Paul Burchs East to West was recorded live in part at British Grove Studios in London and in Nashville. The fresh locale was suggested by fellow musician and contributor Mark Knopfler. Many of the songs--from a duet with Ralph Stanley, to the rock out with Tim O'Brien, as well as the tribute to John Peelwere inspired by the tidal back and forth flow of English and American influences. With backing from the WPA Ballclub the album is comprised mostly of first takes and casts a dry, unwavering eye on the ambivelance and hair trigger tempo of modern living.

Paul Burch was raised outside Washington, DC, in rural Virginia and Maryland.

The DC music scene in the 70s was fantastic. Any night of the week you could hear jazz, r&b, and bluegrass. My family took me to everything: John Prine, Gram Parsons with Emmylou; Linda Ronstadt and Les McCann used to come out to the farm we rented, Joe Boussard was on the radio playing Charlie Patton records. I saw John Fahey play in tiny coffee houses. It was magic.

Burch started as a drummer (pots and pans to drum sets) and then went to guitar and piano. As a teenager Burch moved to Mississippi and then Indiana where he graduated from Purdue University and formed his first band, Atomic Clock. He was a dj there for WCCR, interviewing blues greats like James Cotton, Lonnie Brooks, and Son Seals when they came to town. "We were on the circuit and those guys were very accessible, especially to me and my friends because we knew all their records.

Burch arrived in Nashville in the early 90s and saw his first sessions with Owen Bradley. He soon began a residency at Tootsies Orchid Lounge, the old hangout to Opry performers. The Lower Broadway scene took off as word spread about an edgy new form of honky tonk music.

Burchs debut Pan American Flash was voted in the top 5 country cds of the 90s by Amazon.com. Billboards Chet Flippo called it extraordinary, establishing Burch as a leader in marrying countrys roots tradition with a modern sensibility. Chet Atkins heard the album and phoned the Oprys Midnight Jamboree to spread the word.

Burch has since contributed to recordings by Candi Staton, Ryan Adams, Vic Chesnutt, Bobby Bare Sr. and Kate Rusby. Burch is also the semi-retired vibrophnist in residence for Lambchop appearing on several albums including the classic Nixon. Previous WPA albumsWire to Wire, Blue Notes, Fool For Love, and Last of My Kindmade year-end best of lists including Village Voice, London Times, and Chicago Tribune. Burch served as music consultant to PBSs The Appalachians and his songs have appeared in films by Walt Disney, HBO, BBC and recently David Croninbergs History of Violence. He is also serves as a producer for the series, Wide Open Country on CMT's broadband internet channel Loaded.