Brynn Andre's Night of Women, Wine and Nostalgia at Troubadour

Last updated on October 30th, 2023 at 04:34 pm

Heartfelt and oh-so-sincere, Brynn Andre is a seasoned yet evolving singer-songwriter talent returning to the stage after her 2010 debut. A mother of three-year-old twins, Andre is rekindling her music career by writing, producing, and performing on her own.

In 2022, after a 12-year hiatus, Andre made the courageous leap to record another album. Quarreling with a choir of criticism in her own head, she said “F*** it, I’m gonna do it.”

As a side note for any women out there who can relate, especially the ones we call mothers, she adds, “Just because you have kids, doesn’t mean you can’t go back to making music. No, you are not too old. Yes, you deserve all the help and support along the way to do what you love.”

Here we are a little over a year later, and wouldn’t you know, Brynn Andre did it.

Image shows local Minneapolis signer-songwriter, Brynn Andre performing at Troubadour Wine Bar. — Photo by – Kathleen Ambre

She celebrated her new album, Honeymoon at a release show at Bryant Lake Bowl this past July and has been hitting up smaller venues since, gathering momentum and confidence one performance at a time.

Last week, Andre hosted an intimate night of “wine and women” at Uptown’s classic Troubadour Wine Bar. The theme of the evening was pairing wines with the iconic women of music through the ages. From the fittingly titled “Strawberry Wine” of Deanna Carter to 90’s pop queens Alanis Morissette and Jewel, she spanned a wide variety of fem covers and even shared a few new, original tracks of her own.

Image shows a crowd watching local Minneapolis signer-songwriter, Brynn Andre performing at Troubadour Wine Bar. — Photo by – Kathleen Ambre

Nestled in the cramped corners of the Edison-lit wine bar, friends, family, and newcomers enjoyed themed wine flights and a nostalgic evening of keyboard-driven covers. On the far left, her husband and sister posted up, smiling, as she finally settled into her set after getting the sound setup just right. Whitney’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” kicked things off, soon followed by some Fleetwood Mac and a cautionary tale original off Honeymoon titled, “Good Time.”

Defying that inner critic and channeling her popsy, singer-songwriter muses, she coupled minimal tracks with poignant vocals.

I could tell Jewel was a strong influence in her life. (Same, girl!) Andre double-dipped, with back-to-back covers of Jewel’s “Foolish Games” and “Sensitive.” However, queued up by Jewel’s musical mojo, Andre’s originals “Canyon Heart” and “Pools” were particularly captivating.

Unapologetic and saccharine-sad, her style hit my early 2000’s emo-girl soft spot. Sure enough, when Andre ended the set with some Avril Lavigne, my knees gave out a bit.

Kudos to this artist for leaning into her joy and creativity, while confronting a new sense of self on stage. I love a fun vino night of throwback covers; heck, Avril is one of my back-pocket karaoke songs. But, the original songs spoke to me and who I am now.

Funny how female artists sometimes get “stuck” on feeling “too old” to create music. I call bull on that. This elder millennial needs more female musicians like Andre returning to the craft. Keep on finding yourself along the way. I’m here for it.

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