This is a guest post by forum member Dusty Reeds. The Black Keys’ new album has been recorded at this Dan Auerbach’s new Nashville studio. The Black Keys Fan lounge won’t be publishing the address or adding the studio to The Black Keys Nashville points of interest map on this site.

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In mid-September my wife and I made a trip down to Nashville to see The Raconteurs play a show. While we were down there we took in many sights and sounds and among those was Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye studio. While we never got to step foot inside, the observations I made of the building itself and the impression it made on me are what I would like to share with you.

First of all, I took only one picture of the building (below). To snap numerous shots of the perimeter would have been pointless, because one only needs to see the entrance to get what is being asked by the occupants: “Go Away, nothing to see here.”

When I first walked up to the building I thought I must have made a mistake in my research on Easy Eye’s whereabouts. This was the antithesis of being easy on the eye. No sign, just the street address. Very bland in color, and very strong. A fortress, literally.

Numerous security cameras were accompanied an by 10 to 12 foot fence with razor wire (not just barb wire) running the entire length of it. I could not think of a less appealing structure to create music in. Although I imagine the inside is more attractive, I can only wonder as to why Dan felt the need to make the exterior so uninviting.

We visited a couple other studios while in town. Both we’re very warm and welcoming, even on the outside. And this is why I was so surprised to see the blandness of this structure. Many artists create a comfortable atmosphere in the studio in which they are recording to help relax them and bring out their artistry. Dan doesn’t seem the type to be a recluse. I would have expected the guy whom many compare Dan with to be the one with the fortress of a studio. But it was the exact opposite.

I imagine we’ll see before too long what music comes out of this studio from The Black Keys. I expect it will be great and none of this will have an effect on the music. I hope I’m correct. Because I really want this next album to be spectacular.

You can see photos of the inside of the studio here via Alysse Gafkjen’ photos of Dan recording Hacienda’s new album.

Related posts:

1. The Black Keys New Album Recorded At Muscle Shoals Sound Studio
2. Photos: The Black Keys @ SXSW, Austin, Texas, USA, 2010
3. The Black Keys’ Nashville, Tennessee, Google Map

Many years ago when The Black Keys’ were loading up the tour van themselves and were exploring the world as their popularity and career was taking off, Dan Auerbach and Pat Carney kept a public ‘Tour Diary’ published on their official website, www.theblackkeys.com.

These tour diary posts are all still publicly accessible if you go to archive.org and then search for http://theblackkeys.com

Sadly, Dan and Pat have, of course, long since stopped keeping this tour diary. The newer incarnations of their website has removed this cool aspect of the site. How good would it be if Dan and Pat could at least return to posting every now and then on The Black Keys’ website? I’m sure many fans would look forward to the day. For now we’ll just have to look back.

What’s so good about the diaries is that they are written so openly and honestly; they deal with some mundane moments as well as some sweet excitement. As ever the trademark humor shines through.

Enjoy reading them, and finding a few nuggets from the early days. Like old band photos, they capture a spirit and a moment and should be received as such.

A Selection of Dan Auerbach’s Tour Diary posts 2003 – 2005

(formatting and spelling has been left as it first appeared on The Black Keys site)

thursday october 9, 2003

hey all, just got back from australia. big thanks to boche, B.T., sloany and J.B for making it happen! we had such a good time there…australia is the shit! all of the shows were exciting and the people were all really genuine. got to hold a koala and hand feed some kangaroos. i know, i know cheesy but f u we did it anyway. patrick was afraid the koala was gonna claw his eyes out. our man B.T. brought his 4 year old daughter gracie to the beach with us and she sang a beautiful song about it as we drove away…hopefully we’ll get back there soon. but for now it’s the road as usual. we just did the shortlist awards in los angeles (beck introduced us and that was really nice of him) and now we’re starting our east coast/midwest tour. boston was great to us – al kooper got on stage and played the hammond organ on a couple of songs there. that was cool and definitely surreal. also, the magic magicians are touring along with us and they’re really good. you should check them out. they’re great guys too. we’re in nyc now and we’ve checked into the gramercy park hotel under an assumed name we’re gonna try to get thrown out again…we’ll keep you posted. i like the new site hope you do too. p.s. i miss my dog, hunter…over n out.

-dan

saturday october 25, 2003

it’s saturday and we’re in dallas playing at a club that’s on the same street where JFK was shot. other than that creepy fact, our tour of the states has been uncreepy so far. we’re so tired but we keep moving forward, i hope… our plane leaves for the UK tomorrow. we’ll be there for three days then it’s back to the US to finish the tour! we’re on the road right now with thee shams from cincinnati. come early to the show to see them play. hopefully you’ll catch zach pull out the violin bow and step on the reverse tape loop mind melter, what? i don’t know either… when i get time off this winter me and joe from the magic magicians are gonna go on a tour of the southern states’ waffle houses. i wanna thank joe and john for being the nicest dudes on earth. and thanks so much to ben for helping out too. over n out for now, see everyone on the road…

p.s. i still miss my dog.

