Shakey Graves

Shakey Graves performs as the alias of Texas-born singer, songwriter, and guitarist Alejandro Rose-Garcia, delivering a hazy, otherworldly mix of blues, folk, and rock through a minimal one-man-band format. The Austin-rooted artist converted the independent momentum of his lo-fi 2011 debut Roll the Bones into broader exposure, securing a contract with Dualtone Records that yielded later projects such as 2014’s And the War Came. During this period he altered his methods, introducing fuller ensemble textures and probing psychedelic directions on concise EPs including the four-song Look Alive issued in 2020. An expanded tenth-anniversary edition of his debut appeared in 2021, loaded with uncommon bonus cuts; two years afterward came the anthology of previously unheard tracks Deadstock: A Shakey Graves Day Anthology together with the richly arranged and stylistically daring new album Movie of the Week.

Rose-Garcia entered the world in Austin, Texas, on June 4, 1987, within a household that nurtured artistic interests; his mother performed as an actress while also directing and writing, and his father ran a theater. He first pursued acting, participating in his high-school drama program before relocating to Los Angeles, where he took parts in films such as Spy Kids 3: Game Over and Material Girls plus a recurring role on the television series Friday Night Lights. Music remained a parallel passion, with songs composed and recorded during idle hours. At the 2007 Old Settler’s Music Festival in Driftwood, Texas, Rose-Garcia and friends invented country-style nicknames for one another; one of them christened him Shakey Graves, and the moniker remained.

After witnessing a 2009 performance by blues-punk one-man-band Bob Log III, Rose-Garcia admired both the economical stage presentation and the strategic use of tempo and key shifts that kept listeners engaged. Inspired by that model, he assembled a Shakey Graves persona, employing foot pedals to operate a tambourine and a suitcase converted into a bass drum while delivering material he labeled “hobo folk.” Crowds responded to the songs, stage presence, and storytelling flair, transforming the venture from an occasional home project into a notable fixture on the Austin scene. The first Shakey Graves album, 2011’s Roll the Bones, captured this spare approach; after an initial online release it achieved strong independent sales, prompting Austin’s mayor to proclaim February 9 “Shakey Graves Day” in 2012.

Later that year the follow-up EP Donor Blues appeared, drawing the interest of independent roots label Dualtone Records, which offered a recording agreement. The debut Dualtone album, 2014’s And the War Came, broadened the palette by employing additional musicians on several selections and featuring a duet with vocalist Esmé Patterson. Extensive touring ensued, along with appearances on late-night programs including Conan, The Late Show with David Letterman, and Late Night with Seth Meyers, plus Austin City Limits. In 2015 Graves marked the anniversary of Shakey Graves Day by issuing the digital album Nobody’s Fool as a free download available only from February 9 through February 11; that same year he received the Best Emerging Artist honor at the Americana Music Awards. Two years afterward the double-disc set Shakey Graves & the Horse He Rode in On: Nobody’s Fool & the Donor Blues EP combined the earlier releases. The Sleep EP arrived in early 2018, followed in May by the third full-length album Can’t Wake Up.

The next decade opened with the 2020 EP Look Alive, which explored further psychedelic-pop avenues. April 2021 brought Roll the Bones X, an expanded reissue of the debut that added a second disc of rarities, demos, and deep cuts. The 2023 collection Deadstock: A Shakey Graves Day Anthology gathered previously unreleased material, while the singles “Evergreen” and “Ready or Not” also surfaced that year, the latter reflecting an alt-country direction shared with singer/songwriter Sierra Ferrell. Shortly after finishing Can’t Wake Up in 2018, Graves was asked by filmmaker friends to score their project; he generated music to match rough-cut footage, yet the ideas failed to align with the directors’ vision, leading him to withdraw. Several melodies nonetheless proved satisfying, and he developed them into his next album. The resulting work, Movie of the Week, carried a lusher sonic character than much of his earlier output and appeared in September 2023.