Chad didn’t start writing songs because he wanted to be a musician. He started because he burned out. Years of corporate pressure, constant availability, and the slow erosion of his inner life left him feeling hollow and voiceless. Songwriting became the only place he could tell the truth — about himself, the people he loved, and the quiet suffering he saw everywhere around him

His sound is rooted in the Oklahoma scene he grew up in — Red Dirt, gospel, and working‑class rock — a background that shaped his writing into a plainspoken but emotionally precise narrative voice. Now based on Guemes Island in Washington’s Salish Sea, he pairs that Oklahoma edge with a quiet, hard‑won reflectiveness.

He performs with The Setbacks, a Pacific Northwest collective anchored by producer and bassist Jim Reeder, drummer Chris Marin, and keyboardist/violinist Dan Burnett. Together, they build arrangements that keep the focus on the songs — lean, dynamic, and built for audiences that value substance over flash.