There was a drink special available for Shakey Graves’ show at The Sinclair on Friday night. The Shakey Sour had tequila, lemon juice, simple syrup, orange bitters and an orange twist. All of the ingredients for a good buzz and, like those with the drink, the show had its own buzz.
Alejandro Rose-Garcia, the singer-songwriter behind Shakey Graves, received a ton of praise for his first two records and he normally toured solo. Now that his third record and first with Dualtone Records, And The War Came, is out the game has changed just ever so slightly. He’s got a band with him, but the added performers don’t diminish the charm and zaniness of Rose-Garcia’s live performance.
And solo songs aren’t completely out of the picture either, naturally. Rose-Garcia opened with “Roll The Bones,” an early song that really generated a ton of hype for the Austin musician. It’s a song that doesn’t ever lose its luster, with its driving kickdrum and Garcia’s southern growl of a classic Vonnegut line, “so it goes.”
Shakey introduced his drummer, Boo, and it may have been the most enthusiastic drummer introduction ever made. There was heel clicking, there were shots taken on stage. It reminded me of a circus game, where Shakey is the ringleader and Boo is the man of incredible rhythmic talents.
Later, that metaphor would ring even truer: The two have a friendly competition called “Stump The Drummer” and it is exactly what the name implies. Boo lost that night’s round, after being faked out by a guitar riff. The two have such a fun chemistry on stage, and their playful banter worked the crowd really well.
Esmé Patterson, the wonderful singer songwriter from Denver who opened for the show, joined Shakey for the three duets with him from And The War Came. “Call It Heaven,” the album closer, rocked a bit harder than on the album’s lo-fi recording.
“Big Time Nashville Star,” similarly packed a bit more punch, with the harmonies working very well together. But of course, that was all an appetizer for the night’s closer, “Dearly Departed,” the incredible lead single off of the new record.
And The Sinclair crowd responded in kind, yelling and clapping along to every single word of Patterson’s and Rose-Garcia’s call-and-response-style verses and blustery chorus. The crowd energy was remarkable, and it’s easy to tell what kind of hit that song could turn out to be. And while it was uncertain until weeks before the show if Patterson was going to be able to tour with Shakey Graves, it’s a great thing she is. Patterson lends such energy to “Dearly Departed” and the other duets that fall kind of flat when performed solo. And finding another vocal talent that matches her style would be a tall task indeed.
It was clear that the band had run out of time to fit “Dearly Departed” in the set, so it may have been the cause of the disappointing omission of an album track, “Family and Genus.” It’s by far the most experimental side of Shakey to date, but it’s a great song regardless.
Still, like the Shakey Sour, the Shakey show packed its own punch.
Esmé Patterson opened the evening with a set of her own, playing a string of concept songs as a response to songs about women from the perspective of that woman. That included “Jolene” and “Billy Jean.” The latter was probably the strongest of the set, but Patterson is a musical force to be reckoned with. Similar to the nature of Courtney Barnett’s instrumentation and even of the wordiness, Patterson commanded the room with a set that felt all too short.
Joe Sundell was the other support act, playing southern-tinged folk music with, what else, a kickdrum. He served as a great opener, whipping up the crowd into a frenzy and getting the crowd, who filed in quite early to snag a great spot to see Shakey Graves, to participate in call and response. The obvious call-and-response highlight was “Weed Smoker Blues.”
View Shakey Graves upcoming tour dates here.
