Scott Tucker
Audio By Carbonatix
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On Tuesday, July 21, longtime Deep Ellum musician and cultural mainstay Chad Lovell passed away after suffering for the better part of a decade from a traumatic head injury sustained in a fall in 2019.
“[It was] unclear how much of the world around him he could take in, but was frequently visited by his band mates, friends, and family,” wrote his friend, Steve Gaddis, in a memorial post on Facebook. “We were all waiting for that miraculous news that Chad had become communicative, and he was his old self again. But it was never to be. It’s tough to accept that he is gone, but his eternal pulse beats on.”
Lovell’s influence on the Dallas music scene can’t be overstated, and a plethora of tributes on social media platforms, including his 1,800-member-large “Official Chad Lovell Update” Facebook page, have poured in from friends and musicians alike.
Starting his professional music career as one of two drummers for the legendary Dallas band Course of Empire, Lovell, along with musicians Mike Graff, Vaughn Stevenson, Paul Semrad and Michael Jerome, came to be a dominant force in local alternative music, securing several record deals and releasing three albums while touring extensively. Alongside contemporaries such as Toadies, Ugly Mus-Tard, Tripping Daisy and Slow Roosevelt, Course of Empire helped define Deep Ellum’s heyday.
“Chad and I were good friends in the ’90s,” says Ugly Mus-Tard drummer Fred Rush. “Our band’s first big show was opening for Course of Empire at Trees, completely sold out. If it wasn’t for Course of Empire, Ugly Must-Tard wouldn’t have had our big start. Chad was a great and powerful drummer, but what stuck out to me the most was how great a part-writer he was.”
In 1998, after 10 years, Course of Empire disbanded. Although Lovell had cemented his status as an accomplished drummer and seasoned musician in the city by then, he shifted his focus to audio engineering, working behind the soundboard at Club Clearview and then at The Curtain Club.
Scott Tucker
Lovell was a key player in a distinct cohort of sound engineers, working diligently to help build the next generation of Deep Ellum rock bands, including The Feds, The Orange and The House Harkonnen. In this role, Lovell acted as both a mentor and tastemaker, often critiquing, connecting, and sharing the important insights he had gained through his extensive experience, arguably helping keep local rock music alive in Deep Ellum in the late 2000s. Lovell had a rare talent for knowing which producers were the perfect fit for each band, ultimately growing their following.
“Chad Lovell had an enormous impact on the Dallas music scene,” says Sonic Dropper studio owner, producer and friend of Lovell, Jim King. “Not only through Course of Empire, but through the countless musicians he connected with bandmates, gigs and opportunities. In 2004, he introduced me to The House Harkonnen, beginning a musical family that forever changed my life, all because of Chad.”
The House Harkonnen would go on to record multiple albums with King and take the distinct honor of becoming “the loudest band in Deep Ellum,” all with the help of Lovell behind the soundboard.
Through his work, Lovell’s life extended beyond his talent as a musician, transforming his efforts into a conduit of genuine Deep Ellum culture. It may be said that Lovell was not only an accomplished drummer and sound engineer with a spiderweb network, but a practitioner of social sculpture, sharing, wielding and taste-making. He did it all for the simple love of music.
“Chad just loved art and creativity and being part of it,” says Lovell’s longtime friend and Course of Empire bandmate, Mike Graff. “He touched a lot of people and was the connection between generations of Deep Ellum musicians. He really believed in Deep Ellum and gave everything he had to make bands sound good. It was a labor of love, and he touched a lot of people doing it.”
Lovell was also deeply loved by his family, who made every effort possible to keep him both safe and comfortable during his years-long recovery, epitomizing patience, resilience and grace.
According to a tribute page, a gathering of family and friends will be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday, July 24, at the Max Slayton Funeral Chapel (642 N Rockwall Ave., Terrell).
