After almost a decade of creating music, it's no longer enough for Madde Gruber to just be a singer-songwriter. She has a vision and a plan to execute it.
Gruber has been composing music since she was eight, encouraged by her parents from a young age.
“My parents always put an instrument in front of me, and I was really lucky that they've always kind of fostered that part of me,” Gruber said.
“There are definitely parts of me that wish I were still writing how I was when I was younger, because there's a lot of pressure and different. I felt more carefree when I was writing at 16 and 14 compared to now.”— Madde Gruber, singer-songwriter
A punk-rock maven and Chico native received her first electric guitar at age 12.
“I was like, ‘Oh, this is pretty cool. I think I want to do this forever,’” Gruber said.
Gruber has been deeply engaged in her work and is a constant presence in the Chico music scene, immersing herself in the community's creative culture.
“I write all my own music, I produce my own music, I'm my own tour manager, doing the whole thing,” Gruber said.
A road trip through her musical journey
Her debut album, "Q.E.D." was released in 2016, during her high school years. She now looks back at the album with fond memories.
“I didn't know what I was talking about on that album a lot,” Gruber said. “You listen to lyrics and it's like, ‘Oh, you were in high school, I still had braces.’”
She relocated to Los Angeles in 2017 to pursue her degree in songwriting at the Los Angeles College of Music. Completing her sophomore album “One More Hour.” She toured in 2018 but was unable to complete her degree and returned home.
In 2022, she released “The Salt To Walk On,” an album she recorded with her friend Natalie Nimmo after developing an online friendship that blossomed throughout the years.
“I picked her up in the middle of Hollywood at a random house,” Gruber said. “I had a bat next to me, so I was like, ‘I'm picking up a stranger, I don't know what this is.’”
Inspired by The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, and the industrial music genre, Gruber headed to Liverpool, UK, to record the album with Nimmo in her parents’ studio.
The album allowed her to explore, tying her punk-rock roots to new possibilities. Particularly, her track “Obsessive Compulsive” carries a more industrial sound.
“I'm really proud of that,” Gruber said. “I feel like that song kind of opened a little gate of different genres for me.”
She’s written over 50 songs and is in the process of compiling her fourth album, which remains untitled. Despite being unsure of her next artistic direction, Gruber approaches the process with optimism and is actively addressing any challenges.
She said the creative process becomes more challenging over time and with increased experience, due to added pressure.
“There are definitely parts of me that wish I were still writing how I was when I was younger, because there's a lot of pressure and different,” Gruber said. “I felt more carefree when I was writing at 16 and 14 compared to now.”
“Most of my music is about personal experiences, and it comes from, specifically, a lot of anger. It's my favorite outlet for my anger.”— Madde Gruber, singer-songwriter
However, she finds writing music incredibly therapeutic as it allows her to channel a wide range of emotions.
“Most of my music is about personal experiences, and it comes from, specifically, a lot of anger. It's my favorite outlet for my anger,” Gruber said.
Touring isn't a fairy tale — especially for women in punk
Punk, despite its embrace of diversity and inclusivity, fails to grant women the visibility they deserve, especially on the road, Gruber said.
Her catalog boasts millions of listens, yet touring presents complications. While Gruber enjoys exploring new places, she says it comes with its challenges.
“I’ve tried to have this idea that I can do anything a man can do, especially if it's a band of four guys compared to just me, the venue's probably gonna pick the four guys,” Gruber said.
She chose not to recount war stories from her touring experiences, but Gruber did elaborate on the frequent complications and insufficient support she encountered.
“I definitely feel like people look down on me a little bit,” Gruber said. “I've gotten that a lot through shows and from venues, from other bands, and it's exhausting, a little discouraging, [but it] doesn't stop me. But, it's very prominent.”
She said women are often underrepresented in show lineups.
When performing with bands booked by venues, Gruber is often the sole female musician.
She also said that being a woman is often a defining aspect of the band's identity.
“It's kind of annoying because then a lot of these bands who are primarily women in the band, or women fronted, that's kind of like a key part of the band's name, like, ‘Oh, women fronted band, or it's a girl band,’” Gruber said, “It's still a band, still doing the music.”
The joys of creating and performing
Despite the complexities of being an artist, Gruber said there is no greater feeling than performing. When on stage, she allows herself to be vulnerable, understanding that the audience expects to hear music but also yearns for authenticity.
“I always have a goal to put as much power into my performance as possible, and not just for entertainment, but just for empowerment, for people to be heard. It's really just the best feeling ever,” Gruber said.
For Gruber, the ultimate gratification comes from connecting with people who’ve taken the time to listen to her music.
“It’s the best feeling ever, even just thinking about that brings me to tears,” Gruber said. “It's just like that's the reason that I release my music.”
She says she frequently receives messages from people sharing how her music has impacted their lives, whether by inspiring them to form a band, offering solace during difficult periods or fundamentally altering their perspective.
“I feel like I'm heard more in my music, and as a woman, it's a little hard to be heard sometimes,” Gruber said. “And I think if I get a mic in front of me and a lot of amps around me in a crowd, it's a lot easier to deliver a message.”
