In the year after its 2011 release,
Shakey Graves' homespun debut began to take on a life of its own, finding its way to new fans either organically through word of mouth or thanks to its prominent feature on the download platform BandCamp. Its stark black-and-white cover photo of the Texas singer/songwriter casually standing next to a piano in a cowhead mask became a somewhat ubiquitous symbol of a weird, rough-edged strain of Americana music of which he was a prominent player. Utilizing a one-man-band set-up he'd honed over the previous years,
Graves (real name
Alejandro Rose-Garcia) spun lonesome, bluesy folk tales in a lo-fi style using all available limbs and digits to pick rickety banjos and guitars or kick his homemade tambourine/bass drum rig made out of an old suitcase. After establishing himself as an integral part of his hometown's vibrant music scene, Austin's mayor even declared February 9 to be "Shakey Graves Day." This auspicious start led to a record deal with Dualtone and future albums that often boasted a fuller sound and further experimentation, but the minimalist vibes of
Roll the Bones are what effectively launched
Graves' career. In this deluxe reissue (called
Roll the Bones X),
Rose-Garcia celebrates ten years of
Shakey Graves, complementing his original release with a second album of demos, rarities, and deep cuts all related to the original era. ~ Timothy Monger