When The Lights Go Down Tour Preview: Chad Brownlee [Interview]

Chad Brownlee began his professional life with a stick in his hands and skates on his feet. That was then, this is now.

Brownlee won the 2011 Rising Star Award at the Canadian Country Music Awards, was nominated for Country Album of the Year at the 2013 Juno Awards. And now, Chad Brownlee is headlining his first tour to support his 3rd studio album, The Fighters.

The When The Lights Go Down Tour comes through Toronto next week with a stop at The Mod Club. Brownlee will be joined by Jess Moskaluke and Bobby Wills, in what is we are sure is going to be a fun show. In fact, we’ve been watching the tweets roll in from the first tour stops on the east coast and everyone looks like they’re having a whole lot of fun.

But before the tour rolls into Toronto next week we had a chance to catch up with Chad by email for a little Q&A session to see what’s going on with him, what he’s listening to and what fans can expect when he takes the stage.

And don’t forget, Chad will be performing at Boots & Hearts this summer too! It’s going to be awesome!

Q. The last time we were able to catch you live was at Boots & Hearts 2013, can you give us a quick recap of what’s been awesome for you since then?

A. Well, I released my 3rd album “The Fighters” in June of 2014, which has gotten a great response from the fans! And a lot of focus and preparation was been put into my “When The Lights Go Down Tour” which is my first headlining experience. I’m pretty fortunate to be at this point in my career so quickly!

Q. And to follow-up on that… how excited are you to be coming back to Boots & Hearts in 2015 at the new venue and with acts like Brad Paisley, Little Big Town and Eric Church on the bill?

A. Extremely excited! Boots has become one of Canada’s biggest festivals in a very short amount of time. When I heard it had to be moved to a bigger venue I wasn’t surprised at all. Everyone involved in this event has done an incredible job. Can’t wait to hit the stage with some of those amazing country artists!

Q. The Fighters is your 3rd full length album release, is there anything you love more about this one than the first 2, or that you’re more proud of? (ex. process, writing, songs, personal involvement, etc) I feel like it shows an evolution of who I am as a writer and artist.

A. There is a fine line between sticking with what works and bringing something new, and I think we found that balance with this record. It’s also got a lot of color as far as the different emotions and concepts of each song. I wanted to take the listener on a bit of a journey!

Q. Can you give us a hint about the next single coming from the record?

A. “Like wheels on a train I just keep rollin….”

Q. You’re a BC boy and were a Vancouver Canucks draft pick… is there anyone you want to pop a little hockey trash talk out to… Me and my Habs, Tim Hicks and his Maple Leafs, Brett Kissel’s Oilers, everyone who’s loving The Predators in Smashville?

A. I’ve got no beef with the Preds. Whenever I’m down in Nashville I usually like to catch a game and find myself quietly cheering for them (If they aren’t playing the Canucks of course). And you can see my opinion of Brett Kissel if you type “No Silver Cup” into YouTube. It’s my response to his “fairly sarcastic” song he wrote about the Canucks after the 2011 Stanley Cup run. As for Tim Hicks; he is on fire! Unlike his Leafs… I kid (sort of), but in all honesty I cheer for both Brett and Tim… when our teams aren’t playing each other of course…

Q. If we got our hands on your playlist, who would we find in your Top 3 most played artists?

A. I just went and looked…It’s 1. Jack Johnson 2. John Mayer and 3. Holly Williams. I’m a pretty chill guy behind the scenes.

Q. In 50 words or less, what can fans expect when you take the stage for them on the When The Lights Go Down Tour?

A. I feel like this tour has been 6 years in the making. And the 3 months leading up to it felt like the fastest 3 months of my life. My team and I spent a lot of time preparing for this tour because we wanted to bring the fans something a little different; some new covers, unique moments, and a side of me they haven’t seen. So they can expect all of those things and hopefully leave wanting more. If there is one lesson I learned from hockey, it’s to leave it all out on the ice. I have the same mentality now, but instead I pour it all out on the stage. My fans deserve the very best of me.

Big thanks to Chad for playing along. We can’t wait to see him on stage at the Mod Club next week.

If you want to check out the When The Lights Go Down Tour find a date near you and get your tickets!

And find Chad Brownlee online at these fine locations…
Official website: www.chadbrownlee.com
Facebook: Chad Brownlee Music
Twitter: @ChadBrownlee
YouTube: Official Chad Brownlee