Rose-Garcia received his stage name at Old Settler's Music Festival in 2007 after a stranger, apparently high on LSD, rambled "spooky wagons".

[5] Shakey Graves became known for his one-man band set up and most of his 2011 self-released debut album Roll the Bones features him playing solo.

His solution consisted of a modified suitcase that functions as both a kick drum and a tambourine stand built by a close friend.

His unique style of performance led to him being asked to be the official “busker” for the Edward Sharpe and Mumford & Sons Railroad Revival Tour in 2011, where he played music for patrons entering each venue.

[12] In December of 2015, the band appeared on the highly regarded Tiny Desk Concert by NPR Music, performing select songs from And the War Came.

[14] Every year on February 9 through the 11th, Shakey Graves offers all of his music, including unreleased albums such as The State of Texas vs. Alejandro Rose-Garcia, Story of My Life, As Per Request, and West of Calgary on Bandcamp for pay-what-you-want prices.

[16] On June 30, 2017, the band released The Donor Blues and Nobody's Fool as a collection titled Shakey Graves and the Horse He Rode In On on vinyl and streaming services under the Dualtone label.