Shakey Graves (born Alejandro Rose-Garcia; June 4, 1987) is an American musician and actor from Austin, Texas.[1]

Shakey Graves
Shakey Graves performs at the Longhorn City Limits stage in 2021
Shakey Graves performs at the Longhorn City Limits stage in 2021
Background information
Birth nameAlejandro Rose-Garcia
Born (1987-06-04) June 4, 1987 (age 37)
Austin, Texas
GenresAmericana
Occupation(s)Musician, singer, actor
InstrumentGuitar
Years active2007–present
LabelsDualtone
Websiteshakeygraves.com

His music combines blues, folk, country, and rock and roll. Rose-Garcia received his stage name at Old Settler's Music Festival in 2007 after a stranger, apparently high on LSD, rambled "spooky wagons". Then he and his friends jokingly gave each other Native American guide names over a campfire. After an inspired night of playing music, he decided to keep the name.[2]

Career

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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 December of 2015, the band appeared on the highly regarded Tiny Desk Concert by NPR Music, performing select songs from And the War Came.

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 at the time, proclaimed a "Shakey Graves Day".[12] Every year on February 9 through the 11th, Shakey Graves offers all of his music, including unreleased albums such as 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] Exclusive merchandise and content is also created and released with each Shakey Graves Day. A portion of the proceeds made from sales through Bandcamp and the Shakey Graves Day concerts are donated to a charity of Shakey Graves choice.[14]

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.[15]

Shakey Graves released their third studio album, Can't Wake Up, on May 4, 2018, on Dualtone Records.[16][needs update] 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.[17] The album reached number 136 on the US Billboard 200.[18]

On May 31, 2022, Shakey Graves appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! performing "This Town" with Trixie Mattel.[19]

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.

Discography

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Studio albums

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List of albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
[20]
US
Folk

[21]
US
Indie

[22]
US
Rock

[23]
AUS
Hit.

[24]
Roll the Bones
  • Released: January 1, 2011
  • Re-released: April 2, 2021
  • Labels: self-released, Dualtone
136
[A]
5 21 22
And the War Came
  • Released: October 7, 2014
  • Label: Dualtone
44 4 8 11 12
Can't Wake Up
  • Released: May 4, 2018
  • Label: Dualtone
154 9 13 32
Movie of the Week
  • Released: September 15, 2023[25]
  • Label: Dualtone
[B]
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

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List of albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
Sales

[26]
US
Folk

[21]
US
Indie

[22]
Shakey Graves and the Horse He Rode In On
  • Released: June 30, 2017
  • Label: Dualtone
85 13 10
Deadstock - A Shakey Graves Day Anthology
  • Released: February 9, 2023[27]
  • Label: Self-released
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
  • Donor Blues EP (2012)
  • Nobody's Fool (Dualtone, 2015)[28]
  • The Sleep EP (2018)
  • Night Owl Sessions (2018)[29]
  • Look Alive EP (2020)[30]

Singles

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Single Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
AAA

[31]
US
Rock
Air.

[32]
CAN
Rock

[33]
"Dearly Departed"
(co-written by Esmé Patterson)[34]
2014 5 49 49 And the War Came
"Tomorrow"[37] 2016 Non-album single
"Kids These Days" 2018 40 Can't Wake Up
"Mansion Door" 37
"A World So Full of Love"[38] 2019 Non-album singles
"Cheers"[39] 2021
"Ready or Not"
(featuring Sierra Ferrell)[40]
2023 15 Movie of the Week
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
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Single Year Album
"This Town"
(Trixie Mattel featuring Shakey Graves)
2022 The Blonde & Pink Albums

Notes

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  1. ^ Roll the Bones charted in USA upon the release of Roll the Bones X in 2021.
  2. ^ Movie of the Week did not enter the US Billboard 200, but peaked at number 48 on the US Top Album Sales Chart.[26]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2003 Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over Edog
2006 Open Window Carlos
2006 Material Girls Phone Repairman
2009 Shorts John / Boyfriend
2010 Dance with the One Skater
2011 Slacker 2011 Steve
2012 Somebody Up There Likes Me Bus Boy #1
2012 Abel's Field New Bartender
2013 Love & Air Sex Freak Dancing Guy
2014 Thank You a Lot Gavin Martinez
2014 Sin City: A Dame to Kill For Buzz
2020 The Get Together Caleb
TBA Waterloo Sunset Sergio