thursday november 13, 2003

so we had to postpone our european dates. not only were we exhausted and way too stressed after this insane year of non-stop touring, but little shit like missing planes and fracturing toes added to our decision to take a break. as for the toes, i was at a motel unloading my bags out of the van in the middle of the night during our recent U.S. tour and the fire exstinguisher rolled out of the door and dropped right on my foot. i screamed and woke everyone up and it hurt like hell but i didn’t do anything about it cause we were in the middle of a tour and we were so busy and all that i just didn’t. went to the doctor after the tour and she said that i fractured my big toe and second biggest toe and that i should take it easy so that they heal correctly. anyway, that’s the ridiculous true story. sorry to anyone who bought a ticket to a november show but the LAST thing we wanted to do was to travel all the way over there and play half-assed! and that’s what we felt would have happened. sorry if this caused anybody major complications. we’ll get over there soon though to make the shows up and your tickets will be redeemable. our european booking agent, jon, is working on putting those dates together as we speak. in the meantime me and pat are busy in the basement trying to remember what it’s like to practice. all of our recording equipment and musical junk has a nice thick layer of dust on it. so we’re gonna wipe the dust away and get to work on writing some new songs – i’m excited.

p.s. hunter was happy to see me but not as happy as i was to see him.

monday february 16, 2004

well, what can i say. we’ve been locking ourselves away at the spot every day. the songs are coming along. i think we might even start playing some at our shows, although i haven’t memorized all of the words yet. pat got an mg roadster. i haven’t seen it yet but i think that’s dope. he told me that he can’t wait for summer when he can shine up his ride and go park at gd ritzy’s in the valley and just open the hood and let the passers by know how sweet this kitten purrs. when we’re not working we’re definitely having a cheese, ham and onion omelette and a pattie melt and two coffees at the Post on east market street. we get waters too but we never drink them. england was great, thanks to the cato salsa experience for being cool as all get out. they let me borrow one of their coil guitar cables after some asshole in manchester stole mine from off the stage. he/she is on my list of people to kill along with the dude who stole my car stereo. shit… before i go i gotta say thanks to ben our numero uno tour manager dude in europe. i wanna thank him for introducing us to the office. god damn that shit is funny. also, i wanna let everybody know that the black keys are now officially official. we have taken on management, and said manager goes by the name of boche billions. you can reach him at boche@billions.com. he makes power moves…that whole janet jackson boob thing, that was him. genius. i forgot to mention that we got to hang out with andy from the gang of four at our london show. pat told him that when we got back to the US of A we’d go get his royalties from the rapture. one last thing. i’d like to share an experience with you all, ya’ll, all of you. we stayed at this crunked up hotel called the queens in gypsy hill. and the first night as i tried to lay down to sleep, the people in the room to the right of me started having crazy sex, banging on the wall and shit. this was like 3 or 4 in the morning. then out of nowhere, the people in the room to the left of me starting doing the same thing. my hand to god. i was in the middle and it was cheap motel sex in stereo. thanks england… we’ll speak soon everybody.

tuesday march 2, 2004

had a great time in boulder this weekend. the show was great, the crowd was extra great, and the guys at the boulder theater are real nice. and going to boulder has an added bonus for me, my aunt caroline lives there and i got to hang with her and 3/4 of her family. my cousin pearl made me some of the best scrambled eggs iv’e ever had, no joke. i just got a copy of our thickfreakness japanese release. it’s the same cd but there’s a sleeve on the cover that says some stuff in japanese and on the inside there’s more stuff, i wonder what they’re saying about us? and it’s weird cause somebody transcribed the lyrics on the liner notes too. it’s funny, i’d say about one twenty-fifth of it is right. it’s about as right as it would be if the songs were sung in japanese and i transcribed them. i watched “play it again sam” last night. that has to be one of my all time favorite movies. last thing, i scored a couple of great records the other day here in akron. i got a 7 inch of booker t. and the mg’s ‘green onions’ and ‘behave
yourself’ on the flipside and another 7 inch on king records (cinci what!?) of james brown and his famous flames – ‘i can’t stand myself” (when you touch me) backed by ‘there was a time’. but the best one is a columbia records 78 of “travellin’ blues” by lefty frizzell. it’s so good i keep listening to it over and over and over. his voice is so perfect…alright, goodnight all.

wednesday march 24, 2004

hey everybody…we had some great shows this past week. lexington, memphis, little rock and austin. thanks to everyone who made it out. one of the non-show highlights was me and patrick hung out in memphis for a whole uninterrupted day and it was the shizzle. we got to see the old stax records – bought myself a stax coffee cup – hot damn, twasn’t cheap neither!
hit shangri-la record shop and got a cool 70′s psych funk compilation. call them and order one, it’s crunked up. if that store were in akron, they’d be rich and i’d be broke. also, got some bar-b-q at payne’s, also the shizzle!

matthew, the president of fat possum, insisted that we go take the 2 hour tour of graceland and when we showed signs that we weren’t likely gonna do it he accused us of being commie, unamerican, red, hippies.

we played a couple of new songs too while we were away. they went o.k. i think. it’s always weird playing something in front of people for the first time.

