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It was, most likely, sheer coincidence that Shakey Graves wore a bright red shirt on the day that love became legal for all, but for me it was a sign of passion and intensity – one that the musician / singer maintained throughout his 75-minute performance on the BMO Harris Stage at Summerfest tonight.

Unfortunately, the sound ranged from muffled to fuzzy and, eventually, to merely average. At one point he even stopped, looked around and started over on a song. The vocals needed to be louder and the lyrics were, for the most part, indecipherable.

However, that didn’t stop fans from identifying and responding to their favorite songs, particularly those that made it to radio waves within the last year since the release of "And The War Came."

Born Alejandro Rose-Garcia in Austin, Texas, he received his stage name "Shakey Graves" when friends jokingly assigned him an "Indian guide name" over a campfire.

His style of music is a blend of country, blues and rock and roll. Rose-Garcia started out as a one-man band, and most of his debut album "Roll The Bones," is a solo effort. In later albums he included a band.

Tonight, he was alone on the stage – at times behind a podium draped with a Texas flag – with a small band and also sang two songs – "Big Time Nashville Star" and radio hit "Dearly Departed" – with PHOX’s Monica Martin. The two clearly had a connection – at one point she was whispering secrets in his ear and at the end of the second song she embraced him warmly. PHOX will play the same stage on Thursday, July 2.

During the set, Shakey Graves also played "Family and Genus," "The Pansy Waltz," "Hard Wired," "Roll The Bones," "Tomorrow," "Once In A While," "House Of Windsor," "If Not For You," "Lonely Hill" and "Late July."

In recent shows, Rose-Garcia did not play "Lonely Hill" or "Big Time Nashville Star" making both songs a rare experience for fans.

Rose-Garcia’s voice is both gritty and gentle, and his presence on stage ranged as well, from soulful during the bittersweet "Lonely Hill" to full-on rocker, including rock kicks, during "Hard Wired." He strummed the guitar; he shred the guitar. 

It’s been a fast and furious ride for Rose-Garcia, who – within the last year or so - transcended from obscure to cult favorite to indie-mainstream success which included spots on Conan O’Brien and David Letterman as well as a spot at Bonnaroo, where he received very favorable reviews.

On February 9, 2012, the Mayor of Austin proclaimed a "Shakey Graves Day." On this day –and for the two days following – all of his music is available on bandcamp for pay-what-you-want prices including unreleased albums.

His hit, "Dearly Departed," is trending in the top 10 on Triple A Radio. "And The War Came" was named one of the Top 15 Albums of 2014 by National Public Radio (NPR).

During tonight’s show, Rose-Garcia was engaged, electrified and personable. He spoke of riding the Sky Glider at Summerfest the night before and thanked the audience for "partying" with him.

However, the sound issues prevented it from being a truly remarkable show, yet they also reminded us that Rose-Garcia is likely wonderfully experienced in an smaller club, lounge or smaller venue.

As of tonight, it should be on all of his fans’ music bucket list to catch him in a more intimate setting. It's definitely on mine.