Ready or Not

Shakey Graves shakes up a recent single with a newly released demo and big tour announcement

The Austin artist released a stripped-down version of a recent single and announced a lengthy tour.

Photo by Barbara FG

Austin is behind Shakey Graves all the way, whether it's his old blues jaunts or a sleeker new duet. In this case, his home town gets to enjoy both. The guitarist and singer (Alejandro Rose-Garcia, offstage) has offered up the demo version of his most recent single, "Ready or Not," as a two-song EP with his "Movie of the Week" tour announcement.

The other song in the EP is that same single, so it's not a lot of new music; but it is a lot of new insight. This is a growing strategy for Rose-Garcia, who has also recently announced newish music in the form of a cover honoring great Texas musicians.

Where the studio version of "Ready or Not" is warm and jangly, uplifted by harmonies from West Virginian singer Sierra Ferrell, the demo is absolutely a different, deeper beast.

The demo track is much slower and meandering, with gentle guitar and radar chirps as if underwater. Like going from She & Him to M. Ward, it's darker and languorous; It's like The Shins took a break from making Chutes Too Narrow in 2023 and stepped in to rewrite the Shakey Graves original.

"Made in the New Mexico mountains by [Cameron Neal] and I," wrote Rose-Garcia in the announcement on Instagram, "this is the bittersweet gooey center of the tune, which later transformed into an upbeat duet with the amazing [Sierra Ferrell]."

The titular lyric, "ready or not" takes a very different tone with the change in arranging. Unlike the studio version's blithe disinterest in admitting things are not okay, the demo embodies a comfortable resignation settling in.

This could be convenient for stripped-down live performances of the song, and hopefully that's just what fans get on the new "Movie of the Week" North American tour this fall. It kicks off in Austin during Willie Nelson's annual 4th of July Picnic, and continues around the country for an additional 54 dates.

There is no other Austin date for fans who can't make the picnic, but Shakey Graves will return to Texas on October 26 and 27, in Dallas and Houston, respectively.

Different legs of the tour will feature several different guests, including Flipturn, Rayland Baxter, and Sadurn.

Listen to both versions of "Ready or Not" on streaming platforms, and check ticket availability at shakeygraves.com. A presale is available on the artist's site starting at 10 am on June 27. The general sale starts on Friday, June 30.

Shakey Graves' "Movie of the Week" tour currently includes the following dates, although some are already sold out:

July 4—Q2 Stadium, Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic—Austin, TX
July 9—Levitate Music and Arts Festival—Marshfield, MA
July 11—The Chicken Box—Nantucket, MA
July 12—The Chicken Box—Nantucket, MA
July 28—Bauhaus Brew Labs—Minneapolis, MN
July 29—Bell’s Eccentric Cafe-Beer Garden—Kalamazoo, MI
July 30—Old Forester’s Paristown Hall—Louisville, KY
August 2—Greenfield Lake Amphitheater—Wilmington, NC
August 3—Firefly Distillery—North Charleston, SC
August 4—Rabbit Rabbit—Asheville, NC
August 5—Maymont Park—Richmond, VA
August 6—The Ritz—Raleigh, NC
August 8—The Atlantis—Washington, DC
August 9—Lincoln Hill Farms—Canadaigua, NY
August 11—The Pines Theater at Look Park—Northampton, MA
August 12—The Green at Shelburne Museum—Shelburne, VT
August 13—Guster’s On The Ocean—Portland, ME
August 15—Pier 17—New York, NY
August 16—XL Live—Harrisburg, PA
August 17—Freeman Arts Pavilion—Selbyville, DE
August 18—Stone Pony Summer Stage—Asbury Park, NJ
September 21—The Van Buren—Phoenix, AZ
September 22—BeachLife Ranch—Redondo Beach, CA
September 26—The Sound At Del Mar—Del Mar, CA
September 27—Orpheum Theater—Flagstaff, AZ
September 30—Ace of Spades—Sacramento, CA
October 1—Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas—Las Vegas, NV
October 5—Vina Robles Amphitheatre—Paso Robles, CA
October 6—Cascade Theatre—Redding, CA
October 7—Crystal Ballroom—Portland, OR
October 8—Rebels and Renegades—Monterey, CA
October 10—Paramount Theatre—Seattle, WA
October 11—Queen Elizabeth Theatre—Vancouver, BC
October 12—Knitting Factory Concert House—Spokane, WA
October 13—Knitting Factory Concert House—Boise, ID
October 14—Knitting Factory Concert House—Boise, ID
October 15—Union Event Center—Salt Lake City, UT
October 26—Longhorn Ballroom—Dallas, TX
October 27—The Lawn at White Oak Music Hall—Houston, TX
November 1—Ryman Auditorium—Nashville, TN
November 2—The Eastern—Atlanta, GA
November 3—Avondale Brewing Company—Birmingham, AL
November 4—Georgia Theatre—Athens, GA
November 5—Neighborhood Theatre—Charlotte, NC
November 6—The Signal—Chattanooga, TN
November 8—Roxian Theatre—Pittsburgh, PA
November 9—Toad’s Place—New Haven, CT
November 11—Massey Hall—Toronto, ON
November 12—Union Transfer—Philadelphia, PA
November 13—9:30 Club—Washington, DC
November 14—Roadrunner—Boston, MA
November 16—Agora Theatre—Cleveland, OH
November 17—The Salt Shed—Chicago, IL
November 18—The Sylvee—Madison, WI
November 19—Egyptian Room-Old National Centre—Indianapolis, IN

