Chad Kichula

Chad Kichula Artist Biography

“It's a constant drive. I'm always driving things forward…enjoying and playing the music.”
Chad Kichula
On His Own
In 2005, Chad Kichula sold his truck to pay for his first album. The result was a self-titled americana/roots-rock album that displayed Chad's development as a songwriter. With songs such "Sierra Leone”, Kichula showed he could craft lyrics and tell a story; just as Springsteen and Earle had. By working hard pruning and cutting trees by day, Chad was now clearing the way to cut his tracks and developed as a songwriter. It was now time to shake the world up a bit.

The EPs
In 2007, Chad went into the studio to record a three song EP entitled Better in the Morning. Released later that same year, it featured acoustic compositions which Chad was already playing on the road. The debut single off the EP, “Never Seen the Ocean” would be a breakout song for Chad in early 2008 when he sent it a radio promoter in Los Angeles. The song would chart at #15 on the AC/Hot AC spins chart as well as #22 on the Hot 100 Singles chart and in the process receive thousands of spins on college radio stations in the US.

Chad followed Better in the Morning with another three song EP in 2008, World Shaker. The title track was a heavy dose of roots-rock inspired by the drama film Cool Hand Luke. World Shaker had a perfect mix of Folk, Blues and Country and exemplified Chad's influence from albums like Nebraska. The two other tracks on World Shaker, "Another Love" and "Gotta' Hold on Me" displayed Chad's variety in style and lyrical craft all within their catchy acoustic rifts.

Runners in the Night
By early 2008 Chad's head was flooded with fresh material. It had been three years since his last full-length album release and time had come to set down the chainsaw and head back into the studio. The result would be Runners in the Night. Released in early 2009, it contained a mix of new material and cuts off the EP World Shaker. Runners in the Night was a collision of emotion and energy molded perfectly together in a tapestry of tales about the working class. In songs such as “Restless Man” and “Crying in the Rain”, Springsteen's influence on Kichula shines through. The title song shows just how refined Chad's storytelling had become. Kichula explains, “I guess it is people trying to do their best against the odds that inspires me. The human spirit that seems to rise above the darkness that tries to envelop them.”

Killer
Killer is Chad’s record for 2011. Its recording began within weeks of the release of Runners, but it would take almost two years to complete. Choosing not to track in a studio, Chad removed the restrictions and the financial pressure to complete a studio record. In addition, Chad was working once more with co-producer Matt Kaip (Chad Kichula, and Better in the Morning). Mobile recording was their focus, and with unlimited recording hours at their disposal, they now could experiment and create as they wished. The result of which, captures raw performances and their most creative productions

Moving Forward
In the midst of a never ending drive to write and record, Chad is consistently touring western Canada. All this time, still working a very physical and demanding job to support his music. It seems like a way of life after all these years…the working side and the creative side combining to make the artist.