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.