Shakey Graves leaves the suitcase at home on his new album, Movie Of The Week
For many artists, a concept album is an opportunity to create a new character and take their music in a different direction. For Austin’s Alejandro Rose-Garcia a.k.a Shakey Graves, it was an invitation to find himself.
Long tied to the battered suitcase drum and folky DIY aesthetic that defined his first album, Roll Them Bones, Shakey’s newest, Movie of the Week, is a full 360° artistic endeavor that pulls on all of Rose-Garcia’s considerable creative talents. Originally tasked with scoring a film, the former actor dove head-first into creating a soundscape that would reflect a character’s emotions as they move through their story. The result is a collection of disparate tracks reminiscent of Nick Cave’s whimsical, moody songwriting.
Unfortunately, the film’s producer saw things differently.
“A lot of these songs were going to be in a major motion picture but we got canned, so we just decided to keep the songs anyway. So we did a lot of different versions of each one of these songs”. – Shakey Graves in Studio 1A
Instead of leaving those alternate takes on the cutting room floor, Shakey made them available through his website. With the help of AI, listeners can create their own soundtrack and movie posters from the album’s outtakes and the hundreds of pieces of art he created for the project. Prompted with “Austin, TX” we got this.
Coming soon to a theatre near you!
SYNOPSIS
Crumb’s Lament tells the poignant story of Thomas Crumb, a down-on-his-luck musician struggling to revive his stagnant career in the vibrant and eclectic music scene of Austin, TX. Faced with mounting debts and a broken heart, Crumb embarks on a soul-searching journey that explores the delicate balance between artistic passion and the harsh realities of life. Along the way, he encounters a motley crew of eccentric characters, each with their own dream-chasing struggles, and together they navigate the bittersweet landscape of love, loss, and creative frustration, ultimately finding solace and redemption amidst the idyllic backdrop of Austin’s enchanting music culture.
SOUNDTRACK
- The Hike
- RORN Beach
- Chairman Of The Board
- Baxter’s Curve
- Five Years
- Horses I Love
- Beneath The Canopy
- Swamp(OAOTF)
- Escape From Safari Lodge
- Straight To Voicemail
Pretty sure we’ve all met a Thomas Crumb at some point. Spend any amount of time playing around with different prompts and the sheer amount of material available is immediately obvious. From variations of songs found on the album to covers and purely ambient tracks, Shakey Graves has moved well beyond the stripped-down folk music of his earlier work. So, pop some popcorn, pull on a pair of good headphones, and get lost in a movie of your own making.
FOLLOW SHAKEY GRAVES
Album: Movie of the Week (Dualtone Records)
Musicians:
Alejandro Rose-Garcia – vocals, guitar; Dan Creamer – piano; Matt Pence – Drums; Cameron Neal – guitar; Pat O’Connor – guitar; Taylor Craft – bass
Credits:
Producer: Deidre Gott; Audio Engineer: Jake Perlman; Reyna Sevilla; Audio Mix: Jake Perlman; Cameras: Deborah Cannon, Michael Minasi; Isak Kotecki; Edit: Deborah Cannon; Host: Fresh Knight
