Formula Indie Sessions – Interview with Howard Gripp

Introduction of the project

I’m Howard Gripp, a Wisconsin-based faith-based singer-songwriter blending Americana, Heartland Rock, Country Rock, Christian Rock, and classic-rock influences. My music is rooted in real life—the mistakes we make, the things we go through, and the fact that our past doesn’t have to define where we go next.

My current project, Welcome To Your Life, really brings all of that together. The songs deal with transformation, redemption, loss, faith, second chances, and learning to move forward. My mission has always been pretty simple: spreading God’s Word one song at a time, while making music that can meet people wherever they are in life.

What is your earliest memory connected to music?

Some of my earliest memories of music are of my mom listening to Chicago and Barry Manilow. Music was always around our house. My mom also played organ and sang in the choir at our church, and my older brother Bob played drums in bands, so naturally I wanted to play drums too.

I wanted to start on drums right away, but school made me take violin first—I assume so I could learn how to read music, which I never actually learned how to do! 😉

My first real taste of performing outside of school came when our church put on Godspell and I got to play drums. That was it for me. There was something about being part of a live performance and making music with other people that hooked me. From that point on, I knew music was going to be a big part of my life.

How did your passion for creating music begin?

Music was always something I loved, but my passion for actually creating my own music came much later.

One of the defining moments happened at Lifest in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Because of a schedule change, Ben Fuller ended up performing on the big stage, and something about his performance, his story, and his message really spoke to me.

The next morning, while we were still at our hotel, I wrote my first Christian song, “He Rescued Me.” Looking back, I believe God was using that experience to give me the push I needed to pursue this crazy dream.

From there, songwriting became a way for me to take my own life experiences—the mistakes, struggles, transformation, and faith—and turn them into something that might help someone else.

What’s the story behind your current music project?

Welcome To Your Life is really a project about becoming new and refusing to let your past define you.

The title song started with the image of looking out across the ocean and thinking about how every new day gives us another opportunity to begin again. That idea became a foundation for the project.

Songs like “I’m Not My Yesterday” deal directly with leaving the past behind, while “When I Was A Kid” goes back to my childhood and the foundation of faith my mother gave me. Other songs deal with loss, perseverance, second chances, and finding your way back.

They’re different stories, but together they tell a much bigger story of transformation and the realization that where you’ve been doesn’t have to determine where you’re going.

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?

I’d describe it as faith-based Americana and Heartland Rock with elements of Country Rock, Christian Rock, and the classic rock I grew up listening to.

There are driving guitars, big melodies, acoustic moments, and lyrics that tell a story. I like music that has some muscle behind it, but the song and the message always come first.

Some of my songs are very direct about faith, while others let that message come through the story. I want the music to be able to connect with someone regardless of where they happen to be in their own journey.

What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?

I’ve learned that the song has to come before everything else.

You can have great production, great musicians, and all the technology in the world, but none of that matters if people don’t connect with what you’re saying.

I used to think more about making a song sound good. Now I think much more about whether it feels honest and whether someone listening can see a piece of their own life in it. Sometimes the imperfect, honest moment is the thing people connect with the most.

What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?

The acoustic guitar has become one of the most important instruments for me because that’s where a lot of ideas begin. From there, technology plays a big part in taking an idea and turning it into a finished song.

I use Pro Tools in the recording process, and technology is also a big part of my live shows. I use backing tracks along with acoustic guitar and vocals, which allows me to bring much more of the sound of the recordings into a solo performance.

But sometimes the most important tool is just my phone. I’ve literally had a melody come to me in a parking lot and recorded myself humming it before I forgot it. You never know when an idea is going to show up, so you have to be ready to capture it.

Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?

Sean Rodriguez would definitely be high on my list. I’ve had the opportunity to open for Sean a few times over the past couple of years, and I love both his music and the energy he brings to the stage.

One of the things I really respect about him is that it doesn’t matter if he’s performing for a thousand people or five—he brings the same energy and gives everything he has every time.

Beyond the music, Sean is a strong believer and just a genuinely great person. Getting to know him and watch the way he approaches both his music and his faith has given me even more respect for him as an artist and as a person.

