Austin folk rocker Shakey Graves visits Bloomington this weekend. More than a decade since Graves played the NPR Tiny Desk, he’s got new music about becoming a dad and other big and little fond moments along the way.
On WGLT’s Sound Ideas, Graves said he's glad people loved his Tiny Desk Concert — but there's one catch.
“Truth be told, I hate my Tiny Desk Concert,” he said. “I hate it with all my heart. I was so sick at the time.”
He’s heard people remark about closeup shots of visible veins in his neck and throat, interpreted as passion — but all he sees is the effort it took to sing that day.
“I guess that just kind of sums up that time period,” he said. “I was still trying, or just all the most worried about, just like, what I was hoping would come out — and then what would actually come out, you know? As time goes on, it’s still an inevitable struggle, but I’m all the more grateful now.”
The 39-year-old has entered a new era of life, marrying musician Stephanie Hunt in 2023 and becoming a dad the next year. A new LP, Fondness, Etc., reflects on growing up.
“The record in a lot of ways is kind of just about the overwhelming emotion that I have just about my life,” he said. “I made Fondness, Etc. right after my daughter was born. We were both so shocked that like, a human baby — you know there’s going to be a baby in there and then a baby came out, and we were like, ‘Oh my God! A baby!’”
The songs were recorded on a simple pair of Tascam tape machines in one month at Graves’ home studio. Production was fast — the record was finished by the time the baby was a year old.
“You get to see what a year of human growth looks like in a really extreme way,” said Graves. “Even from putting [the record] out to now, I don’t have a baby anymore, I have a kid. And within a week I’ll just have a roommate.”
Graves said being a witness to that helped him realize how potent a single year can be and how many little things get forgotten along the way. The record isn’t just about parenthood — though Graves admits he may not be able to dote on his daughter indefinitely — it’s also about middle life in general: watching his parents age and become grandparents, figuring out he’s an adult [‘who allowed this?!'] and seeing friends go through their own joys, triumphs and sorrows.
“It’s just too much to process,” he said. “I really wanted to freeze frame this little transitional period. The title of the record itself is a little bit of a joke. It’s like the most important moments of my life, etc. Like, you know, it’s no big deal, it’s just your life. It’s the most heartbreakingly impactful moments of loss and gain. But, etc.”
Shakey Graves plays at the Castle Theatre Sunday night. NYC indie rockers Wild Pink open at 7:30 p.m.; tickets are $42 plus fees at thecastletheatre.com.
