Shakey Graves

Before being known as Shakey Graves, Rose-Garcia had acting roles in Friday Night Lights and the Spy Kids franchise.[3]

Shakey Graves became known for his one-man band set up and most of his 2011 self-released debut album Roll the Bones features him playing solo.[4] This set up originated after he grew tired of having to borrow kick drums and high hats in order to perform. His solution consisted of a modified suitcase that functions as both a kick drum and a tambourine stand built by a close friend.

His unique style of performance led to him being asked to be the official “busker” for the Edward Sharpe and Mumford & Sons Railroad Revival Tour in 2011, where he played music for patrons entering each venue.

His follow-up EP The Donor Blues was released in 2012, and features a collection of recordings from 2009.[5]

After being courted by multiple labels, Shakey Graves signed with Dualtone Records.[6] When he began working on the album, he added other musicians to his recording process and live set, including multi-instrumentalists Patrick O'Connor, Jon Shaw, and Chris Boosahda, who produced the album. Three of the songs, including "Dearly Departed", were co-written by Esmé Patterson, and Patterson additionally appeared on the album as the featured artist on the studio recordings of all songs she co-wrote for the album.[7] The album, titled And the War Came, was released on October 7, 2014.

Shakey Graves then began touring as a three-piece band. The band made their television debut on October 14, 2014 with Esmé Patterson, on Conan,[8] and then appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, performing "Dearly Departed" with the song's co-writer Esmé Patterson.[9] The band performed their next single, "The Perfect Parts", on Late Night with Seth Meyers.[4] On May 6, 2015, the band performed on Austin City Limits.[10]

In September 2015, Shakey Graves won the Best Emerging Artist award at the 2015 Americana Music Awards.[11]

On February 9, 2012, Lee Leffingwell, the Mayor of Austin, proclaimed a "Shakey Graves Day".[12] Every year on February 9 through the 11th, Shakey Graves offers all of his music, including unreleased albums The State of Texas vs. Alejandro Rose-Garcia, Story of My Life, As Per Request, and West of Calgary on Bandcamp for pay-what-you-want prices.[13]

On June 30, 2017, the band released The Donor Blues and Nobody's Fool as a collection titled Shakey Graves and the Horse He Rode In On on vinyl and streaming services under the Dualtone label.[14]

Shakey Graves released their third studio album, Can't Wake Up, on May 4, 2018, on Dualtone Records.[15]

On May 8, 2020, Shakey Graves released the Look Alive EP

On April 2, 2021, Shakey Graves re-released his debut album Roll the Bones on Dualtone Records for its 10-year anniversary. The album was originally self-released on CD-R. Entitled Roll the Bones X, the re-release includes additional songs not included on the original.[16] The album reached number 136 on the US Billboard 200.[17]

On May 31, 2022, Shakey Graves appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! performing "This Town" with Trixie Mattel.[18]

On February 9, 2023, Shakey Graves released Deadstock - A Shakey Graves Day Anthology, an "anthology" of previously unreleased material.

On September 15, 2023, Shakey Graves released Movie of the Week through Dualtone.

• Best Emerging Artist — 2015 Americana Music Awards[11]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shakey Graves.

• Official website
• Shakey Graves at IMDb