How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?

They’ve influenced almost everything.

I’ve made mistakes in my life. I’ve gone through broken relationships, difficult choices, loss, change, and times when I wasn’t living the way I should have been. My faith became much stronger later in my life, and that changed both who I am and what I wanted my music to say.

That’s why redemption and second chances show up so often in my songs. I know what it feels like to look back at a version of yourself you’re not proud of, but I also know that person doesn’t have to determine who you become.

I don’t write from the perspective of someone who has always had everything figured out. I write from the perspective of someone who has needed grace and has experienced what it means to be given another chance.

What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?

More than anything, I want someone to hear one of my songs and feel like it speaks to where they are.

A line from “I’m Not My Yesterday” probably sums it up better than anything: “I’m not my yesterday, grace has washed my past away.”

We all have a yesterday. We all have things we wish we could change. I want people to know they don’t have to stay there. There can be forgiveness, redemption, a new beginning, and another chapter.

If one of my songs reaches someone during a time when they need that reminder, then the song has done what I hoped it would do.

What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?

Music has taught me that you never really know who a song is going to reach.

You can write something because of an experience in your own life, and then somebody thousands of miles away can hear it and connect it to something completely different in theirs.

Once you release a song, it really isn’t just yours anymore. People begin attaching their own stories and experiences to it, and that’s one of the most rewarding things about making music.

That has made me much more aware of why I’m making music in the first place.

What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?

One dream that has been on my list since the very beginning is to play the big stage at Lifest in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

It’s close to home, and it’s the biggest Christian music festival I’ve ever personally attended, so getting the opportunity to stand on that stage would mean a lot to me. Lifest also has a special connection to the beginning of this journey because it was there that I saw Ben Fuller perform and felt the push that ultimately led me to write my first Christian song.

The ultimate version of that dream would be playing that stage right before someone like Ben. I’ve had that picture in my head since I started pursuing this, and being able to check that one off the list someday would definitely be a special full-circle moment.

If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?

I would love to collaborate with Ben Fuller because, in a way, he was the person who gave me the push to pursue this crazy dream.

Ironically, it happened at Lifest on the big stage—the same stage I dream about performing on someday. There was a schedule change that year and Ben ended up being moved to the big stage. I watched his performance, and something about his music, his story, and what he shared that day really spoke to me.

The next morning, while we were still staying at our hotel, I wrote my first Christian song, “He Rescued Me.”

Looking back, I truly believe God was using Ben as a vessel to help me better understand what He wanted me to do with my own music. That moment helped set me on the path I’m on today.

To someday come full circle and actually sit down and write or record something with Ben would be incredibly meaningful to me.

Where can our listeners follow and support your music?

The best place to start is howardgrippmusic.com. You can find my music, videos, upcoming shows, news, and everything else there.

My music is also available on Spotify and the other major streaming platforms, and you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and my other social platforms at @HowardGrippMusic.

The biggest way people can support independent artists like me is really pretty simple—listen to the music, follow along, share a song with someone you think might need to hear it, and come out to a show when you can. Every one of those things makes a difference.

Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?

I want to keep growing this into something that reaches far beyond where it is today.

That means releasing more music, playing more shows, reaching new audiences, and continuing to make songs that can connect with people both inside and outside the Christian music world.

I don’t want the music to only reach people who already believe what I believe. Some of the people I most want these songs to reach may never intentionally turn on a Christian radio station or walk into a church.

If a song can meet somebody right where they are, make them think, give them hope, or maybe plant a seed, then the music is doing exactly what I want it to do.

What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?

I hope they discover that what they hear in the songs is real.

I’m not trying to present myself as somebody who has always gotten everything right. I haven’t. A lot of these songs exist because I haven’t.

But my story also isn’t finished, and neither is theirs.

I hope that as people follow the music, they see someone who believes deeply in redemption, grace, second chances, and the possibility of becoming something different from who you used to be.

At the end of the day, if my story and my music can help someone realize that their past doesn’t have to define their future, that’s something worth doing.

Howard Gripp — “Welcome To Your Life”