Have you ever heard a song or a voice stark and beautiful it could rattle your tomb? Or shake your grave, perhaps?
Then you must have heard Alejandro Rose-Garcia, also known as Shakey Graves before. He is a soulful Americana singer/songwriter who hails from deep in the heart of Texas…Austin, Texas to be exact. Starting out in the dive bars and Texas honky-tonks, Shaky Graves honed his signature sound that wavers between folk, blues, and country music effortlessly.
He took his moniker as an inside joke among his musician friends, who decided to give each other traditional Native American names, Alejandro got Shakey Graves, and it stuck ever since.
Shakey Graves made a splash in the indie-music scene when he released his 2011, debut album Roll the Bones. He quickly moved from the Texas honky-tonks he was used to and put him in honky-tonks all over the country. By the time he released the 2012 follow-up album, Donor Blues, he was getting invitations to play some of the biggest festivals in the country including Bonnaroo and South by Southwest.
Now touring in support of his newest album, And the War Came. Released in October of last year, the album met rave reviews from fans and critics alike. Praising his stark arrangements and vivid, heartfelt lyrics, the album stirs painful emotions with a therapeutic spoon. Songs like “Dearly Departed,” “If Not For You,” and “Call It Heaven” – Shakey Graves seems to feel most comfortable in the warm embrace of heartbreak and solitude. While tracks like: “Big Time Nashville Star” and “Pansy Waltz” allude to his thick, Texas pugilist skin.
Shakey Graves will be performing tomorrow night at WFPK’s first Waterfront Wednesday of the season. As always the show is free, and music begins at 5:00 PM. J.D. McPherson and Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers will also be on the bill.
