In this studio session, Oregon singer-songwriter Joel Chadd joined host Dave McIntyre to share music and stories from his life and career. He discussed upcoming Colorado shows, including performances at Stone Cottage Studios, Swallow Hill, and the Velvet Elk, as well as his roots in a musical family and his journey into songwriting at age 23. Chadd performed two originals, “It’ll All Come Back” and “Live It Out,” highlighting his folk-inspired sound and heartfelt lyrics. He also talked about his 2022 debut album and plans for a new set of live recordings, giving listeners a glimpse into both his past influences and future projects. (Studio Session: 8/29/25)
Dave McIntyre: All right, so Chad, how you doing over there?
Joel Chadd: I’m set up.
Dave McIntyre: Chad is visiting us from Oregon. What brings you to Boulder, Joel?
Joel Chadd: I’ve got some shows coming up. I’m playing at Stone Cottage Studios tonight with Nathaniel Riley, and that show starts at 6:30.
Dave McIntyre: Where is that?
Joel Chadd: I’m not sure where it is downtown, but you can go to joelchaddmusic.com, which has all the info on the tour link.
Dave McIntyre: Gotcha.
Joel Chadd: Or you can follow along on social media—that has the info as well. And then I’m coming back next week to play at the Velvet Elk.
Dave McIntyre: Mm-hmm.
Joel Chadd: Alongside Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, who’s the fiddle player for Molly Tuttle, but she’s out doing her own thing now. She was Grammy-nominated last year. I’m excited to be jumping on that bill.
Dave McIntyre: That should be a fun show.
Joel Chadd: Yeah.
Dave McIntyre: Is that it?
Joel Chadd: For shows? No, I’ve got more. Swallow Hill in Denver on September 4th, and then Jamestown Mercantile—we’re doing a little Sunday morning breakfast brunch show there, a duo set. That’s the same morning as that Velvet Elk show. What else? We’re in Salida tomorrow, and then at Tres Litros Brewery tomorrow—that’s a free show.
Dave McIntyre: All right. So the best way for folks to get the times, places, and addresses is joelchaddmusic.com?
Joel Chadd: Yep, joelchaddmusic.com.
Dave McIntyre: Great. All right, so what do you have planned for us today, Joel?
Joel Chadd: Okay. How’s that sound? I don’t have my headphones on—is it good?
Dave McIntyre: I’ll adjust it as we go if need be.
Joel Chadd: This is a song I recently performed at the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival. A few weeks ago I was chosen as one of the finalists for the Songwriting Showcase—an incredible experience. This is the song that got me in. It’s called It’ll All Come Back. It’s new, unreleased, but if you come to a show you’ll hear the full band version with cello, pedal steel, and drums. It’s a great setup. So we’ll go ahead and play this one for you.
Dave McIntyre: Great.
Joel Chadd performs “It’ll All Come Back.”
Dave McIntyre: Very nice.
Joel Chadd: Thanks, Dave.
Dave McIntyre: I like that.
Joel Chadd: Appreciate it. That’s a little song about my hometown in Oregon—a little logging town where I grew up.
Dave McIntyre: What’s the name of the town?
Joel Chadd: It’s called Philomath, Oregon. If you’ve been to Newport, Oregon, you’ve probably passed through it.
Dave McIntyre: I see.
Joel Chadd: Yeah.
Dave McIntyre: Beautiful country.
Joel Chadd: Gorgeous. I feel like I brought the rain here with me coming from Oregon. This has been quite the rainfall, you guys.
Dave McIntyre: That’s all right.
Joel Chadd: That’s what I’m hearing.
Dave McIntyre: So did you bring a copy of your CD?
Joel Chadd: I did, yeah. It’s the only CD I’ve released—came out in 2022. I’m working on a new batch of songs. There’s one on there people tend to enjoy called Enough Been Said. It’s the third track, I believe.
Dave McIntyre: Okay.
Joel Chadd: Yeah.
Dave McIntyre: We’ll go out with that, but let’s hear another one live.
Joel Chadd: Okay, that sounds good.
Dave McIntyre: You come from a pretty musical family, is that right?
Joel Chadd: Yeah. My grandma was a professional singer back in the forties and fifties in the Bay Area—San Francisco, on top of the hill with the big band behind her in the ballrooms. My dad followed suit in the late sixties and early seventies in Northern California—he was a singer-songwriter. I grew up listening to The Beatles, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, all that. I have three sisters, and we all used to do a lot of harmonies.
Dave McIntyre: Nice.
Joel Chadd: I didn’t come to music, though, until I was 23. My mom gave me a Bob Dylan songbook and her nylon-string guitar. She was an old folkie from Northern California. Like mothers do, she had that instinct. I was 23 years old, and really the rest is history.
I launched into a career building guitars—I built the instrument I’m playing now—and I’ve been pursuing music ever since. This song’s called Live It Out.
Joel Chadd performs “Live It Out.”
Dave McIntyre: Yeah. Nice songs. Thanks, man.
Joel Chadd: You bet.
Dave McIntyre: So Joel, let people know again—where are you going to be?
Joel Chadd: Tonight we’re playing at Stone Cottage Studios with Nathaniel Riley. That show starts at 6:30—doors at six. I’d get your tickets and head that way. I’m playing with a full band: pedal steel, cello, drums, and some great local musicians, plus my buddy from Oregon on pedal steel.
Tomorrow we’ll be in Salida at Tres Litros Brewery. If you’ve got friends in Salida, send them down—it’s a free show, starts at 9:00 PM. Then next week we’re at Swallow Hill in Denver with the great band Sturtz. That show starts at 7:00 PM.
All the info is at joelchaddmusic.com. The following night, we’re back in Fort Collins for a house show, and then at the Velvet Elk here in Boulder with Bronwyn Keith-Hynes. And if you’re up for breakfast that Sunday morning, come to Jamestown Mercantile—we’ll be playing a duo set there on September 7th.
Dave McIntyre: That’s a pretty full schedule. Good job.
So this one we’re going to play from the CD is Enough Said.
Joel Chadd: Enough’s Been Said.
Dave McIntyre: Great. Well, I don’t think enough has been said about you yet, Joel—you’ve got some good stuff going. We want to thank you for coming and joining us here at KGNU Community Radio. Always love having people passing through.
Joel Chadd: I appreciate you guys. Appreciate what you do.
Dave McIntyre: So this CD was done in 2022, and you’re working on another one now?
Joel Chadd: Yeah, working on a new set of live recordings.
Dave McIntyre: When do you expect to see that?
Joel Chadd: I’m hoping to start releasing singles in late fall.
Dave McIntyre: Oh, great.
Joel Chadd: Yeah.
Dave McIntyre: All right—Joel Chadd, thanks for coming.
Joel Chadd: Thank you.
Dave McIntyre: Appreciate you being here.
Joel Chadd: All right.
