St. Louis native and pioneer of the South Grand music scene, Tu Tien Tran, has died. Tran was the owner of the Upstairs Lounge, the music club above his family’s own Mekong Restaurant.
Tran’s parents moved to St. Louis from Vietnam and were, as executive director of the South Grand Community Improvement District Rachel Witt says, “pioneers in bringing an ethnic food scene to South Grand.” His parents owned Mekong Restaurant and his sister, Bay Tran, owns Tree House Restaurant, which offers fare for vegans and vegetarians.
Stay up-to-date with the local arts scene
Subscribe to the weekly St. Louis Arts+Culture newsletter to discover must-attend art exhibits, performances, festivals, and more.
Tran took over the space above his parent’s restaurant and turned it into a music lounge that would gain a cult following in the underground music scene.
“Tu didn’t talk about it, and he didn’t promote it,” Witt says, “but people loved it.”
Not only was he instrumental in creating the music scene in South Grand, Tran made a space where the community of music lovers and local and up-and-coming DJs could feel welcome.
“Everyone, the artists, the people that worked for him, the people who went to the Upstairs Lounge,” Witt says, “were like a big family.”
Members of the community have expressed their sadness over the loss on Facebook and have been using an Upstairs Lounge logo as their profile picture in honor of Tran and the Upstairs Lounge.