in the end, we drove back home from texas, straight 23 hour drive me and pat taking turns driving and sleeping. got home sunday morning completely zombified and we were back in the studio today recording. i think my dog might have ticks or something i think i gotta take him to the vet tomorrow. bye everybody…

tuesday april 13, 2004

australia = sweet …we had a bunch of great shows and sloanie and b.t. once again were our A number one’s. first we played a little practice show at the cherry bar. it was pretty much unannounced cause we needed to practice some of the new songs before the forum show. thanks to bill at the
cherry. the forum in melbourne was beautiful and it reminded me of the civic theater in akron with the faux nighttime ceiling. the show there was great and the crowd was a lot of fun. some dude tried to stage dive into the middle of a group of girls. it was like jack black in school of rock, he dove in and the people stepped aside as his drunk ass fell to the concrete floor.

melbourne is a fun city, me and pat sat in the kitchen at pelligrini’s while grandma cooked us dinner – probably not the safest place to be with all of the mob hits going on there. and what the fuck, can you even get bad coffee in australia, i’m so jealous. oh well,

byron bay was beautiful. pat’s thinking about buying some property there so he can chill out. the show was fun and we had a great time. usually we see ninjas while we’re on tour, for some reason, i don’t know it just always happens, we see at least one ninja fully dressed. this tour however we saw something even better – we saw a group of RALIENS! what the fuck? no shit, they were de-baptizing people on the beach. the leader wore an alien mask and red sequined slippers! it was awesome! well, i gotta go to sleep this jet lag is killin’ me.

October 11, 2004
Fall 2004 US Tour Notes

hey everyone. just got home two days ago and already i don’t know what to do with myself. that’s not entirely true, iv’e been to the new dog park (bark park) everyday with hunter since i’ve been back.
we had an incredible time out on the road. the shows were some of the best we’ve ever played and you guys that came out really made it great. i’m glad to be out of the van for a while, though. there were so many surreal moments this time around, i don’t know where to start.
the aclu show at lincoln center was fun in a very strange way. being around “stars” is strange. everyone was pretty nice, though (except for lou reed who was an asshole) but i’ve gotta say that philip glass was one of the nicest guys iv’e ever met. not at all the bleak, introverted avant-garde artist i was expecting. just a sweet guy.
we got really sick right after we played detroit and didn’t know if we were gonna be able to even play our shows in nyc. thankfully matthew from fat possum sent us some antibiotics from mississippi that brought us back to life.
i had ethiopian food and espresso at a cool little bar in dc where they were playing incredible east african soul music. justin timberlake and his bodyguards were at the club in la after our show when it turned into a dance club – lame. i had a great pastrami sandwich at katz’ in new york city then walked across the street to punjabi and got a coffee to go. billy gibbons was at our show in santa fe, beard and all (and i listened to dylan and the bands’ basement tapes version of “santa fe” as i drove into that city at night – corny or cool, you be the judge. i’ve never been to santa fe!). i walked by maggie gyllenhall backstage at lincoln center and i could swear she whispered “dan, i love you” as she passed by. my amp blew up on me during the last show in cleveland, how about that! it’s not a black keys tour if something doesn’t break down or blow up on us.
thanks again to everyone. i’m gonna try to write a little more often than never. take care.
-dan

October 27, 2004
Report From London

hey, all. more strange days for the black keys. first of all, we did an interview for mtv where patrick and i talked about some of our favorite bands like metallica and korn. we finally met zane lowe and he was super cool – he shreds on the guitar by the way. we got back to the hotel and then the day took a u-turn when we found out that john peel had passed away.
i don’t know if many kids in the states would really know how influential he was because we didn’t get his show there. i know i didn’t know of him until we got to play england for the first time, mainly because of his support playing our record on BBC 1. we were fortunate enough to have been invited to his home where we ate dinner with his family and played soccer in his back yard. i wanted to hear some obscure song so he searched his record collection for twenty minutes until he’d found it for me. yesterday, the audience at scala in london joined patrick and me in giving john a big round of applause.
you know, it was one year to the day yesterday that we played One Live in brighton where we’d been invited by john. he was the mc and said some really nice things about us before we played. i feel very lucky to have known him and to have had his support.
we’re off to bristol today with tomorrow behind us. i’ll check back in soon.
-dan

November 18, 2004
Malmo and Hamburg

hi. we’re in malmo right now. that’s in sweden. never been here before. i am extremely worn out. i think frazzled is the word. ben would say “absolutely nackered”.
we played a show last night in hamburg at a cool rock club where the dj played really great nuggets-type rock. it was a weird city, though. the whole street was filled with sex shops and prostitutes and coca-cola and cowboy clothing stores. really strange.
i can’t believe we’re almost through this tour. this has been by far the most strenuous yet. long drives, little sleep. i have to buy a phone card almost every day. i broke a string in the middle of “grown so ugly” the other night. i hate when that happens. i had to stop playing and change guitars and straps but the upside was that while i did that, patrick played one of his first extended drum solos. you shoulda been there.
well, i gotta go now. i can’t believe old dirty bastard died. but, shit, if you’re gonna go, what a way to do it – right in front of the microphone. i wonder if they’ll release that last verse. i bet he hit the floor on the downbeat, too. RIP
talk to you guys later.
-dan

