St. Louis’ musical range is vast. Along with hip-hop, rock 'n' roll and blues, music lovers can find reggae among the region’s celebrated, masterfully played genres.
And just in time for 314 Day activities, Tevin Rice is making sure reggae comes front and center.
Rice, known as the Gold Giraffe onstage, is hosting and performing at “If St. Louis Had A Beach” on Friday at HeyDays HQ. He told St. Louis on the Air that his love for reggae music was born when he was a child watching his father and uncle perform and teach music.
“My dad is such a huge spiritual influence on me. He brought me up in the church [and] he pioneered Christian hip hop,” Rice said. “I remember as a kid knowing the songs by heart and seeing his beat machines and record players in the living room … he really invested in my dream, my music and my flow.”
“If St. Louis Had A Beach” is not only the name of Rice’s 314 Day weekend show. It’s also the name of one of his songs. He says the concept came to him in a dream, which eventually came true.
“Everything [was] just so peaceful. There was a lady that was there but she felt like my lady,” Rice said. “When I met my wife, Drea Vocalz, it just all came to fruition. Like, ‘She’s the one!’ and it was just a line of, ‘Hey, if St. Louis had a beach, it would be you and me.’”
Rice’s beach-themed event features local acts Tre G, Leethal the Poet, Nic@Nite and Kranzberg Artist in Residence Drea Vocalz. All the music performed has the Gold Giraffe touch — it was either written or produced by Rice.
Rice said: “Everybody that's on this show are not just my creative friends, but they're like my life friends. These folks were at my wedding, you know? But we just happen to make music and we're inspired by each other.”
For more on “If St. Louis Had A Beach,” reggae’s place in St. Louis’ music history and Tevin Rice’s thoughts on St. Louisans who “don’t get out of St. Louis enough,” listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcast, Spotify or Google Podcast, or by clicking the play button below.
Related Event
What: “If St. Louis Had A Beach”
When: 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. March 15
Where: HeyDays HQ (3139 Olive St., St. Louis, MO 63103)
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Roshae Hemmings is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
