Ben Folds, Jeff Buckley,
Ray LaMontagne, The Beach Boys, Blues
Traveler, Johnny Cash,
The Counting Crows,
Dave Matthews, John
Mayer,
Elliot Smith, etc.
I was born on February 23, 1980 in Walton, NY, and grew
up in Upstate New York. High school was classes and
sports. Football, baseball, and basketball took up any
free time i had. It was a small school where everybody
knew everybody. It was there i realized i loved
performing. School plays and a music teacher who made me
love everything about it. Mrs. Turner made me sing and
more importantly, made me love to. There is something i
cant explain or put in words about playing a show, its a
pure high. I always wanted to play guitar but never
really had the time.
Senior year i broke my leg and had nothing but time. One
of my old science teachers, (Henry Nyberg), taught me
"Stairway" and some chord progressions after school. I
would head home and prop my leg up and play lying down
for hours. It said a lot that i could spend that much
time doing one thing, i didnt stick to much besides
sports. I started writing tunes and played my first
origional song at high school graduation on a guitar my
mom gave me as a graduation present. Two years later I
assembled "The Blue Phoenix Band" while attending Siena
College, in Loudonville, NY. Playing a mix of original
songs and covers, we quickly developed a reputation and
earned opening slots for The Pat McGee Band, Leif
Garrett and The Tripping Billies. This taste of success
only whet our appetite and led to my commitment to make
music my life's pursuit. Its what im meant to do, and
its the love of music that makes it easy to deal with
the harder times.
In November of 2001, I was discovered by Tyler Lee after
a show at CBGB's. Shortly thereafter, Deerslayer
Productions was formed to create a demo introducing me,
Chad Russell Burtch to the world. A studio collaboration
between myself and producer Patrick Ermlich showcased my
own material. This was the time when i dedided i didnt
want to play cover tunes much longer. Dont get me wrong,
the shows and memories so far i wouldnt change for the
world. I have been truly blessed with great fans, great
venues, and the chance to do something i truly love for
a living. With over 700 live shows played, armed with a
sharply skilled production team and evergrowing demo, i
feel confident and excited for the jump to the next
level!
