This Friday Jan. 12, head to South Pomfret to see Chad Hollister make his debut at Artistree 7 p.m. I’ve known Chad for 25 or so years and have always liked his music. My favorite kind of music is music that moves you and his definitely does. This will be a solo show. Chad said, “The solo show is really intimate. It’s like a ‘VH1 Behind the Music’, is how I describe it for the old people. I tell the stories behind the songs. For people who have never heard me, picture like if Dave Matthews and Jack Johnson had lunch and had a baby with Tom Petty and they churned out this dude, and Paul Simon too, who was going to play some songs. That’s the style mix. It gives me the freedom to explore where the songs came from. I like to connect with the audience. Every group is different. When I do shows like this, I get to see people from my past. People come out of the woodwork. It’s been a nice way to reconnect with people that don’t want to go to the clubs. It’s just an intimate show where at the end, people get to hang out.” He’ll have his music and merch available for sale at his shows but you can also find it on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube and on his website chadmusic.com. He added, “They can meet me at the end, I’ll sign stuff or just say hello to folks. Not rock star at all, it’s just kind of the hang, the way I’ve always done it.”
Chad said his focus now is on “Listening Rooms”, which makes Artistree a great spot. An old friend of his books the room so he said it’s been on his radar for a bit. He said, “It seems like a really cool place. Those are the type of venues I really enjoy doing. I did a bunch up at Shelburne Vineyards, which is also a listening room. I did one up there and sold out 100 tickets. That’s been a very good local thing up there, just awesome.”
Chad said what he likes about doing places like this is people who have heard his name for years, will have their first opportunity to see him. “Good lord, me, Redington (Rick), Duane (Carleton), Bow Thayer, we’ve been doing it for 30 years, literally, and we’ve been doing it our own way.”
Besides playing solo, he has a few lineups, and none of them disappoint. He does a duo with Jeff “Primo” Poremski who also plays guitar and sings. He has a 4 piece band, an acoustic quintet and a big band (10 piece) that has bass, drums, percussion and a full horn section. That band has sold out the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe the past few winters. They have a new executive director who is getting up to snuff so Chad won’t be there this winter but this summer, his band will be headlining a festival through them in Stowe.
He and Primo go on an East Coast Tour in February where they’ll play a few clubs but mainly listening rooms and house concerts. Last year they sold out the Music Hall in Portsmouth and the City Winery in Boston. This tour starts February 10 in Massachusetts with a benefit for SAFE and runs for 3 weeks. From the 15th on, they’ll be playing all over Florida. He really likes doing the house concerts. Chad said, “It’s one of my favorite things to do, to perform in people’s homes with listening room vibes. That’s always a really cool thing. Imagine a concert in your very own living room.” Chad has done these solo and with Primo, all across the country. If you’re interested in one, email Chad at info@chadmusic.com.
Chad has written and recorded five albums. His first one, titled “Chad,” was in 1998 and has my favorite song of his, “Wake Up”. I try and get him to play that at every show and have been fortunate to hear it a lot. It’s such a great, feel good song. I’ve played that at some of my gigs and people think it’s Rusted Root. That album also has “Jerry’s Gone” and “Monster Truck”, two great tracks. His next album, “Life,” is his favorite to date. That album has the Jackopierce cover of “Vineyard”, and cult favorite “Waitress” for the service industry. “Spirits” came next and features an amazing mix of musicians. His fourth album, the self-titled ‘Chad Hollister,’ is a great one. It features “Riley Odelia” (written for his daughter) which I’ve heard him play live and it’s wonderful. The album also has a stripped down cover of The Cars’ “My Best Friend’s Girl” that was approved by The Cars themselves and is one of their favorite covers of the tune. His last album, “Stop … World,” features the full 10 piece Chad Hollister Band. He just released a single, “Inner Sovereignty” which is the first song off the soon-to-be released Chad Hollister Acoustic Trio record. That trio consists of Chad, Primo, Rudy Dauth on bass and special guest, cellist John Dunlop of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. He’ll be releasing singles throughout the winter with the full album dropping in the spring. Chad said, “We’ll be doing the new music out on tour. We have eight in the can with probably two more to write and record, working on that as we speak.”
By Woody Weider
Musician Chad Hollister will be performing at Artistree
Community Arts Center in South Pomfret on
Friday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. His solo show is an intimate
experience where Hollister shares the stories behind
his songs with the audience. Influenced by artists like
Dave Matthews and Jack Johnson, Chad’s music
resonates with listeners and is a unique blend of styles.
Chad has been going strong for 30 years and said, “I like inspiring people, I like seeing people’s faces. Certainly it’s the show and getting up on stage but I like inspiring people to be kind, to be good. Not to take a dark turn but yesterday I see another shooting of a sixth grader. What is wrong with our world, the mental health state? Another thing for me is to really want to take people away from it for a bit, but also encourage people to be kind. We have a song on the new record to be kind. Our world is in such flux right now. For a couple hours I can inspire, take them away from whatever is going on in their own life or give them a message of positivity. That’s the nugget right there.”
You can find Chad on social media like Instagram (Chad Hollister) and Facebook (Chad Hollister Band) plus the previously mentioned Spotify, iTunes, YouTube and his website. Granted we are in a streaming world but Chad encourages you to buy his music off his website, if you can’t make it to a show.