November 27, 2004
Only London to Come

hello everyone, i’m sitting down at an internet cafe in koln. we went past the dome cathedral last night. it looked like the kind of place dracula would hang out in. beautiful – built in the 12th century they told us.
i got up early this morning ’cause i thought i’d walk around and ’cause i haven’t been sleeping so good lately but i think it might be too cold for a hike. after five weeks on the road, i can only take so many elements.
our manager, boche, just told us yesterday that our show in london is sold out – the biggest show we’ve ever headlined in europe. i’m really thrilled about that. i can remember being seventeen and walking, with my teisco del rey 4-pickup blue guitar loaded with switches and without a case just like hound dog taylor played, down to pat’s dad’s house – just down eagles nest drive. we were trying a new thing that day that pat said he’d heard was a good
idea. we took a cardboard box and faced it towards my amp with a microphone in it that was facing away from the amp towards the back of the box. then we taped a cheap radio shack microphone (the kind with the on/off switch) to pat’s chin. he would be doing the singing on this number while he drummed and we didn’t have an extra mic stand. if i remember correctly, we wanted the song to sound like jesco white, the dancing outlaw, driving a military issue motorcycle with a sidecar. pat didn’t really sing it, he just hollered jibberish about “woman, don’t make me no sloppy eggs”. he just made the words up as we went along. i still have that tape. it’s some of our best work. you can even hear right at the end when the tape slips off pat’s skin and the mic falls on the ground right before we finish the song trainwreck style. i still have that microphone, that guitar, the amp and the tapes we made. this whole experience has been so unexpected, it really is a bit overwhelming.
we’ve got one more show. we’re gonna give it our all and then i get to go home and take my dog for a walk. i can’t wait.
-dan

April 18, 2005
Here We Go Again

just when i finally got used to home, here we go again… it’s ok though cause i’m excited to play some shows. i’m also looking forward to going to shangri-la records in memphis on our way south. that reminds me, we’re doing a couple of instores on this tour. keep your eyes open for those. the first one is in louisville. when i get back home i swear i’m gonna get a little boat to do some fishing this summer. that means i’m gonna have to get a hitch for my car. i wonder how much that’s gonna cost? i woke up at 5:00 am this morning and went to the medina flea market with my dad and i can say that i experienced a first – i passed on a cheap 1960′s japanese guitar. it had three pickups too and a bunch of switches. i couldn’t believe it – restraint. i’m really growing up. the benefit for mark price in akron went well and we were glad to be asked. i hope he’s doing alright. oh man, i gotta take my guitar to my friend, dan johnson, before this tour. he works on guitars and mine’s really in rough shape from the last tour. why do i always wait till the last minute? ok, take care…

April 28, 2005
Salad Days in Memphis

so, i hit the road with the hentchmen for two days off. we left little rock after a great time and great show and headed straight to memphis. even though it was back-tracking almost 2 hours, memphis is worth it. i called up my new friends at shangri-la records and they helped me set up a last-minute show at a little place called the buccaneer lounge. it’s kinda like the beachland tavern in cleveland but smaller and it’s covered with pirate artwork! well, i met a lot of great people in town who i’d never known. we spent an entire day going from music store to record shop, to barbecue pit to record shop, to music store to record shop and on, and on, and on… i could really blow a lot of cash in memphis. really, it’s pathetic. still absolutely no self-control when it comes to musical things. anyway, met eric from the oblivians at his cool store, goner records and got a really incredible gospel cd there, solo singing and loud, loud electrtic guitar. i can’t remember who it is. i’ll let you know later. well, before i go i gotta say again how much fun the show at the buccaneer was. i got to play a bunch of link wray tunes that i love but never get to play and we did some sonics covers with jack oblivian on drums. also, david rawlings came into town from nashville with his electric guitar and he and i did an even later last-minute show after the hentchmen were long gone – moved on to another bar. dave’s friend, a guitar player, played drums. and he sounded to me like a really good drummer! who knew? to the four people who stayed around for that, i hope your ears stop ringing this year. we played a bunch of junior kimbrough songs, dark end of the street, some fred mcdowell stuff. i think dave played a tom waits tune but i didn’t recognize it. something dark about carnival workers, it had to be tom waits. ok, gonna go now. i need to rest. oklahoma city is about six and a half hours away and we have a show there tonight. but, as for the two days off, i don’t think they could have been much better. thanks to everybody – especially the hentchmen. bye.

May 19, 2005
Southern Tour Recap

hello, i’m back from the south. it was really, really nice to be there. spanish moss is my favorite. whitney and jay were our helpers on the road and they were the best. couldn’t have done it without them. well, we probably could have, but you know what i mean! whitney and his starbucks addiction was a little hard to handle sometimes but jay, pat and i dealt with it. and then there were the hentchmen – spelled with a “t”. they were great to watch every night and especially great to hang out with. hope to see them again soon. i got to spend time with my grandma on this trip. believe it or not, she lives in florida. i told her i wasn’t hungry so she made me a huge lunch – some things will never change. also, my uncles, who taught me how to play guitar and sing, live in florida and came out to a couple shows. it was great to see them too. i’m home now and slightly out of my mind. slightly is probably an understatement. i don’t know what to do with all the free time. hopefully i can get something accomplished. i went into my basement today and dusted off the eight-track. i think i’ll be down there for a while when i’m not walking hunter. alright, thanks to everyone who came out to the shows. it was really nice meeting you all. hopefully we’ll see you again soon. take care. -dan

