Musician Gracie Trice’s first open mic night was at Container Bar where she ran into Charleston singer-songwriter Ben Whitney.
“I’m from Colorado, and there’s no local music scene because there’s only big venues that book big bands,” Trice said. “He said almost every restaurant and bar does live music every night.” Whitney invited her to sing at Uncork Charleston off King Street. “I popped in one night while he was playing a couple songs. The owner has had me there at least twice a month for the past two years.”
“The local music really thrives in places here because it’s what people want, and for the most part it’s free. There are some pretty amazing acts you can walk in on off the street. It’s like a free concert.”
You can stream her Fleetwood Mac cover “Dreams,” thanks to The Grilled Cheese, a local variety show that supports the music scene with video and production services. “They’re just these great guys in the community who reach out to local musicians,” she said. “They opened up a Spotify account for me.”
In about a month or so, she will have five originals released. “I feel like everything I’ve put out into the world so far — I wouldn’t call it sad or melancholic, but existential and thoughtful. I’m not very good at writing love songs even though I cover them. I write about childhood and growth and maturing as an adult. Relationships with parents. Things I feel like most people don’t write about.”
For a while she was hesitant to perform her original material. When she started singing the songwriter’s soap box at Chico Feo on Folly, her confidence bloomed. When she first attended, she expected the event to be like a regular open mic, only to find that it was original songs only. “So I wrote an original that day. It was great to put out an original and be completely accepted by everyone there.”
Besides recording and releasing her work independently, Trice has a full gig schedule ahead of her. Find her at Smoke N Brew Aug. 20 from 6-9 p.m. On Aug. 29 catch her 12 p.m. show at Rita’s or 4 p.m. show at Smoke N Brew.
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