Chad Mills

Chad Mills
www.chadmillslive.com

Engineer by day, singer/songwriter by night, Mills has hit his stride with his latest album, 2 Places @ Once. He sings of love, angst and accountability, performing both as a solo artist and with his band, which often includes his sister Megan Mills.
- NUVO Weekly

John Mayer brought the singer-songwriter out of the coffeehouse & into the mainstream. But the plethora of shitty singer-songwriters just about ruined it for me. However, my faith was recently restored by...Chad Mills.

Chad is a prolific songwriter with over 150 songs in his catalogue. All of these are made even better by his bass player Chris Welch and percussionist Bob Stewart. This ensemble lends an additional layer of richness and complexity to Chad's tunes.

His guitar style is pretty simple, but as a vocalist and songwriter, he's one of the very best in town. There's an honest spirituality to each song that's hard to quantify. Hear him for yourself at chadmillslive.com - NUVO Weekly

Over one hundred people came out on a school night for Chad Mills' CD release party. Everyone had a great time and left with a CD in hand. I love the CD; it has not left the player in my car. It is rare when a disc holds my attention for that long. "Two Places at Once" is full of love, angst, and accountability. I am really drawn to the song "Purgatory". As a Catholic school child, I was sure that Purgatory was a waiting room full of babies that had died before they were baptized and people who had committed venial sins and not repented properly. I have a different vision of purgatory now, and as Chad sings about being "stuck here in my own purgatory," it can also be a very real feeling.

Chad did not start playing music until he was close to finishing a degree in engineering from Rose-Hulman. In the last eight years he has written hundreds of songs and recorded five albums. I'm sure he is most proud of his latest production--daughter Abby Elizabeth was born May 25th.

- Nora Spitznogle - Broad Ripple Gazette

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Chad Mills
Story by Ryan Williams - Photos by Submitted Photo -
May 18th @ Birdy's

Listen: http://tinyurl.com/njpy2


IndianapolisMusic.net presents the Artist of the Week. Each week our editorial staff will select one local artist who has made a place in the spotlight for themselves by giving Indy's music lovers something they should be hearing. Along with the weekly IMN feature, the Artist of the Week will also be featured in the pages of NUVO Newsweekly.

When asked what he’s proud of about his music, Chad Mills ticks off joining Better Than Ezra on a song and winning an acoustic battle of the bands before saying “I’d have to say it’s the collection of original music I’ve built over the last 8 years. Those songs are like my DNA. Being able to bring my emotion and experience into a song, and then have people actually enjoy listening to it – I’m definitely proud of that.”

Mills started playing rather late in the game, as he first picked it up towards the end of his education at Rose-Hulman University in Terre Haute. “Turns out I could pick up songs a lot quicker than engineering. In the spring of ’98, I left Rose with a degree in engineering and a passion for playing music. A few short months later, I played my first gig at a bar in Cincinnati, which was home at the time.” Since then, he’s released five solo albums, his latest being this year’s “Two Places @ Once.” Of this album, Mills says “I’m very excited about the finished product….heads and shoulders above my previous four discs.”

Mills finds questions about his music a bit tough. “I think my music fits most closely to the folk world, what people call “singer/songwriter” stuff. I’m influenced by a wide variety of music, though. So I think there are definitely shades of other styles in my songs. The slogan that’s followed me around has been simple, real…in it for the music.’ I think that sums it up pretty well.”

While he thinks Indiana may have a ways to go before becoming a music destination – “I don’t think you’ll find a musician anywhere in the country who’s thinking, ‘I’m gonna move to Indiana and try and make it in music.’ – Mills says there are still some good opportunities. “I think there are a lot of individuals who are trying to make the most of it. Because of them, it’s getting better. Midwest Music Summit is a great example of one of those opportunities. I’ve been fortunate to showcase in the last couple and it’s been a tremendous experience. Efforts like that are only going to help our cause.”

Just watch out for the weather. On a recent gig, Mills says “My band and I were able to get through one song before we received warnings about tornadoes headed our way. They made everyone in the bar head down into the basement…and yes, it looked about how you’d think a bar basement looks. Ian, my strings player, finished out our short set down there by playing tunes on his mandolin.”

Chad Mills celebrates the release of “Two Places @ Once at Birdy’s on Thursday, May 18th.

-- Ryan Williams --

Related Link: http://chadmillslive.com/
- www.indianapolismusic.net

PR News Now : News at the Speed of Now.

Music Contest Winners Chad Mills and Kimberly Summer

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Jam! Indiana s "Show Us What You Got" Indie Music Contest announces the winners of the September 2005 competition. Winners were determined by the number of online votes that were cast by fans throughout September.

Indiana s own solo artist Chad Mills took first prize with the most fan votes for his song "Everything".

North Carolina s solo artist Kimberly Summer took second prize with her song "Blue Skies".

First place winner Chad Mills committed to picking up the guitar somewhere towards the latter half of his five-year stint in college. In talking with Chad after a show, you may be suprised to learn that he is an engineer by day. In the spring of 98, he left Rose-Hulman with a degree in engineering and a passion for playing music.

When asked what he sees for himself down the road, he smiles and offers with a patient tone, "Every musician who s ever playedsomewhere bouncing around their headis a notion that they could make it. I m up for whatever comes to me. I still am kinda taken back when someone comes up to me and tells me they enjoyed a show I played, or liked one of my songs that they heard on a CD. To have something I can call my own have an impact on someone like that, that's all I need. So long as there's someone out there that s willing to listen, I ll play forever."

His album "Spring In My Eyes" can be purchased with free shipping at www.jamindiana.com.
- PR News Now

CHAD MILLS:
An engineer by day and one of the city's hardest working singer-songwriters by night. More than Mills' songwriting and great voice, it's important that he loves what he is. - NUVO Nightlife Guide

BEST LOCAL ROOTS ARTIST/GROUP:

1. Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band
2. Chad Mills
3. The Cousin Brothers - NUVO Weekly

"Just (un)plain folk"

songwriter displays a contemporary style to tell personal stories

By Jessica Halverson

Chad Mills first picked up a guitar in college 10 years ago, and soon after he began writing his own songs.

A few years later, Mills, 32, began playing shows. He's playing 80 live performances this year, despite a full time job and family life.

The songwriter will be covering songs by The Clash (with a band) as part of Tonic Ball VI.

[INTERVIEW FOLLOWS] - Indy.com