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2005 Complete Savages Boy No. 2 Episode: "Teen Things I Hate About You"
2007 Friday Night Lights The Swede 4 episodes
2009 Midnight Bayou Julian Manet Television film
2012 Dallas Eric 2 episodes

References

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  1. ^ "A Suitcase Musician Comes Home: Shakey Graves On 'And The War Came'". Npr.org. 2014-10-18. Retrieved 2015-04-04.
  2. ^ "Shakey Graves -- Late July". Youtube.com. 24 July 2012. Retrieved 2015-04-04.
  3. ^ "Alejandro Rose-Garcia". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
  4. ^ a b "Shakey Graves Performs 'The Perfect Parts' on 'Late Night'". Diffuser.fm. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  5. ^ "New Music: Shakey Graves – "Doe, Jane"". Consequence of Sound. 2012-12-14. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  6. ^ "Full Circle". Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  7. ^ Government, United States. "Online Catalog of United States Copyright Documents". United States Copyright Office Catalog. United States Copyright Office. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  8. ^ "Shakey Graves "Dearly Departed" 10/14/14". tbs.com. 2014-10-15. Retrieved 2015-04-14.
  9. ^ "Shakey Graves: "Dearly Departed" - David Letterman". cbs.com. 2015-02-14. Retrieved 2015-04-13.
  10. ^ "ACL Review: Shakey Graves". Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  11. ^ "2015 Americana Awards: Shakey Graves, Sturgill Simpson & Lucinda Williams Win Big Honors". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  12. ^ "Shakey Graves Celebrates "Shakey Graves Day" Anniversary With Pay-What-You-Want Release". americansongwriter.com. 2015-02-09.
  13. ^ "Shakey Graves Allowing You To Pay What You Want for Entire Catalog for 72 Hours, Half of Proceeds to Go to Charity". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  14. ^ "Shakey Graves Day". HAAM. 2024-02-09. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  15. ^ "Review: Shakey Graves Impresses with Full Collection of Past EPs - Atwood Magazine". 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  16. ^ "Shakey Graves Announces New Album and Tour Dates". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  17. ^ "Shakey Graves retraces his debut album with 'Roll The Bones X' reissue". Tennesean.com. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  18. ^ @billboardcharts (April 12, 2021). "Debuts on this week's #Billboard200..." (Tweet). Retrieved April 13, 2021 – via Twitter.
  19. ^ Bouza, Kat. "Trixie Mattel Teams With Shakey Graves for 'This Town' on 'Kimmel'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  20. ^ "Shakey Graves – Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  21. ^ a b "Shakey Graves – Chart History: Americana/Folk Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  22. ^ a b "Shakey Graves – Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  23. ^ "Shakey Graves – Chart History: Rock Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  24. ^ "ARIA Report: Issue 1306" (PDF). ARIA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 March 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  25. ^ "Shakey Graves Announces New Album 'Movie of the Week'". American Songwriter. 19 July 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  26. ^ a b "Shakey Graves – Chart History: Top Album Sales". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  27. ^ "Deadstock - A Shakey Graves Day Anthology by Shakey Graves on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  28. ^ Pearson, Jeff. "Shakey Graves Shares Nobody's Fool EP for "Shakey Graves Day"". Pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2015-04-04.
  29. ^ "Night Owl Sessions by Shakey Graves". bandcamp.com. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  30. ^ "Review: Shakey Graves' Electrifying New EP, 'Look Alive'". atwoodmagazine.com. 5 May 2020. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  31. ^ "Shakey Graves – Chart History: Triple A Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  32. ^ "Shakey Graves – Chart History: Rock Airplay". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  33. ^ "Shakey Graves – Chart History: Canada Rock". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  34. ^ Government, United States. "Online Catalog of United States Copyright Documents". United States Copyright Office Catalog. United States Copyright Office. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  35. ^ a b "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  36. ^ "Canadian certifications – Shakey Graves". Music Canada. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  37. ^ "Tomorrow by Shakey Graves". bandcamp.com. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  38. ^ "A World So Full of Love - Single by Shakey Graves on Apple Music". Apple Music (US). Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  39. ^ "Tracks on Cheers - Shakey Graves (July 14, 2021) | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com.
  40. ^ "Shakey Graves shakes up a recent single with a newly released demo and big tour announcement". CultureMap Austin. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
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