Gracie Trice moves audiences with her music
By Miranda Steadman | Contribruting Writer
Without straying from her humble beginnings performing live at Chico Feo Songwriter’s Soapbox, Gracie Trice continues to stir the musical waters of Folly Beach with her heavenly voice and original sound.
Trice shared a tune she had written earlier in the afternoon with a Chico Feo crowd one Monday and their praises drove her to write more songs.
“Her voice is moving,” said one customer at Smoke N’ Brew on James Island when she heard Trice singing as tears formed in her eyes.
“A lot of what I write comes from a sad, melancholy place … I channel that sadness into a song,” says Trice, who pulls inspiration from existential influences like her childhood and parental relationships.
Trice’s father played percussion in a punk rock cover band of The Clash, while her mother favored folk and classic country. Her mother’s father was a former English professor and to this day plays his 12-string guitar at honky tonks in Florida.
In honor of her rocker father, Trice started out playing drums, then learned bass from her brother, and later piano from her sister. During her mid-teens, Trice played guitar.
Trice’s first gig was at Uncork Wine Bar in downtown Charleston, where she likes to play keys as well. Trice started performing at Uncork two-and-a-half years ago and continued to play there while she was pregnant.
Trice believes music is the best remedy for most ailments. “It’s such a nice way to connect with people,” she says. “Music is magic. Each musician is a conduit of that power. We’re just outlets of it.”
Trice grew up listening to jazz legends like Frank Sinatra, Louis Prima, and Dean Martin, as well as female vocalists Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, and Natalie Cole.
“It’s so important to have female musicians as role models,” says Trice, who is a mother of two.
Trice considers Fleetwood Mac, Mazzie Star and The Cranberries to be some of her deepest musical influences. She’s also been known to play covers of Chris Cornell, Talking Heads, Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam, Queen, and David Bowie.
Trice still enjoys playing for her Folly friends at Chico Feo on Mondays at The Songwriter’s Soapbox, hosted by George Fox of Big Stoner Creek. She also performs regularly at Rita’s on Center Street.
“I enjoy playing Mazzie Star’s ‘Fade Into You’ as the sun sets over Tide’s Hotel,” says Trice. You can also see her perform at Smoke N’ Brew on James Island Saturday, Aug. 7, from 8-11 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 15 from 5-8 p.m. Trice also makes her debut performance at The Barrel on Saturday, Aug. 21.
