Shakey Graves

About

Also known as: Alejandro Rose-Garcia, Alejandro Rose‐Garcia

Shakey Graves built his reputation on a genuinely unusual setup: a modified suitcase doubling as a kick drum and tambourine stand, letting him perform as a full one man band. That contraption became his calling card, and it landed him a spot as the official busker on the Edward Sharpe and Mumford & Sons Railroad Revival Tour in 2011, playing crowds as they filed into each venue. His self released debut Roll the Bones showcased that solo style before he signed with Dualtone Records and brought in collaborators for the fuller sounding And the War Came in 2014, which featured co writes with Esmé Patterson and TV appearances on Conan and Late Show with David Letterman. Born Alejandro Rose Garcia in Austin, Texas, he picked up the Shakey Graves name at a campfire after a stranger apparently high on LSD rambled about "spooky wagons". Since then the name has stuck through several albums, a 2015 Americana Music Award for Best Emerging Artist, and an annual Shakey Graves Day every February where he puts his catalogue up for pay what you want on Bandcamp. His third album Can't Wake Up came out in 2018, and Movie of the Week followed in 2023 with an interesting twist: fans could use an AI tool on his site to shuffle unreleased masters and create their own custom version of the record.