September 11, 2005
Ready for the Road

hi everyone,
i just cleaned and loaded up the van for the west coast tour. it looked like two homeless people were living in it which is kinda true. i also got the brakes fixed. slowing down was frightening there for a while. our good friend jamie is gonna drive it out to seattle to meet us. i hope i remembered everything i need. i always forget something – strings, batteries, socks, etc…

thanks to everyone in knoxville and chatanooga for coming out to see us play last week. we really enoyed ourselves. pat went to some bar in chatanooga after the show. he said it was one of the coolest places he’s been to. velvet walls, sketchy location, and they served fried chicken all night.

and i can’t forget to mention how much i enjoyed arthurfest. i saw lots of great music – i really liked josephine foster, dead meadow, marissa nadler, and jack rose. lots of others. they were all amazing. and wolfmother were, and still are, the shit. we played with them in london and i was happy to see them again. thanks to andrew for letting me use his amp on stage. besides music, i saw some of my friends who i never get to see. jay, peter, bt, richard, steven mcdonald, janet, corin, carrie and so many others. and t-model! i have’nt seen him play for years. and with spam on drums to top it off! i sat down backstage to chat with t-model and the first thing that he said to me was, “fat possum ain’t payin’ me my money”. and you gotta take into consideration that he hadn’t seen me in years so i was basically a stranger. that was the first thing that he decided to say to a stranger! it was priceless. (note: fat possum is paying him) way to go jay…

by the way, we’re excited to have this band callled SSM out on the road with us for the west coast tour. john from the hentchmen plays all kinds of crazy keyboards and david from nathaniel mayers band and the sights plays drums and drum machine and marty from the cyril lords is the guitar player. they all sing, which i like the most. it’s kinda funkadelic punk rock with some detroit twist to it. and they are touring with one of the most fragile and expensive instruments ever made, a mellotron. should be fun. i don’t really know how to describe the music, but i like it… they came to akron and i recorded them. they did 13 songs in one day! john says that all of his friends in the detroit area think the recordings are very “vibey”. you be the judge. they’ll have it on sale at shows. their website is www.ssmothership.com
see you guys soon. i’ll check back in later. take care. RL R.I.P.
-dan

Related posts:

1. The Black Keys Cancel New Zealand and Australia Tour 2011
2. Dan Auerbach Solo Australian Tour Dates 2009
3. Dan Auerbach Tour Posters

Black Keys fan 10am.automatic recently won tickets to see The Black Keys perform live on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. This is his review of the experience.

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It was two days before the show and I saw on The Black Keys website a chance to win free tickets to watch the live taping of the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon show from the bench seats. I never win anything but I entered my name and sure enough I was sleeping when I got the call saying I won.

I got to New York around 12:30pm and was walking around for a bit taking pictures of Rockefeller Plaza and all the NBC stuff I saw. I wasn’t sure exactly where to go so I asked a lady in the NBC fan shop and I was actually right next to where I needed to be. At 3:45pm everyone there for the show got wristbands and had to wait until 4:30pm to get in.

At 4:40pm everyone who was lined up went upstairs in an elevator and waited in a line again for about 15-20 minutes. When we got in we went through a metal detector and I guess were not allowed to have alcohol nips on me so they took that from me. It wasn’t opened, I just had knowhere else to put it, so the security guards got some free nips.

So everyones inside now and the show started great. A very humorous guy was getting everyone to loosen up a bit and laugh. He was telling us all the rules and to clap and laugh when asked and just to have fun.

The Roots did a great job and have a show to themselves pretty much during the commercials and before the show.

You may have seen the episode by now so everyone knows Jake Gyllenhal and Mario were the special guests. At the end of Mario’s singing, The Black Keys’ bench seat fans all got to go down to the stage. I was two people away from getting right in the back but I was the first one to go up on the side of the stairs where Pat was. Dan and Pat came out along with the bassist and keyboardist. It’s hard to get used to four guys on tour but I guess I’m going to have to.

The first song was Howlin’ For You. It ended up sounding pretty good on tv but if you were there it was hard to hear Dan over the music.

Then they played Next Girl which I thought would have been great to hear but the band only played half of the song. I was kind of disappointed because I thought they could at least finish the song but it wasn’t meant to be.

Lastly, they did the best song I thought – Ten Cent Pistol. Originally I thought this song was going to be shown on tv, and I thought that Next Girl was just a little in between song for the commercial break that no-one would see, but I was wrong. Ten Cent Pistol did not make it on the show but they did release a video of it (see below). Dan’s voice was clear and Pat’s drumming was at a perfect level along with the other guys. I wasn’t expecting to hear that one but it was a pleasant surprise.

This was a great overall show and it’s a memory that I will always hold onto in my mind. The Black Keys are number 3 on the Billboard charts which Jimmy mentioned and it’s a great accomplishment for the band to finally get their dues for all their hard work.

Ten Cent Pistol live on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

Related posts:

1. Video: The Black Keys On The Letterman And Fallon Shows 2010
2. Dan Auerbach – When The Night Comes – Live
3. A Dream I Had Last Night About The Black Keys

The Blakroc lyrics  shouldn’t be overlooked. Much has been made of the personalities and collaboration between The Black Keys musicianship and the singular hip hop attitude on this project.

