Here’s the first of what will hopefully be a bunch of SXSW previews. These will not be for the bands that you already know and love; what would be the point of me trying to preach to the converted. Instead here are some of the out of the way artists (who will no doubt be playing some out of the way places!) that I suggest you check out when you are down in Austin.
Shaky Graves is a perfect first post in this series. The band is really a one man band based in Austin. His debut record, the 2011 release Roll The Bones, has been praised by the Austin Chronicle as well as influential LA based music blog Rollo & Grady. “Built to Roam” is a forlorn farewell song; an ode to leaving places like L.A. and N.Y.C. It’s these types of songs where Shaky Graves shines. His high pitched voice (similar to the great Tom Brosseau) is perfectly suited for this type of song. Here’s “Built To Roam” song that 2011 release:
Shaky Graves has just released a followup ep titled The State Of Texas Vs. Alejandro Rose-Garcia (available free via Bandcamp). Here’s “Halloween” off that new ep:
No date yet for either an official or unofficial showcase. I’ll update this post as we get closer to SXSW.