Blips | Shakey Graves and Quilt
By Scott Bernstein Jan 31, 2014 • 10:30 am PST
Check out songs from this edition of Blips and previous featured acts through these handy RDIO and Spotify playlists as part of the new JamBase channels for each.
Remember the days when it was all the rage to be in a two-piece band? Well forget about that tired format. Alejandro Rose-Garcia, who goes by the stage name Shakey Graves, is out to prove that you don’t need a partner when you can do it all on your own. The singer-songwriter, who may look familiar to some from a reoccurring role as The Swede on Friday Night Lights, has been one of the most buzzed about artists coming out of his hometown of Austin, TX over the last few years. In fact, back in the 2012 the Mayor of Austin declared February 9th of that year “Shakey Graves Day” .
Armed with a guitar and a makeshift kick drum fashioned out of a suitcase, Shakey Graves plays a compelling brand of foot-stomping CBGB – that’s shorthand for country, bluegrass and blues -infused folk music, all highlighted by his whiskey-soaked vocals. With two official releases under his belt, a full-length and an EP, both of which can be streamed for free online, Rose-Garcia has built a reputation from his live shows with his ragged tempo-shifting tunes. Next month Shakey Graves will hit the road for a handful of dates with like-minded act Shovels & Rope, and from the looks of it will be hitting the festival circuit in a major way this summer.
Quilt couldn’t have picked a better band name. The imagery of it alone conjures up a warm, enveloping, multi-colored patchwork blanket, and the Boston-based act’s music is perfectly suited to live up to that billing with their multi-layered brand of kaleidoscopic, psychedelic folk-pop. While many of their like-minded peers have taken inspiration from San Francisco’s Fillmore-era bands, Quilt draws influence from further down the coast -channeling the sunshine spirit of Los Angeles’ psychedelic pop bands. The group sounds like an acid-soaked version of the Peanut Butter Conspiracy, or if the Mamas and Papas had teamed up with The Byrds.
Earlier this week Quilt released their sophomore effort, Held In Splendor, via Mexican Summer. The thirteen-track album sees the three-piece band laying down gorgeous, dreamy, layered vocals over twisting guitar leads, loose drum grooves and Indian raga sounds. While Quilt is certainly steeped in familiar 1960’s sounds, there is nothing retro or nostalgic about what they are doing, as they can confidently take their place alongside the likes of Tame Impala as modern torchbearers of psych-pop music.
