Getting Shakey at KCT

Photo: Nicholas Johansen

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Photo: Nicholas Johansen Photo: Nicholas Johansen Photo: Nicholas Johansen Photo: Nicholas Johansen Photo: Nicholas Johansen Photo: Nicholas Johansen

For the first time in almost three years, Austin, Texas' Shakey Graves rolled into Kelowna, giving the sold out Kelowna Community Theatre a taste of his southern Americana rock and roll.

After opener Cameron Neal kicked off the festivities, Alejandro Rose-Garcia, better known as Shakey Graves, took to the stage of the Kelowna Community Theatre, kicking off the show with a cover of No Place to Fall by Townes Van Zandt, prefacing the song by saying Van Zandt was one of his favourite songwriters.

Shakey Graves gained popularity as a one-man band with his first album Roll the Bones in 2011 and on Thursday he played solo for his first four songs, playing guitar while providing percussion with his kick drum.

After strumming and kick-drumming his way through Proper Fence and Built to Roam off his first album, along with 2016's Word of Mouth, he brought out the rest of his band and kicked the energy up a bit.

With a full band behind him, he got into some of his new songs off his 2018 album Can't Wake Up, playing Big Bad Wolf, Mansion Door and Dining Alone back to back.

While most of the crowd at the sold out, 853-seat theatre stayed seated through much of the show, they gave back plenty of cheers and shouts throughout.

The band kicked off the Canadian leg of their tour Wednesday night in Victoria and they're set to play in Nelson Friday. The tour will then take them for a quick run through Saskatchewan and Alberta before they head to Australia in April.

Shakey Graves last played in Kelowna at Prospera Place in June 2016, supporting City and Colour. On Thursday night, he noted that was the first time he'd ever played in a hockey arena.