Madeline Puckette

Madeline Puckette writes perky little songs in which she breathily sings atop electro-pop backing tracks of her own composition. She doesn’t quite bury her voice in the mix, but she’s more than comfortable letting the electronica, often a blippy mix of pin-prink percussion and warbly effects, share the stage. (She received her BFA in Music Technology & Fine Art at CalArts.)

Puckette’s even comfortable giving the background material its own moment in the sun. Up on her website right now, the instrumental half of her song “Someday” is available as a free download (MP3), as is the a cappella section that results from the musical postmortem.

The track has a certain 1980s appeal, with echoes of Berlin (the band, not the city) and Liz Phair (the melodies, not the instrumentation), but with wispy, ragged little updates that are all Puckette’s own. She’s uploaded the vocal and vocal-less “Someday” files with the intention of inviting remixes from fans and fellow musicians — but as with many instrumental backings of pop songs, the track is entirely listenable to all on its lonesome. More info at her website, madworldrecords.com.

By Marc Weidenbaum - http://disquiet.com - ambient/electronica blog

At first glance, Madeline Puckette seems petite, demure and fragile. But first impressions are deceiving. Puckette, a talented and motivated 25-year-old from Los Angeles, is a musical dynamo. She pens songs and lyrics, plays guitar and keyboards, creates her own costumes and art, and has a sultry, ephemeral mezzo-soprano voice reminiscent of Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval.

A Jill of All Trades, Puckette became the first student to attain a dual major (in Music Technology and Fine Arts) at the prestigious California Institute of Arts in southern California.

Puckette also has developed a name for herself on the electro/indie-pop circuit in Los Angeles. Her songs have been featured on a Toyota Web site. She has opened for both Debbie Gibson and the Cleopatras. Her debut CD, "The Thing She Desires," is available on iTunes.

But Puckette grew weary of the City of Angels' demons.

"I realized I wasn't blonde, drunk or on enough coke to catch on in Los Angeles," Puckette said, smiling. "I had tired of the LA scene. I became so jaded and dead. I found myself moving away from my passion. When I did play shows, I wasn't happy."

She knew change was needed. But she didn't know that meant moving to Reno. It was while she and her boyfriend were driving back to Los Angeles from Tennessee that Puckette first stopped in Reno.

"I admit I was surprised by how nice Reno is," she said. "I had preconceived notions of Reno. But I've found that people are more laid back here. There are a lot of cool bars and coffee shops ... ‘Reno 911' definitely doesn't do this place justice."

Puckette and her boyfriend moved to Reno a few months ago. The move already has paid off, filling Puckette with a renewed sense of excitement.

Music fans can get their first glimpse of Puckette as she makes her Reno debut Friday, Sept. 19 at the Satellite Cocktail Lounge. Puckette opens for the Rebel Diamonds of Reno and A Decent Animal from San Francisco. The show starts at 10 p.m. Cover is $5.

A solo act, Puckette will be accompanied by her guitar, keyboards and computer laptop.

"I'm very excited," she said. "I'll give a little taste of indie electro — I'll play about six songs. I love creating music in the studio, but performing in front of people is special. It's hard to describe."

Puckette's musical career began at 16 as a member of an all-girl indie band. But she soon realized that wasn't the direction she wanted to take her career. First, she fell in love with electronica music. Puckette describes electronica as what happens when you write rock or pop music with all electronic instruments. That unlocks an array of sounds — roller coaster-like highs and lows — previously unattainable.

"What drew me in was how foreign it was and how intense the quality of the sounds are," she said. "But ultimately, it's the melody that carries the music for me."

Away from the chaos and traffic jams that is Los Angeles, Puckette finds time to devote to her musical career, despite a full-time job as a graphic designer.

"I think it's important to dedicate time every day to your passion, whatever it may be," she said. "It gives you a chance to feel alive and motivated about life. For me, that is music."

By Neil Baron - Metromix.com

Madeline Puckette, electro-pop singer and producer, creates unique music based on her breathy vocal palate and solo music production techniques. With a long history of performing in punk genre bands while living in the Northwest, Puckette relocated to Southern California to study music technology at CalArts. She emerged in the LA electro-scene with a profound understanding of intonation and the science of sound. Much collaboration with major artists including Joachim Garraud and Sander Van Dorn have placed Madeline’s vocals seamlessly into popular club music. look for her latest releases at:www.myspace.com/madelinepuckette - www.artslant.com