If you ever get a chance to see Shakey Graves, don’t pass it up; there’s an incredible performance to witness! I’ve been listening to Shakey Graves for a few years now and was super excited to see they were coming to Portland for a late summer show. I was not disappointed. At all. Had it not been for work in LA calling for a super early flight the next morning, I would have stayed until the house lights came up.

His insanely overloaded but very well-queued fog machine set a mysterious scene that perfectly accessorized his unique, beautifully deep, and at times haunting voice. And he had fans! Well-placed fans blew both his hair and the artificial fog around making this photographer’s heart sing! Their production was well done; the lighting and operator were on point, those aforementioned fog machines were so cool, even for an outdoor venue in downtown Portland at Pioneer Courthouse Square. It was a fun show and I really enjoyed live versions of some of my (and seemingly the other 2000 people’s) favorite songs like “Roll the Bones”, “Pansy Waltz (Fuck you Kelly!)”, and a wonderfully fun duet of '“Dearly Departed”, with opener Jade Bird.

Catch some Shakey Graves out there in the world and you’re in for a treat.