A local recording artist published another album recently that covers several of their own life events including being isolated during the pandemic and a head injury.
Christine Moad (who uses they, them prounouns), of Nichols, grew up in northern Iowa. “I started in school band with the clarinet in fifth grade,” Moad said. “After that, I played piano. I was really drawn to the low notes so at 12 I picked up bass (guitar).”
This is when they had their first experience playing in a rock band, Moad said. They left Iowa to attend the Berklee College of Music and then moved to Nashville touring with bands all over the world.
“I started playing in cover bands and when I lived in Nashville I played with different artists and (played) their original music but the biggest reason why I moved back to Iowa is I wanted to do my own music,” they added. “I perform under the moniker Miss Christine and since moving back to Iowa I’ve completed two albums.”
Their second album “Bittersweet” was released at the beginning of this month. They started working on the album during the pandemic.
“I decided to record the album virtually so no musicians were in the same room at the same time,” Moad said.
Moad doesn’t have Internet at their home so they used the Wifi hotspot on their phone to record the other musicians.
“I did that because I wanted the album to be a time capsule during the pandemic and to show human resilience and how we can persevere through difficult times,” Moad said. “I think listening to it (the album), it’s hard to tell we were never in the same room so it was a new experience and I hope I never have to record like that again.”
Moad’s favorite song on the album is called “My Brain.”
“That song I wrote about having a concussion,” they said. “I got a concussion in 2019 and it was very life changing for me.”
They used a lot of different sound effects to the song, which gives it a unique sound, they added.
When they were living in Nashville, Moad said they missed the culture here. This is why they decided to move back.
“Because of the Iowa culture being more laid back it’s allowed me to have the space to put on different shows and try things differently musically that I might have been afraid to do while living in the big city,” Moad said. “I started playing the drums since moving back because I can play at anytime at night.”
Moad knew their music aspirations would be an unconventional career path but loves doing it. They would like to tell anyone interested in perusing music to be patient because it takes a lot of time and effort to create an album.
The next time Moad will perform nearby will be July 7 for “Rock the Block” in Cedar Rapids. Moad will perform the following month in Iowa City Aug. 15 for “Music on the Move” at 6:30 p.m.
For more information on their tour dates visit www.misschistinemusic.com.