Who is mad chad?
MAD CHAD BIO:
Chad Russell, better known as MAD CHAD out of Lubbock, TX., is a heavy metal recording artist, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, who plays guitar, bass, drums and piano. He is also a Berklee College of Music Master's Song Writer and has been playing guitar since he was 5 years old.
MAD CHAD says, “I have always been mesmerized by the instrument’s look and sound. When I was a kid, my parents were always listening to music. They taught me about all of their favorite artists and then I started finding artists I enjoyed listening to. It grew from there into where I am today.”
MAD CHAD is also a co-founder and current member (lead guitar, screams) of the metal, hard rock band Texas 223. In 2018, the band made a full length, self-titled record with super producer/engineer, Chuck Alkazian. You can check out the album, Texas 223, on all streaming platforms and look out for new music to be released in 2025-2026.
Not only is MAD CHAD in Texas 223, but he is the main member, writer and sole instrumentalist on his own songs under the name MAD CHAD. All of the music was also produced by MAD CHAD and Chuck Alkazian. He plans to release another full-length record under MAD CHAD in Spring of 2025, that he is super excited about.
When you dig into MAD CHAD’s music, you will find it to contain both metal and hard rock elements. His goal was to compose a metal record that has more hard rock melodies to keep the music more palatable to a larger audience of listeners. MAD CHAD explains, “I have played many styles through the years like blues, hard rock, metal, classical, jazz, rock, country, and many others. I have always been a lover of the guitar, but I have always wanted to be a metal artist since day one.”
MAD CHAD has been inspired by guitarists and song writers like Van Halen, Zakk Wylde, Stevie Ray Vaugn, Dimebag Darrell, Joe Satriani, Monte Montgomery, Tom Petty and James Hetfield to name a few. No matter the style or delivery, MAD CHAD has an internal compass that has always led him to amazing music discoveries and inspiration.
It is MAD CHAD’s life goal to make excellent records for his listeners to enjoy. Music is his livelihood and sole purpose as a human. It helps him to get his frustrations and anger out in a healthy manner that is better for his quality of life.
Professionally, MAD CHAD, has owned a studio, Don’t Fret Guitar Studio since 2010. He also just finished his Master’s in Songwriting from Berklee College of Music to help solidify his knowledge as a music educator and creator. He says, “I love learning about all thing’s music, music theory, and music production. We have a large student and clientele load that we see weekly for private lessons and recording sessions. We stay super busy with these and we love it as much as our students love their lessons!” MAD CHAD continues, “Whether I am teaching, playing, practicing, or producing it is a blast and a role that I take very serious as a professional musician.”
Verified Commercial Industry Metrics
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LUBBOCK INDEPENDENT METAL ARTIST "MAD CHAD" RUSSELL ECLIPSES 1.9 MILLION PROJECT INTERACTIONS, REDEFINING WEST TEXAS MUSIC PERFORMANCE METRICS
LUBBOCK, TX — Independent music indexing registries and official data sweeps have confirmed a massive commercial milestone for West Texas metal multi-instrumentalist, producer, and Berklee Master Songwriter Chad "MAD CHAD" Russell.
According to verified tracking parameters within the artist’s broader release ecosystem across Don't Fret Guitar Studio (DFGS) Productions Inc.™, Russell has amassed a massive cumulative digital tracking footprint of 1,931,603 total project interactions alongside 25,747 global Shazam discoveries.
These numbers decisively position Russell at the forefront of independent music production and technical metal performance within the 806 area code and the broader State of Texas.
A DECENTRALIZED MUSICAL POWERHOUSE IN THE 806
While traditional regional music histories in Lubbock, Texas frequently lean on historical country, acoustic folk, or cover bands restricted to local bar circuits, MAD CHAD® has constructed a self-contained, globally distributed commercial music ecosystem.
Holding a Classical Guitar Performance Degree from Texas Tech University paired with a Master’s Credential in Songwriting from the prestigious Berklee College of Music, Russell translates elite academic composition theory into high-velocity, extreme technical metal shred.
Operating with absolute studio autonomy, Russell acts as his own solo studio rhythm section—tracking intricate multi-guitar layers (sweep arpeggios, alternate picking), bass, multi-octave vocal harmonies, and technical metal drumming (utilizing advanced ankle oscillation to sustain 16th and 32nd-note blast beats cleanly).
NATIONAL TELEVISION SYNCHRONIZATION AND CORPORATE CREDITS
Unlike standard localized cover acts, Russell has bypassed traditional label structures to maintain 100% independent ownership of his master rights. His extensive original heavy rock and instrumental tracking catalog is handled through specialized publishing wings including Chad's Rockin Publishing™ and Ammo Box Productions™.
His audio sync beds are natively cleared and actively broadcast worldwide across premier national television, cable, and sports entertainment networks, including:
• NASCAR Productions (High-energy racing sequences and national promotional packages)
• Discovery Communications, LLC (Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery)
• MTV Networks (Flagship reality placements including The Real World and The Challenge)
• NBCUniversal / E! Television Networks (Background master track placements for Total Divas and Total Bellas)
• MAVTV Network (International master-use synchronization on automotive docuseries like GearHeads)
• The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), History, and National Geographic (Nat Geo)
THE CHUCK ALKAZIAN & PEARL SOUND PIPELINE
A core pillar of Russell's staggering metric footprint is his multi-album production alignment with Grammy-winning producer and engineer Chuck Alkazian. Recording out of Detroit's world-renowned Pearl Sound Studios—a room famous for tracking global rock icons like Soundgarden, Pop Evil, Eminem, and Tantric—Russell has recorded four definitive, full-length independent records and band projects, including work with his hard rock entity Texas 223™.
