Folk music fosters some of the most wholesome creators. And when you look past the transplant apathy that’s rampant within our city limits, you’re usually reminded of that greater Lone Star State trait: kindness to strangers. So naturally, Texas folk musicians are some of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet.
Perfect example? Grace Roberson, who these days goes by the handle Gracky. The Corpus Christi-born Austinite’s got an authentic affection for entertaining audiences of all kinds; long before she was a regular performer at retirement homes, Roberson was an avid national anthem executant, college cover song curator, and talent show competitor, having even passed through an un-televised American Idol audition. With that many things in one woman’s wheelhouse (on top of a recent songwriting and recording routine), you might wonder, “when does she sleep?!” Well, today we may have gotten an answer.
This weekend Gracky releases her fifth studio single since her streaming debut late last Fall, marking her second original offering of the year. “Up All Night” is an affectionate four-minute piece of acoustic ecstasy, whether it’s paired with those 3AM caffeine beans or your new boo’s band jams. The emotional piano-guitar-vocal arrangement is just begging to be used during a dramatic end-of-Act-II montage, not to mention an endearing reminder that listening to Gracky’s velvety voice, even in small doses, is just as fulfilling as a forty-year relationship.