By Ryan J. Nims
On August 9th, Course of Empire drummer Chad Lovell’s friends, family and former bandmates organized a celebration of life for what would have been his 60th birthday at legendary venue Trees Dallas. Trees Dallas is in the historic Deep Ellum neighborhood where CoE had their final show in July 1998. Lovell passed away on July 21, 2026, just a day after the vinyl reissue of the band’s final album, which I wrote about last month.
Trees Dallas was packed to the gills with people celebrating Lovell; besides his time with Course of Empire, Lovell ran the soundboard for other well-loved Deep Ellum venues like Club Clearview and The Curtain Club. Lovell was a fixture of the DFW music scene and mentored up-and-coming local musicians.
There was a guestbook for notes; a table with “Chadisms” where people could write down their favorite of Lovell’s quirky sayings; and a DJ spinning nineties music in front of a projected slideshow (See Youtube video linked below). People shared memories of Chad on stage, including CoE guitarist Mike Graff and bassist Paul Semrad. Drummer Kyle Thomas told a funny story about the time when Lovell was driving the band van when the trailer full of their gear came unhitched and passed them on the road
I felt a little out of place as someone who has known about the Deep Ellum scene for decades but was never directly connected to it. But as a longtime fan of Lovell’s work, it felt important to pay my respects. I spoke briefly with Graff and Semrad, as well as GI Sanders and Jared McDowell from DFW Legacy Series, the label responsible for pressing two of CoE’s three albums to vinyl.
I mostly stayed on the sidelines and took in the conversations, stories, and nostalgia around me. Although I didn’t know anyone going in, I left with new friends with whom I had something in common–love and respect for Lovell’s music and life.