Boasting 10 understated ruminations on self-loathing, revenge and redemption, Stranded Between Stations was described by the Buffalo News as âThe Basement Tapes recorded with Ray Davies instead of Bob Dylan.â

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ROCK: Roots Rock, ROCK: 60's Rock



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Stranded Between Stations, the debut CD from Mark Norris and the Backpeddlers, answers the age-old question: âWhat does an album recorded in a barn in the dead of winter in Buffalo sound like?â

Whether or not the listener can actually hear the straw, the bitter cold, and the frost on the microphones is anybodyâs guess. Whatâs definite is that harmony, melody, and tunefulness have rarely sounded so warm.

For Norris, this new album is the culmination of a long gestation period that followed the breakup of his old band, girlpope. Norris led that group for over a decade taking the helm at legendary live shows, dalliances with major labels, and critical kudos. âAfter the band split, I wasnât even really sure that I wanted to keep playing,â says Norris. âOnce youâve done something for so long, it can be easy to forget why you started in the first place.â

After a year of false starts and self-loathing, Norris began work on a new batch of songs. Soon, he enlisted bass player/vocalist Andy Vaeth and guitarist/vocalist Roger Bryan to demo his new material together with drummer and longtime friend Chris Cassell. Wasting no time, the band was booked as the opener for a local appearance by the Pernice Brothers before a single rehearsal had even taken place.

The Buffalo News immediately hailed Norrisâ newest collection of songs as âsmart, literate, and tunefulâ and quickly hailed the group as âone of the most exciting original bands currently making music in Buffalo.â In the ensuing months, the Backpeddlers shared the stage with the Violent Femmes and former Dream Syndicate front man Steve Wynn. However, the group focused most of its energies in the recording studio. This meant honing the groupâs âsoundâ and meticulously arranging a tight set of material for their debut release.

Fans of Norrisâ old band will tell you that girlpopeâs stock and trade was brash, aggressive rock. However, the Backpeddlers naturally leaned in another musical direction. From the start, they embraced subtlety, color, and lyrical introspection. âIt wasnât a conscious decision,â stated Norris. âBut the tone of the songs I was writing really required a more gentle, understated arrangement.â From up-tempo rockers âHandclapsâ and âWalk Outâ to country-tinged weepers âWrong Againâ and âTired Eyes,â Stranded Between Stations moves effortlessly from upbeat and buoyant to dark and wistful.

Critics have been quick to note that Stranded Between Stations pays homage to the bittersweet refrains of songwriters like Neil Young, Gene Clark, and Jeff Tweedy, but Norris cites the British songwriters of the sixties as his main influence. âAfter all these years, Iâm really still a devoted fan of that music,â confesses the singer/songwriter. âThatâs what I always come back to and it certainly informs my material.â

Again, the Buffalo News seems to agree, describing The Backpeddlerâs new album as âThe Basement Tapes recorded with Ray Davies instead of Bob Dylan.â

For Norris, the fact that the disc is finally out is enough praise. âYou never know what to expect in life or in music. A year ago, I was quite sure that I was finished with music, and that music was finished with me. But the guys in the Backpeddlers have reaffirmed my love of playing and I think the record exhibits a lot of that enthusiasm, in itâs own quiet sort of way.â