William Munoz/Missoula Current

Alejandro Rose-Garcia began his musical journey busking outside venues at the annual South by Southwest music festival in Austin. He got recognized by the organizers and was asked the following year to be inside the venues.

That was 2013 and his stage moniker, Shakey Graves, was soon to be known throughout the country. He had fortunately recorded “Roll the Bones” the year before, which helped a wider audience embrace his music.

The first time I saw Shakey Graves was in 2015 at the Wilma. I was familiar with the song “Dearly Departed,” that featured Esmé Patterson. Getting to the sold-out venue, I realized that the concert was going to be much more than one song. It was, in fact, an audience that knew him and deeply appreciated his music.

I've seen Shakey Graves three more times and each show is better. This comes to the Shakey Graves concert this week at the Kettlehouse - the 10th anniversary of Roll the Bones.

The show opened with Alejandro standing alone on a riser with his trademark suitcase kick drum and a single light on the dark stage. Soon joined by his band, the stage was filled with fog and lights and the musical journey began in earnest.

The visual effects that the heavy fog and lighting made the music that much more intense and at times mysterious. Perhaps the best but unexpected part was when they played 'Time' by Pink Floyd.

The evolution of Shakey Graves' music and live performance clearly shows that Rose-Garcia used the time of the pandemic creatively and is ready to be back on the road bringing his devotion to music to life in live performances.

Opening the concert was Sierra Ferrell, who is rapidly becoming a major force in the music world of Americana alternative country. A unique voice that grew out of listening to grunge of the 90's while growing up in West Virginia.

She is signed to Rounder Records. Ferrell joined Shakey Graves' encore to sing a single she and Alejandro recorded, 'Ready Or Not.”

Shakey Graves at the Kettlehouse

Shakey Graves

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