Chad Hinman

Americana / Alt Country / Modern Folk / Rock / Pop / a la - Jar Farrar, Greg Brown, Townes Van Zant, Gram Parsons, Kelly Joe Phelps, George Jones, Buck Owens, Jeff Tweedy, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, AC/DC, John Prine, Phish, Rockin' Teenage Combo, String Cheese Incident, Johnny Cash, Neko Case, Driftopia, Old 97's, Chuck Prophet, Ryan Adams, Whyskeytown, Deb Talen, Melanine Hersch, Court and Spark, Virgil Shaw, M. Ward

A great songwriter soaks up his surroundings like a sponge. Montana native Chad Hinman has evidently done much collecting of the many musical styles around him and, as a result, has run the musician's gauntlet. From performing in rock, jazz and country bands to playing a variety of instruments as diverse as the saxophone and the banjo, he has almost done it all.

It would seem that any musical product of the Inland Northwest region would be required to reflect the country-western and top 40 music genres that saturate the airwaves, and Chad is no exception. Hook-filled guitar rock and bluegrass-country pickin' have stuck with him to his mid-twenties even while performing in such diverse groups as the jazz/funk/rock group Driftopia, with whom he had a serious five year membership in the mid-nineties. One thing has been clear throughout all his endevors, though. Original songwriting has been the motivation.

While local bands were performing covers for large audiences, Chad and his bandmates found more excitement in doing originals for the smaller, more eclectic crowds. It wasn't until he discovered such singer/songwriters as Greg Brown and Kelly Joe Phelps that he started to take the direction of solo acoustic guitar performances and develop a style all his own.

He moved to Seattle in 1998 to pursue a larger audience, while listening to the newly found folk gems of musical history like Gram Parsons, Townes Van Zant, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. Folk music became his main listening interest.

Combining a prolific writing schedule (sometimes two or three songs a day) with the input of the rich, musical scene of Seattle's underground, Chad has created a huge catalog of tunes that always have their roots firmly planted in folk, bluegrass, and rock.

I have toured most of the country including most recently the midwest and entire west coast. Notable venues include: Genghis Coen - LA, Lestat's - San Diego, Red Devil Lounge - San Francisco, San Greggorio General Store - S.G., Muddy Waters - Arcata, Santa Cruz Coffee Co., S.C., Epic Arts Teahouse - Berkeley, the Bistro - Hayward, Moxie's - Chico, Purple Crab - Vancouver, B.C., Three Friends - Portland, as well as these fine cities: Davis, Eugene, Astoria, Olympia, Seattle, Helena, Bozeman, Missoula, Mason City, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and many, many more.

Jar Farrar, Greg Brown, Townes Van Zant, Graham Parsons, Kelly Joe Phelps, George Jones, Buck Owens, Jeff Tweedy, Dwight Yokam, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, AC/DC, John Prine, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Phish, Weather Report, Stevie Wonder, Rockin' Teenage Combo, String Cheese Incident, Johnny Cash, Neko Case, Tears for Fears, Motley Crue, Allison Krauss and Union Station, Driftopia, Old 97's, Chuck Prophet, Ryan Adams, Whyskeytown, Deb Talen, Melanine Hersch, Court and Spark, Virgil Shaw, Be Good Tanyas, M. Ward,

Larrivee guitars, Nuendo Audio Editing, Waves Processing