Jasmine Osby

2 weeks ago | stltoday.com | Jasmine Osby

St. Louis rapper Hakeem Love, known as Hakeem the Dream, had only been gone from his grandmother’s house for 20 minutes when the tornado hit Red Bud Avenue on May 16. He’d just purchased a new car and didn’t want to risk hail damage. He rushed back to his home downtown to safeguard his vehicle from the storm, despite neighborhood friends joking about “being scared of a little rain.” Following advice from his mother, Love hurried back to his loft’s parking garage.

3 weeks ago | stltoday.com | Daniel Neman |Rosalind Early |Jasmine Osby

Carnival of InkWhen: May 30-June 1Where: St. Charles Convention Center, 1 Convention Center Blvd., St. CharlesHow much: $20, $50 for a three-day passMore info: carnivalofink.comThis is the 12th year for this tattoo convention, featuring nearly 70 skin artists ready to permanently mark you with their best designs. A plethora of awards for the artists will be handed out (best horror, best lettering, best arm sleeve), and vendors will sell tattoo supplies, stencils and the like.

3 weeks ago | stltoday.com | Jasmine Osby

ST. LOUIS — My emotions weighed me down as I picked up brick scraps at an Aldine Avenue daycare the morning after a tornado hit the city. It was hot. Salty beads of sweat ran into my eyes, under my face mask and onto my lips as I worked with other volunteers. I tossed the dusty, red chunks into the back of a pickup to be hauled away.

3 weeks ago | ourcommunitynow.com | Jasmine Osby

Caamp Folk music band Caamp is bringing sincere vocals, banjo jams and acoustic rhythms to St. Louis just a few days before releasing its fifth studio album “Copper Changes Color.” The Ohio band emerged in 2016 with its debut project “Caamp.” Its second album housed the gold-certified song “Vagabond,” solidifying the band with a core fanbase thanks to its unique sound. In 2022, President Barack Obama co-signed the group’s song “Apple Tree Blues” after featuring it on his summer playlist.

3 weeks ago | stltoday.com | Jasmine Osby

Surtsey is an unusual name for an alt-country band. It’s an island in Iceland, but it makes sense for Joe Bassa. He was born to military parents stationed at Iceland’s Keflavík Air Station. His family eventually moved to his mother’s hometown of Perryville, Missouri, where Bassa formed the band in 2009. Comprised of Bassa, drummer Aaron Essner and bassist Drew Koeppel and steel guitarist Zach Naeger, the band is now getting ready to play Open Highway Music Festival on June 20-21.