Alejandro Rose-Garcia, who is better known by his stage name Shakey Graves, does everything a little bit differently than everyone else. The former actor, most famous for his role in Friday Night Lights, plays music from a simpler time with a modern flair. His trademark suitcase with a drumhead and a kick pedal attached acts as his rhythm section as he plays his beat-up acoustic and sings. Tinges of country, blues, indie, and folk can be heard in Shakey’s music, but his style is truly all his own. It’s almost a guarantee that you’ve never heard anyone quite like Shakey Graves before. When asked about how he developed his unique sound, Graves said, “The moment I found my sound was when I could hear something that I recorded and not believe that it is actually me. The live show that I play right now is astonishing to me, I never intended to play dirty bluesy guitar like this. I mean I was a huge Deathcab fan in highschool, I went through a huge hardcore/scream phase and listened to lots of Saetia and unheard 90s bands, all of this sort of came together in odd ways but really the sound simply developed. My hands do the talking now, and playing can feel like consciously blacking out, craning my head back, and the “it” sings.”

Shakey has been making waves in the Austin, Texas music scene for a few years, but now he is booking bigger and bigger dates. From opening for the Tedeschi Trucks Band at their upcoming Beacon Theater dates to being part of the 2014 Newport Folk Festival’s lineup, Shakey is certainly moving up in the world. His most recent recording is a duet with singer Esmé Patterson called “Dearly Departed,” featuring some classic country-style vocal harmonization paired with rollicking folk rhythm.

If you were able to obtain tickets to the Folk Festival this year, make it a point to see Shakey Graves perform. It is certainly an experience you’ll never forget and it could be the best performance you’ve ever seen.