Staff Editor on February 1st, 2020

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Shakey Graves, aka Alejandro Rose-Garcia, charmed the pants off everyone in attendance on his first of three intimate shows at the Lodge Room in Highland Park on Wednesday night.

It’s not often an entire audience makes friends with their neighbors before a show, but the sensitive souls who follow this pied piper felt the need to share the love he inspires. Much of the front two rows were fans with Austin connections, some even making the trip to see the man (whose hometown has an official Shakey Graves Day), because tickets there are only available via lottery. The stage at the Lodge Room was set up like a living room, complete with Venetian blinds, a couch in front of a horde of guitars and a 1970s 2-inch tape machine that sadly gave up the ghost the day of the show.

Shakey Graves’ shows are half amazing songwriting and 100% storytelling (trust us, the math works out). Rose-Garcia weaves tales of acquiring a 1930s guitar gifted from an L.A. vampire and many fond memories of the rough streets of Culver City. His witty banter and Nilssoneque songwriting worked especially well in these intimate shows, although he did succeed in seducing the whole of the Hollywood Bowl last year. His three-night L.A. residency was sold out.

Photos and recap by ZB Images