Local Band Releases CD, Gets Ready for Tour

Not every town has a band it can call its own. Deerfield does, and it's local boys—young men now, actually, but high school students when it all began—are getting ready to hit the road for a summer tour.

The Burrows 4, consisting of frontman and lead vocalist Andy Burrows, guitarist Kenny Thompson, guitarist Luke Ray, bass guitarist Derek Fohrman, and drummer Christian Spigos, will play at Musikfest in Bethlehem, Pa., on Friday, August 5th at 8:30 p.m. They’ll be in good company: Stone Temple Pilot will be playing on another stage at the fest around the same time.

The group joked that they’re the “free” band that fest-goers get to hear before shelling out cash for the big name that follows, but the event can help attract new fans and attention. The band, which plays only original compositions, also will play concerts in Muncie and Pittsburg as part of the tour.

The band has a host of local concerts this summer too, all listed on the band’s Facebook page. On August 14 they plan to return to play for Chicago’s Rock and Roll Marathon, where last year they entertained crowds from the steps of the Chicago Art Institute.

The Burrows 4 recently released their second CD, Mending Matters, now available on iTunes and other sites. The band said this new release reflects a more mature musical style that benefits from the phases—musical and personal--they’ve experienced since releasing the first, with longer songs and a more focused approach. Into that mix, throw a little country influence, they said. 

“The first CD was just what we had” at the time, like any other band’s first album, said Ray. “This is more deliberate,” he said of the second release. 

Finding the right phrase to describe The Burrows 4 sound still proves elusive for the band. Instead, they provide a laundry list of the combination of talents: Burrows brings a soul/blues sound, Fohrman provides the funk, Spigos adds an indie approach, Thompson specializes in jazz, and Ray polishes the sound with a rock and roll finish.  

“We all bring something to the table to make our sound unique,” said Fohrman. They’ve had good luck with that sound, with a victory in the Taste of Chicago’s Battle of the Bands in 2009, one highlight of their musical journey. 

The band also recently finished a video based on its song Cry the Days Away, available on YouTube. The band filmed the video independently, tapping into the talents of friends and family to get it done. Family members of Thompson, for example, played a role in the video, friends of the band with video experience helped film, and Burrows helped spearhead production having worked in video editing at his college.

Band members said they look forward to sharing their new creations with new audiences. It’s all about connecting with the people who come to hear, they said. “We write music for people,” said Burrows, capturing the band’s mission in few words.

Information about the band, managed by Arnie Weil, can also be found at the band’s website www.theburrowsfour.com.