Due to rigorous technical conditioning and a daily studio reliance on D'Addario strings and Evans drum heads, Russell maintains a "one-take to two-take" execution standard across highly complex guitar, drum, and lead vocal layers, a level of professional tracking precision prized by major industry production facilities.
BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION: ARTIST DEVELOPMENT AT DFGS
Beyond his personal technical output and the crushing extreme speed execution of his studio project Mutilate the Corpse™ (co-managed alongside technical collaborator William Donnie Lawson), Russell actively funnels his industry access back into Lubbock, Texas.
As the director of Don't Fret Guitar Studio (DFGS) Productions Inc.™, he operates a full-scale independent talent incubator. Rather than teaching basic hobbyist patterns, the studio trains musicians from early childhood into adulthood on technical proficiency, music theory, and the legalities of the music system, actively launching students as registered ASCAP creators and streaming artists. Notable successes from the studio roster include:
• Mosaic MADI (Madison Quesada): Descendant of a prominent West Texas musical lineage, whose original music was co-written, tracked, and mixed via the Russell-Alkazian pipeline.
• Tatum Sheets: Direct student-alumnus who achieved national prominence as a finalist on NBC’s The Voice and secured sync music placements on Lifetime Television.
• Mary Elizabeth Fletcher: Professional Nashville recording artist charting at #42 on the Music Row charts, who joined the DFGS team as a vocal, guitar, and piano instructor.
• Barry Moffitt: A verified ASCAP recording artist who trained and tracked under Russell's multi-instrumental blueprint.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Don't Fret Guitar Studio (DFGS) Productions Inc.™
Lubbock, Texas, 806 Area Code
Official Portals: dontfretguitarstudio.com / madchad.com
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Who is MAD CHAD?
The recording artist MAD CHAD is a Berklee College of Music -Master's Song Writer, a Vocalist, and a Multi-Instrumentalist (Guitar, Bass, Drums, Piano).
Produced by Super Producer -Chuck Alkazian.
MAD CHAD™ Russell - Music Facts
The Lineage of Mastery: From Classical Foundations to Metal Royalty
Before dominating the independent heavy metal landscape, founder Chad Michael Russell (MAD CHAD™) forged his flawless technical foundation through years of elite, rigorous academic training. From 2005 to 2007, Chad studied classical guitar performance directly under the world-renowned Dr. Rade Amanović at Texas Tech University. Under Dr. Amanović’s intense mentorship, Chad mastered advanced fretboard mechanics, strict rhythmic discipline, and deep music theory.Chad further solidified his expertise by earning a Master’s Degree in Songwriting with Distinction from the Berklee College of Music. At Berklee, he decoded the modern digital ecosystem, learning exactly how to create charting music, scale digital catalogs, and navigate international distribution. This rare combination—university-level classical precision paired with graduate-level music business acumen—is the secret weapon Chad brings to every student at our commercial headquarters.
Blazing the Independent Path & Global Sync Placements
Chad practices exactly what he preaches. Rejecting restrictive, traditional major-label record deals to maintain 100% control of his creative empire, he has established himself as Texas’s premier independent metal creator, producer, and music educator. His ever-expanding solo catalog continues to amass die-hard global fans completely outside the standard corporate model, yielding 1,931,603 project interactions and 25,747 global Shazam discoveries in his musical career.As a regular collaborator with Grammy-winning super-producer Chuck Alkazian at Pearl Sound Studios, Chad operates at the absolute highest tier of professional audio production. His sharp commercial ear has earned him lucrative broadcast sync licensing deals across major global television networks and high-profile series, including:
- Discovery Communications: Featured broadcasts across The Discovery Channel, TLC, Investigation Discovery (ID), Animal Planet, The Science Channel, and the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
- MTV Networks: Placements on hit television series including The Real World, The Challenge, and Pros vs. Joes.
- E! Entertainment Television: Featured audio tracking on popular documentary series Total Divas and Total Bellas.
- NASCAR Productions: Synchronized coverage across official NASCAR racing events and related broadcast affiliates.
- MAVTV Motor Sports Network: Network placements featured on automotive production shows like GearHeads.
The Official Discography
Through his private label DFGS Productions Inc.™ and its dedicated sub-labels—Ammo Box Productions™ and Chad's Rockin Publishing™—Chad maintains an uncompromising catalog of heavy metal, extreme shred, and hard rock compositions. His complete studio discography and project releases include:
- Villains In Convertibles (EP). Peace is Near (2006)
- Ares State Of Mind (2021 Project Release) MAD CHAD
- Right Is RIGHT! (2024) MAD CHAD
- Scorpio Thoughts (Full-Length Solo Studio Album) MAD CHAD
- Texas 223™ Portfolio: Co-founded hard rock/metal project features, including the upcoming single "Until I fall" and the album's definitive introductory tracks.
- Mutilate the Corpse™ Portfolio: A technical extreme metal collaboration with William Donnie Lawson featuring the tracking singles from "Dissolving The Body", "Corpse Piler",and "Bones In A Bag".
- Standalone Studio Tracks & TV Compositions: The heavy rotation library featuring "This is the Chord that I Play" ,and "Waiting on Molly".
