Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
“…[Train Go Sorry] struck a sort of "right now" chord with me. Maybe it's the 108-degree heat index coupled with the humidity, but I got into Train Go Sorry heavy from the get go. I like alt-country and I like folk, and these boys from Portland have a healthy dose of each going on in their musical formula. I especially like Chad Bault's voice, it's husky and warm, a little gritty and it's got a powerful emotional punch. ... It's got the intelligence and the prettiness of Gathering Field stuff, but it's got a little more gritty realness. I guess what I mean is that when listening I was thinking, this is a guy who shoots straight. No gloss, no bullshit. It's the real deal. I like that.”
- southofmainstream.com
"Sometimes in life you just want to lean against the sharp points, let yourself really feel what it is to be alive whether it's joy, pain, grief or anger. Train Go Sorry is one of those bands that captures the exquisite quality of a melancholy day, the fragile gorgeousness of vulnerability and how good it feels to drink that feeling in and let others look for their silver linings. With open songwriting, their songs aren't necessarily the most dreary you've ever heard but they strike a soothing balance between pain and hope, quietness and vitality, always tuned into the destiny of where each song needs to go, whatever its natural course may be. They have discovered how each song that comes into existence, no matter who might be the vessel, has a heart of its own, a body and a pulse untouchable by any." - Derek @ cdbaby.com
Discography
Souvenir (LP) (released 8/9/05 through Burnside Distribution)
TRACKS:
1. still afraid of my heart
2. alive
3. end of the line
4. veiled
5. no intention
6. apathy
7. when did we stop
8. the other side
9. what is now
10. shame
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
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 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, 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.
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