music new releases new music shakey graves tours concerts

Movie Review

Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin are both funny and deep in A Real Pain

Photo courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg in A Real Pain.

Comedy film duos have a long history, from Laurel and Hardy in the 1920s and ‘30s to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in movies like Baby Mama. But the majority of duos have either been friends or work partners; relationships that can be close, but not as close as family. The new film A Real Pain aims for the comedy that a great duo can bring, but hits deeper because the two lead characters are related to each other.

Benji (Kieran Culkin) and David (Jesse Eisenberg) are first cousins who decide to take a trip to Poland to visit the childhood home of their grandmother, who has recently passed. Their personalities could not be more different, with David buttoned-down and reserved and Benji extremely social, if a little wild. This contrast is on display from the moment they leave on their trip, affecting almost every aspect of their journey.

The two meet up with a diverse tour group in Poland, including guide James (Will Sharpe), recently divorced Marcia (Jennifer Grey), married couple Mark (Daniel Oreskes) and Diane (Liza Sadovy), and Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan), an African man who has converted to Judaism. As the group visits various historical sites, David confronts contrasting feelings about Benji, who goes from charming to abrasive seemingly at the drop of a hat.

Written and directed by Eisenberg, the film is about both the family we have and the history of those who came before us. With Benji and David being Jewish and their grandmother having escaped from the Nazis in World War II, the themes hit harder than they might in other situations. Eisenberg takes care to honor his Jewish ancestors both in the way he has Benji and David talk about their grandmother and the places they visit.

But even though emotions are heightened due to the significance of the trip, the film is far from a dour affair. Benji keeps things interesting at almost all times with a series of impulsive decisions, many that are entertaining for both the tour group and the audience watching the film. He is one of those film characters that is great to watch on screen, but would likely be too much to handle if you were confronted with him in real life.

The relationship between Benji and David is a complicated one; the two obviously have love for each other, but they rarely see eye-to-eye on the best way to approach certain situations. This tension keeps the film grounded, and Eisenberg does a great job at showing the push-and-pull the two cousins have with each other. The little moments, especially when Benji and David go their separate ways, say a lot as the characters try to reconcile where each is at in their respective lives.

Eisenberg has always been an understated performer, so this role is almost perfect for him. Culkin, fresh off his Emmy-winning role in HBO’s Succession, is an ideal foil for Eisenberg, as he has a manic energy that he can control or not control at will. It’s also nice to see Grey in action again, as she brings just the right touch to her supporting role.

The drama in A Real Pain comes from the life experiences of its two main characters, which are on full display despite the story only doling out details in small doses. The film is subtle yet powerful, a testament to Eisenberg’s filmmaking ability and the actors never trying to make too much of their scenes.

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A Real Pain opens in theaters on November 15.

movies film

Ready or Not

Shakey Graves shakes up a recent single with a newly released demo and big tour announcement

Movie Review

Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin are both funny and deep in A Real Pain

Cillian Murphy tells a local Irish story in Small Things Like These

Mimosa Walk returns to Austin's South 1st Street for sips and shopping

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