Chad Brownlee

This past Sunday I was lucky enough to set foot on an NFL field to sing the national anthem. The Seattle Seahawks were playing against the Carolina Panthers, and before the game they honored us neighbors to the North. I really don’t remember too much while I was singing because I think I went to a different place. With 65,000 eyeballs staring at me, I started to think if I brought an extra set of underwear.

Fortunately, it was well received and I wont be on the latest top 10 list of flubbed anthems. Let’s hope it stays that way…

Check out this cool video we put together and hopefully it will give you a sense of the atmosphere.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4wTVIYCGXI

I was reminded a week ago why I quit hockey to play music. Not that I need constant reminding, but it was just one of those moments that makes you say, “this is what it’s all about.”

We were on our way to the gig in Edmonton when Hayley McLean (my kick-ass guitar player) said, “I’ve got a good feeling about tonight” and I had to agree with her. There was just this electricity in the air that you couldn’t deny.

We opened up for Aaron Lines at a place called Bar None. It was put on for all the Agriculture college students at the U of A, and it was the most fun I have ever had on stage. Jo Hikk came on before us and they always know how to get the crowd fired up.

During our set, I looked out into the audience and saw people singing along to almost every song. All the while, dancing carefree wearing a genuine smile on their face. If you are an artist/musician/entertainer/etc and don’t realize how cool that is, you are doing it for the wrong reasons. The fans give back what you give to them. You can’t expect people to love you for just being there, because chances are they won’t catch you when you fall. (Metaphorically speaking of course, unless you are into crowd surfing).

When I was playing in my last year of hockey, I was putting my skates on without a purpose. There was no drive, no love for the game, and that was no way I wanted to spend my life. Last Saturday let me know that I’m right where I’m supposed to be…

This being my first blog, I figured I would give a quick introduction to better understand the person behind the words…

Three years ago, if you asked me what my ultimate goal was, I probably wouldn’t have said “Country Music Singer”. I had just graduated from Minnesota State University with a Psychology degree in my back pocket, and was preparing for my first NHL camp with the Vancouver Canucks. The things I had worked so hard for my whole life were now becoming a reality.

Lets go back even further for a moment…

It’s Christmas 2002, and sitting under the tree is a brand new guitar. I’ll never forget pulling it out of its case and not knowing what the heck to do with it. I was determined to learn how to play. So, when I wasn’t playing hockey I was practicing that 6 string. Of course along with all the other things junior hockey players do, like, reading and….arts and crafts. Ya that sounds about right!

As time went on, I got further and further into my hockey career, but never left that old guitar behind. It was my release. My sanity. A place where there were no rules, no stress, and no limitations. I could write songs about how I felt and what was on my mind. I began to carve myself into a more confident songwriter, but still never saw myself doing it professionally.

As my love for music grew, the opposite was happening with hockey. After already having surgery on both my shoulders, I re-injured one of them half way through my first pro season. It didn’t help, that as a rookie, I was the team grocery stick. (Player that sits in the middle of the bench the whole game separating the defensemen from the forwards). So, as that season drew to an end, so did my career. It was time to take the reigns and steer my life in a new direction. Down a road to who I truly am: The road to music.

…CB