Yes, they’re another rockin’ two-piece, but Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney of the Black Keys are not just hitching a ride on the guitar-drummer bandwagon. Listed as No. 3 on Time Magazine’s “Best of Music 2003,” this white-boy duo is definitely going places.
Hailing from Akron, The Black Keys have a sound described as a combination of guttural blues and good ol’ fashioned rock ‘n’ roll. With Auerbach on guitar and vocals and Carney on drums, the duo’s blues-inspired sound is so thick it was evident to Auerback and Carney early on that adding another member would be a superfluous move.
“We actually played with this kid on Moog organ once, but it was pretty lame because we were just telling him what to do,” Auerbach said. “It wasn’t like an added creative force.”
The duo started playing together on and off in 1996, but didn’t start playing full-time until a few years ago. They recorded a demo – a four-song EP – in Carney’s basement in 2002. They sent out 10 demos and were offered a deal with Alive Records. They released their first full-length album, “The Big Come Up,” to rave reviews in Rolling Stone, Spin, The Village Voice and MOJO.
The duo attributes its success to pure luck.
“We don’t know how to read music, and we don’t have college educations or anything like that – although I think Pat and I have a great chemistry. We have fun playing together, and that has something to do with it, but it truly is luck,” Auerabach said.
The biggest result of the exposure was interest from major labels. Though the Black Keys had meetings with a number of labels, the only offer they would consider was from Epitaph’s blues imprint, Fat Possum. After signing a contract, they returned to Carney’s basement studio and banged out their sophomore album, “thickfreakness,” in a little over a half a day’s work.
“We initially tried working in a fancy San Fransico studio where Green Day had recorded a hit album, but it didn’t suit our sound and it didn’t feel right,” Auerbach said. “I’m really glad we realized that, and then decided to do the album our own way.”
The duo decided to record again in Carney’s basement and finished the tracks in 14 hours. They mixed the songs the next day. It only took a couple of days to get everything right in the band’s eyes.
The album has been an even bigger hit than its predecessor, garnering glowing reviews from the press and inclusion on many music critics end-of-the-year best-of lists.
After a frenetic year of touring – opening for everyone from Sleater-Kinney to Beck, playing Europe, and headlining numerous club dates, including the upcoming Friday night performance at Little Brother’s – the Black Keys are finally ready to begin recording their third album, the follow-up to last year’s astonishing “thickfreakness.”
“We are going to try to experiment more with this album. And we’re going to take a month this time to record and fine tune everything,” Auerbach said.
Joining The Black Keys at Little Brother’s Friday night will be El Jesus Demagico. Doors open at 8 p.m.