Let’s not forget some of the finest MCs were asked to provide spontaneous verses, a reaction to the vibe and music they heard, often on the same day as they recorded. Under the pressure of video cameras, armed only with their Blackberry, notepad and pen, and/or bottle of Hennessy’s and medicinal smoked herbs, they had to deliver to meet the constraints of the recording sessions.

See all the webisodes showing the artists working in the studio here.

As Dan Auerbach from The Black Keys recently commented:

He [Raekwon] was sorta what I imagined watching Bob Dylan work in his prime would be like. Raekwon came in, heard the music, got inspired and just sat down and started writing. He wrote like 20 verses, just like that, in 45 minutes. And everything that he says is so visual, such a story. His rhyme schemes are just insane.

Help decipher and transcribe Raekwon’s rhymes with other fans in this Black Keys Fan Lounge Forum topic.

The best collection Blakroc lyrics is over here. No sign of ‘Keep off The Fuckin Flowers’ yet though.

Ain’t Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo) featuring Mos Def, Jim Jones and The Black Keys

Intro: Mos Def – Pure heart/ I love you

Chorus: Mos Def – Pure heart/ You’re super cool/ You’re live and elemental/ You’re sweet and you’re true/ Youre sooo true/ Oo-ooo-oo-ooo/ You’re plain and yet so special/ Its nuttin’ like you/ You’re so cool/ You’re sweet and rude/ You’re so plain that its special/ Its nuttin’ like you/ Well aww hoo/ oo-oooo-oo-ooo/ You make me stand up, and holla do the hoochie coo/ You’re so cool

Verse 1: Jim Jones – They told me pain only shows you where you goin/ You get to laugh then that shows you where you been/ And when you get the cash that only shows you how to sin like when you gettin fast money and you blow it in the wind/ Where we from success one in a million/ We thought success was getting money in front the buildin/ End of the summer we was countin up the killins, like they killed baby boy trynna run up in the buildin now/ Love/ I bouged one of her rose petals/ She was from the concrete and came up out the cold ghetto/ But so gentle/ But it appears like, on a clear light it could thunderstorm/ Want some more

Refrain: Mos Def – Oo-ooo-oo-ooo/ Pure heart/ I love ya, pure heart/ Pure heart/ Uh-ooo-oo-ooo/ Ha, its nuttin’ like you/ You’re soo/ Do-doo-do-doo/ You’re live and elemental/ You’re sweet and you’re rude, so cool/ And fiery too/ You’re plain and elemental/ You’re sweet and youre rude/ You’re soo true

Verse 2: Jim Jones – Most say I’m politically incorrect/ But most people scared they spit it so indirect/ I been accused of, same thing as you but, I refused ta, follow rules of who/ The complexion of politics done changed and the computer glitch put so many problems up in the game that uh/ I prolly still be selllin ‘caine if I, didnt get a chance at the stardom or the fame/ Bein humble is a hard quality to achieve when your ego is crazy with no modesty/ We make good music just usin the black keys, and Im flyin through the hood in my newest of black Vs/ Peace

Outro: Mos Def – Wahoo-oo-ooo/ You’re plain and elemental/ Aint nuttin’ like you/ You’re pure heart

Related posts:

1. Blakroc: Live Performances
2. Blakroc: The Black Keys and Blakroc
3. Blakroc: Official Video of ‘Aint Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo)’ featuring Mos Def, Jim Jones and The Black Keys

It’s been no secret that (update: 10 of the 15 new tracks) the new Black Keys album ‘Brothers’ was recorded at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Alabama USA, since the Deputy Managing Editor of Rolling Stone magazine, Nathan Brackett, revealed via Twitter in September 2009:

Patrick Carney played us a new Black Keys tune recorded at Muscle Shoals (bananas!) and stuff from their new “Blakroc” (watch out Timbaland)

For the uninitiated the words Muscle Shoals meant nothing. For those with an understanding of the heritage of American music it meant everything. Knowing the new Black Keys album was recorded at Muscle Shoals more than raises the expectations of fans everywhere.

Muscle Shoals Sound Studio was and is where a sound and community of musicians gathered to make some primarily rhythm and blues classics. Barry Beckett (keyboards), Roger Hawkins (drums), Jimmy Johnson (guitar) and David Hood (bass) were the house rhythm section and owners of the Studio where artists as diverse as Bill Haley and the Comets recorded through the 1970s.

The small studio and its intimate atmosphere and the accomplished musicians combined with the Studio’s analog recording equipment to create a rich distinctive sound that other artists wanted a piece of. Add to this mix the isolation of the region, as Pat Carney recently commented in an interview about the new album:

They emerged with their most minimalist-sounding effort yet, Carney said.

“There really wasn’t anything to do down there,” Carney said. “The record has this feeling of absolute isolation. It’s heavy. It’s dark. And I think it’s our best yet.”

The Rolling Stones recorded the notable Wild Horses and Brown Sugar tracks over 3 days at Muscle Shoals in 1969 with Jimmy Johnson engineering the sessions. So bands have always gone to the Studio to be inspired by the history and the recording set up. They could immerse themselves in and be part of the canon of American rhythm and blues music through their connection with this recording crucible.

