| Mark Watrous | |
| Birth Name: | Mark Watrous |
| Birth Place: | Richland, Washington |
| Origin: | Tri-Cities, Washington |
| Occupation: | Singer–songwriter, musician, visual artist |
| Years Active: | 1995–present |
Mark Watrous is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and graphic/video artist from Richland, Washington. He is best known as a former member of the band Gosling (also known as Loudermilk).[1] [2] Watrous is currently a member of Earl Burrows and the Shins[3] and has routinely performed as a touring member of the Raconteurs, the Greenhornes, Shudder to Think, Brendan Benson, and Karen Elson among others.
See main article: The Red Record. In 1995,[4] friends Davey Ingersoll (vocals, guitar), Mark Watrous (guitar), Shane Middleton (bass) and Issac Carpenter (drums) formed the hard rock quartet Loudermilk[5] [6] in Tri-Cities, Washington.[4] [7] They released their own album, Man with Gun Kills Three!, independently in 1998.[4] [5] [7] After hearing an unauthorized demo,[6] American Recordings subsequently signed the group.[4] [5] Commenting on the demoes, Ingersoll stated that the demo was made just to get songs down and that "It was something [he] didn't even want people to hear".[6] Despite touring with groups such as Mötley Crüe and Megadeth,[4] [5] [6] they were dropped from the label.[4] [5] Speaking about the group being dropped from the label, Ingersoll stated:
DreamWorks Records signed them in early 2002.[4] [5] [6] Several months later, they recorded and released their first official major label album, The Red Record.[4] [5] [6] [7]
See main article: Here Is.... In 2004, Loudermilk changed their name to Gosling,[8] after changing their musical style, retaining all members with Watrous switching from guitar to keyboards.[9] Influenced by the likes of Sunny Day Real Estate,[9] The Smashing Pumpkins,[9] Pink Floyd[9] and Queen,[8] [9] they released the Gosling EP through The Control Group in August 2004.[9] Earlier in the year, they supported Velvet Revolver at The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California.[10] They released their debut full-length Here Is... in 2006 through V2[9] and went on to tour with Rose Hill Drive.[9]
A cover of David Bowie's "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" was included on the soundtrack to the film in 2006.[11]
In 2012, Watrous joined indie rock band the Shins as guitarist and multi-instrumentalist [12]