The Black Keys: These Blues Brothers Have Worked It Out

Dan Auerbach (guitar and vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums) must wake up every morning and count their lucky stars, then turn over and have a nice glass of champagne. The funk soul brothers behind The Black Keys surely form one of the greatest rags-to-riches rock and roll success stories of all-times, their early beginnings being a panoply of highways, shitty gigs and raw recordings. Fast forward to the band we know today, a massive international arena rock band who like them or not, do things on their own terms, having compromised little of their original bluesy garage rock sound that captivated audiences then and now.

The late 1990’s saw the band emerge out of the industrial wreckage of Akron, Ohio, the influence of their decrepit home town evident in their gritty aural output – their 2002 debut The Big Come Up is a must for any and all – also stoking their independent spirit that saw Auerbach and Carney handle recording duties for their first four records.

Today The Black Keys do what they want when they want. Roundly criticized for licensing their songs to just about anything, they defend it as a way to get paid and get their music heard. Fair enough. They keep things fresh by working with outside touring musicians and producers (hello Danger Mouse), while occupying that same overseer role for numerous artists (Hanni El Khatib, Dr. John, Hacienda, The Growlers, Bombino, The Sheepdogs, Tennis). They also have the power to put together cool bills that showcase the broad styles of up and comers like Kurt Vile, CSS, and The Joy Formidable.