In 2000 musican and enthusiast Noel Webster bought and seemingly revived this legendary studio. As has has been noted in many interviews with Webster since:

Webster has refurbished the studio (repairing water damage, installing new wiring, etc.), and rather than install up-to-date recording equipment, he ordered exact replicas of the vintage gear used during the 1970s — down to the same model numbers. “The way they construct studios now is very different,” he added. “But we did a sound test and recorded some stuff on different formats, and realized we didn’t need to change anything. The sounds that came out of this room can’t be duplicated. The building shakes when you play in it.”

For a studio and equipment devotee like Dan Auerbach, listening to many of the recordings from Muscle Shoals over the years and hearing of the revival of the authentic Muscle Shoals recording set up must have been, er, music to his ears. Dan has long championed the importance of recording technique and studio sound.  His solo release ‘Keep It Hid’ was recorded in his own custom-built studio (Akron Analog) and it was often remarked in interviews how the album could well have been produced in the 1970s. It’s not surprising considering the attention to detail at Akron Analog, as Dan has explained about his studio in 2008:

“I’m trying to go back to a time when people actually used the preamps on the console,” laughed Auerbach. “The studio is really stripped down compared to a typical modern studio, but all of the essentials are covered by the very best analog gear in the world – Neumann mics, Pultec analog processors, Studer tape machines, that sort of thing. I needed a fully functional console that would fit into a small space and deliver a beautiful analog sound.”

Intentionally, or otherwise, the community aspect and technology of Muscle Shoals was referenced in this July 2009 interview with Dan:

“The great moments in music always seem to revolve around a certain scene; there were a handful of studios where musicians would create together,” he [Dan] remarks, when asked to elaborate on what drove him to construct a studio in his hometown. Clearly, he is intrigued by the idea of establishing an environment that encourages the sort of inspiration that commonly accompanies like-minded musicians coming together. Auerbach is consciously invoking the impetus behind some of the more fruitful collaborations, what might be called happy accidents, in rock history. Virtually all the stories involving Abbey Road, or Electric Lady Studios and, of course, Muscle Shoals, involve interaction amongst the assembled musicians.

The Black Keys have always prided themselves on coming from Akron, OH, making real music, engineering it (mostly) themselves and defining their sound whilst acknowledging their influences and peers. As Pat noted in this October 2009 interview, this isn’t always the case in music today, though it was in places like Muscle Shoals:

There used to be some amazing regional record labels, but that all dried up. But the same talent pool is there—just no one is there to discover it. It’s the same thing with Muscle Shoals—there are talented people everywhere. I do believe that music is genetic—it’s a family thing. Whatever was magical about Muscle Shoals is still there, it’s just no one fucking cares anymore. Music now is just pop music, made by motherfuckers like Bob Rock. Motherfuckers that have wrap-around Sub Zeros and dreadlocks and a crazy ass Kurzweil keyboard. People just don’t get it.

The scene then is set.

The Black Keys apparently recorded 15 songs in 10 days in August 2009 at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and was produced by Mark Neill of Soil of the South and Toe Rag studios fame. The band always work fast and the recording was scheduled in between Black Keys festival gigs and Dan and Pat’s respective side projects touring. I dare say we are going to be hearing a lot more about the recording and of this new album and the influence of Muscle Shoals on it in the months ahead of the new album’s release. The new Black Keys album will be out on May 18, 2010.

For more info about Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, be sure to listen to the excellent Alabama Public Radio reports on the studio here.

The front of Muscle Shoals Sound Studio:

Inside Muscle Shoals Sound Studio:

Photos courtesy of Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel

Related posts:

1. Where Was The Black Keys’ Album Brothers Recorded?
2. Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound Studio, Nashville, USA
3. Brothers: The Black Keys New Album out May 18, 2010

I was listening to The Black Keys’ 2002 album The Big Come Up album today and I heard the lyric “…Gotta keep it hid” in the song ‘Leavin Trunk’. This caught my attention. It’s not the most common lyric or phrasing. I obviously picked up on it in light of Dan Auerbach’s recent 2009 ‘Keep It Hid’ song and album of the same name which also uses the line “…Gotta keep it hid”.

I needed to do some further investigation. The appearance of the ‘keep it hid’ lyric seemed to be more than coincidence.

When I looked at the lyrics of the respective songs I was again surprised. The songs are relatively similar in their subject matter – a man on the run wanting to impress his sweetheart. ‘Keep It Hid’ almost reads like ‘Leavin Trunk – Part 2′.

Many of Dan’s lyrics revolve around this lurking dark side which we’ve previously covered on The Black Keys Fan Lounge.

The original lyrics to Leavin Trunk were written as ‘Milk Cow Blues’ by blues singer Sleepy John Estes (1899 – 1977). The song became a bit of a blues standard when it was adapted and recorded as Leavin Trunk by Taj Mahal amongst many others. The Leavin Trunk lyrics were then shortened and recorded by The Black Keys.

I find this all very interesting.

Dan has always been very up front about his influences and style. Clearly he continues to mine a rich vein of inspiration through these influences, musical styles and themes from his first album lyrics through to his most recent. In so doing he places himself into the blues musical lineage of those he admires.

