Earl Burrows may be one of Nashville's most under-the-radar supergroups. Founded by Mark Watrous as a vehicle for the songs he had been banking while working as a touring member for acts including The Shins, Racounteurs, Karen Elson and Brendan Benson. Backing him is a crew of musicians with similarly impressive resumes: guitarist Carson Medders is a member of The Non-Comissioned Officers The Medders and Fox Bear Snake, drummer James Freshwater played for Lovedrug, and brother/bassist Joel Watrous played for DC's Dance Imperative and Mu Meson. Together they perform what the band describes as "music for thinkers by thinkers;" ie: impeccably executed compositions with decidedly left-of-center origins. They're sharp and intelligent, but don't let their wit get in front of the 70's-flavored pop fun or ability to spin a yarn. True to their dark horse nature, Earl Burrows has been appearing as a supporting act on consistently great bills for the past year they've been together, and are building up to an early 2015 release of their debut full-length album. For the interim, check them out live at The Basement on October 2nd, and dig into their available music online here. -Terra James-Jura
