band Earl Burrows set the bar high with their debut album, No Love For the Drowning. Filled with action-packed guitar licks, soulful piano and other instrumental combinations, Burrows’ first album is one of a kind.
Earl Burrows consists of brothers Mark and Joel Watrous, Carson Medders and James Freshwater. Their debut album gives us a view into the mind of Watrous, the band’s creator. Before he formed Earl Burrows, Watrous was a member of The Shins and The Raconteurs, as well as a tour member playing guitar for Loudermilk and Gosling. He and his brother Joel, also a front man in the music industry, have remarkable knowledge of music and instrumentation, continually prove they understand what goes into creating an awesome song.
No Love For the Drowning is a 10-song story of romance and lost love with sultry chords and changing tempos that keep you guessing. This band understands the essence of age-old rock and adds an edgy pop undertone that makes every song on this album a hit.
Mark Watrous’ complex musical showcase and expertise have the potential to bring Earl Burrows to the top and give them a chance to become one of Nashville’s top indie bands and beyond. MXDWN is already streaming Earl Burrow’s song “Go Home Girl,” but their whole album is packed with quality music that’ll leave the listener playing it on repeat. There are big expectations for Earl Burrows and hopes that No Love For the Drowning will be followed up with an even better album.
Kyra Walton // Contributing writer - mtsu sidelines
Mark Watrous has been an unseen force in indie rock for the better part of a decade. He’s performed as a touring member of both The Raconteurs and The Shins, as well as playing guitar for Loudermilk and Gosling. After years working as a utility player, he’s branching out as a frontman with his new band Earl Burrows.
Teaming up with his brother Joel Watrous and fellow sibling pair Will and Carson Medders, the group has been performing together since 2013. Now, they’re preparing to release their first album, No Love for the Drowning, on September 18th. Produced by fellow Raconteur Brendan Benson, the 10-track effort is now previewed with the band’s latest single “Our Kind”.
“I wrote ‘Our Kind’ about the isolation my wife and I were feeling after leaving New York,” Watrous tells Consequence of Sound. “It was really difficult finding people we felt connected to in Nashville.”
The song plays up to Watrous’ rock roots, indulging in big riffs and clamoring piano tones. There’s a grandiose aesthetic to the track, with everything part played with vigor and volume. Though the instrumentation feels bright and energetic, the lyrics carry a bit more weight with sobering lines like “I promise we won’t be missed next time.” It’s a thrilling mixture of rock excess and sentimental candor. - Consequence of Sound
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Nashville-based Earl Burrows plays jagged, jangly 70’s glam-rock era pop that is both tough and intelligent in delivery. Formed in 2013 by frontman Mark Watrous, the band is comprised of brothers Mark & Joel Watrous, and Carson Medders. Together the group plows through angular chords in moments of unanticipated change to reveal buried, yet tenacious hooks. This is music for thinkers by thinkers, and the technical prowess is hard to ignore. Perhaps it’s the musical pedigree coming through as Mark Watrous wrote much of the songs while on the road playing with the likes of The Raconteurs, Brendan Benson, The Greenhornes, Karen Elson, Shudder To Think, and most recently, The Shins. Joel Watrous moved to Nashville from the brothers' hometown in Washington’s Tri-Cities where he was a member of Mu Meson and Dance Imperative, and guitarist Carson Medders continues to play in Nashville’s Non Commissioned Officers, The Medders, and Fox Bear Snake.
While not entirely a first for Mark Watrous, whose original band Loudermilk (later Gosling) signed to a major in the nineties, it’s been a while since Watrous focused on his own material. This recent move has proven to be a good one, with Earl Burrows storming the ever-evolving Nashville scene in what’s been a very productive first year.
The band is currently hard at work in the studio finishing their debut album, to be released in 2015.
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