Album Notes

Train Go Sorry is the brainchild and alias of Portland, OR songwriter Chad Bault. With and/or without a revolving cast of supporting characters Chad uses a balance of easy-going humor and a sincere, plaintive melancholy to connect with his audience. “I write songs for the underdog.” he explains, “I write about the things that hurt. I write about the things that most pop songwriters don’t want to talk about. I try to be as open and honest about my emotions as I can, and I think people connect with that. Sometimes it just helps to know someone else feels the same.”

Train Go Sorry’s roots are found in the seemingly incongruent genres of Garage and Folk. Growing up in the farmlands of Eastern Washington at the height of the Grunge explosion, Chad cut his teeth in garage band after garage band. He developed the gritty side of his voice by covering songs by Nirvana and Alice In Chains. His first band, Big Brother, was one of the few Eastern Washington grunge bands to receive positive press in the then popular Seattle weekly The Rocket.

With the education gained in those rural garages and attics Chad began performing solo; opening for artists like Pedro the Lion, Sixpence None the Richer and Damien Jurado. Drawing on influences across the musical spectrum, his unique brand of indie infused acoustic music was beginning to take shape. “I was as much influenced by Kurt Cobain as I was Nick Drake. I’ve always tried to hear beyond the labels that we put on music, and find the artists behind them. I’ve been forever changed by artists like Jeff Buckley, Michael Hedges, Utah Phillips, Bono, Tracy Chapman, Jeff Tweedy and Johnny Cash. It’s all in there, filtering out through my perspective and abilities.”

Since moving to Portland, Oregon in the fall of 2002 Chad has become a fixture on the burgeoning music scene there. Train Go Sorry has performed with bands from many different styles because of the uniqueness and broad appeal of Chad’s voice. Southofmainstream.com says of his voice, “it's husky and warm, a little gritty and it's got a powerful emotional punch.” He can play an indie rock show Friday night and a songwriter-in-the-round on Saturday without changing one note or arrangement.

Although primarily a one-man band, Train Go Sorry has expanded over the last 2 years to occasionally include an all-star and ever-changing line-up of Portland talent. Drummer Adam Mack (The Paperboys), guitarist Jaycob Van Auken, multi-instrumentalists Michael Benke and Keith Peterson, bassists Darren Claymon and Wayne Miller (Derby) have all been a part of the Train Go Sorry family.

Train Go Sorry’s debut full-length CD is a heart wrenching and deeply personal album. Set against a backdrop of alt-country tinged indie rock, Souvenir explores emotional subjects such as divorce, death and the loss of religion. Recorded mostly in basement studios in and around the Portland area, the feel is intentionally relaxed. In an age of digital slickness, capturing spontaneous and inspired performances is rare. Souvenir captures just that. It’s sonic textures compliment the personal nature of its lyrics perfectly. Souvenir was released nationally through Burnside Distribution on August 9th, 2005.