Chad is a fifth-generation Montanan who makes music in backwoods bars, breweries, wineries, distilleries and hot springs near his favorite fly fishing spots from Red Lodge, Montana to Seattle.
He’s opened for country music stars Blake Shelton and Lee Brice. In 2016, Chad opened for one of his heroes–alt-country and Americana legend Robert Earl Keen–at sold-out show in Bozeman’s Ellen Theater.
Chad Okrusch has played at many of the best known regional music festivals in the Pacific Northwest including: Red Ants Pants, Montana Folk Festival, National Folk Festival, Red Lodge Songwriters Festival, Storyhill Fest, Bob Marshall Music Festival, & The Headwaters Country Jam.
Chad Okrusch is currently working on a follow up to his critically acclaimed album, Wisdom Road. His new work is the culmination of decades of roadwork, life experience, and songcraft.
An interesting side note, Chad is a tenured professor at Montana Tech in Butte, Montana. He teaches philosophy, communication, and design courses. In 2010 he earned a Ph.D. from the University of Oregon.
Okrusch is a published works of poetry, photography, and philosophy and has currently taken up minimalist watercolor painting.