Christine Renner

Explanation

Getting back to music, I went to go see Katie Toupin on June 24th, once again at Empire Control Room. But this picture and post isn't of or about Katie Toupin, it's about one of her opening acts, Christine Renner.

This actually wasn't the first time I saw Christine play. I saw her play before the pandemic started at a venue, Barracuda, that didn't make it through the pandemic and is now a comedy club, The Creek and the Cave. At the time, I thought she had a lot of promise, but was still a bit young and maybe needed some time.

I can say now that she's definitely had time to get better and put on a great show, which this one was. While she didn't have her band with her, she put a lot of energy and passion into her music, even if she was mainly playing to an empty crowd. Speaking of her music, she plays mostly pop/rock music that is perhaps a bit more mature than what her age might tell you. Oscillating between sensual, intimate pop and powerful rock anthems, she has a lot of range and I'm looking forward to see what she does and where she goes with her music.

While her recorded work is good and there are definitely some catchy tunes there, I must say that seeing her live adds a lot of depth and energy that sometimes feels lacking in the singles she's released so far. Obviously, I'm not saying the mixes are bad, they just leave me a bit wanting. Her voice ocassionally scratches and feels raw live while it's mostly smooth in the recordings. I can understand the choice, I just don't mind a bit of rawness and imperfection, even in recordings.

I didn't end up taking many pictures of Christine and I wouldn't even say that this was the best of the three I took. However, I actually like the messiness of it, the imperfection of it. I think it pushes the most emotion and most energy out of the three. Like her, I think this picture represents a good base with room to grow, to get better. Not everything has to be refined and perfect, sometimes just the intention is enough.

As a local Austin based musician, I really want to see her grow and get better. I want her to get more fans and play bigger shows. Hopefully I'll get another chance to see her perform soon and maybe there'll be more pictures.