When you listen to the respective songs performed the musical similarities are also quite notable. Not only do the lyrics in ‘Keep It Hid’ seem derived from the theme in ‘Leavin Trunk’, so does the musical composition.

What do you think?

Listen to Leavin Trunk by The Black Keys here

Listen to Keep It Hid by Dan Auerbach here

Leavin Trunk Lyrics by The Black Keys

Goin’ upstairs to pack my leavin’ trunk
I ain’t seen no whiskey
woman make me sloppy
Ain’t seen no whisky
woman made me drunk
Goin’ back home where I had much better luck
Look here darling
want me to be your king
Said you’re kiddin’ darling
gotta keep it hid
Don’t let your main man
your husband catch me here
Don’t let your main man
your husband catch me here

Keep It Hid Lyrics by Dan Auerbach

Lock the door and close the blinds
They’re coming for me girl and I ain’t got time
If they ask you, darlin’, oh about what I did
Baby you gotta keep it hid
I’m heading south, and I can’t say where
But I’ll phone you baby soon as I get there
They’re not gonna seal my coffin lid’
Cause you’re gonna keep it hid
(Bridge)
Well Big Sue knew but she don’t no more
If you know what I mean
They’ll never find what they’re looking for’
Cause you’re my tight-lipped queen
I’ll buy you a dress, a nice handmade piece
And send your Mom on a vacation to Greece
If you’re an auction, oh I’m the highest bid
Oh baby, ’cause you’re gonna keep it hid

Related posts:

1. The Best Black Keys Song Lyrics
2. No Trust: The Reoccurrence of the “Crazy Bitch” in The Black Keys’ Lyrics
3. Blakroc Lyrics

Have you ever seen a random interview with The Black Keys and noticed the photo used to accompany the story is the same one that was used on another article you’ve read?

It’s obviously easier and cheaper for magazines and newspapers to use a stock PR photo than commission a new one. In any case, bands like using the same images to build up an identifiable attitude or profile.

I’ve assembled the commonly seen publicity images that have come to define the look and story of The Black Keys (in no particular order).

From the look of this lot, I guess there’s only so many band photo faces you can pull.

They are interesting in that they each capture a moment in the band’s life, a piece of it’s history, from the early days to recent days. None of them portray a self-satisfied or smug attitude, rather the modesty and irony of Dan and Pat’s personality comes across.

In a recent comment on this post, Black Keys fan Dan mentioned the first image below of Dan and Pat in the basement would make a great poster. I’d have to agree.

I look forward to seeing some new images for the new Black Keys album being released. With a bit of luck they’ll be done by James Quine who took all of Dan Auerbach’s recent solo press images.

Related posts:

1. Photos Of The Black Keys’ Photos
2. Black Keys Live Concert Photos
3. Dan Auerbach and the Fast 5 Concert Photos

This is a post by Black Keys fan Jade Luber who regularly contibutes. All opinions are her own.

****

In the post The Best Black Keys Song Lyrics it was noted pretty much all of Dan Auerbach’s lyrics are about life, love, or heartbreak. The Black Keys have not yet written a political song or anything expressing opinions about the state of our economy, society, or world. I relate to The Black Keys lyrics so much because they evoke a lot of personal emotion and heartache. I’d like to highlight some brilliant Black Keys lyrics and somehow justify and interpret them based on my personal experiences. Perhaps other fans can relate.

We have all been heartbroken. Usually lyricists write about what they know best – their own experiences. I’m sure we all know how it feels to be in blissful harmony with love and then all of a sudden getting betrayed. I’m sure we all know how it feels to fuck up and regret choices we made. I’m not trying to assume that all this has happened with Dan, but he sure does sing a lot about someone who hurt him through lies.

A perfect example is the song “Lies” from the Attack and Release album. The tragic irony is that even though the lyrics contain so much pain and anger, they still imply that he loves her:

Said the moon was ours
Yeah
Said the moon was ours
The hell with the day
The sunlight is always
Gonna take love away
Brings up suspicions
And alibis
But I can see blue
Tear-blinded eyes
Lies, lies, lies
Ohh, lies

Dan uses very beautiful imagery. She promised him the moon, perhaps signifying an affair, but when the sun comes out she leads her other life, having him feel alone and suspicious. However, her tears make him forgive her, and he knows that she just lies.

I got a stone
Where my heart should be
I got a stone
Where my heart should be
And nothing I do
Will make you love me
I’d leave this time
Break all my ties
Be no more
Use for any disguise
Lies, lies, lies
Ohh, lies

The stone heart signifies his numbness and utter grief. He is in so much pain because she is lying to him, but there is nothing she can do to keep her from leaving or doing what she does. If he could, he would leave and sever, so there would be no more lying for anyone.

I wanna die
Without pain
I wanna die
Oh, without pain
All this deception
I just can’t maintain
The sun, moon
The stars in the sky
It’d hurt me too bad
If you said goodbye
Lies, lies, lies
Ohh, lies

As much as he wants to let go of everything and get rid of the pain, the deception kills him. He loves her like the sun, the moon and the stars, but if she left for real, he would be devastated. Ah, lies, lies, lies…

I am simply fascinated by those lyrics. I want to share a personal experience why these lyrics mean so much to me and how I relate to them.

No one likes cheaters. Men get away with it a little more, but when women do it, they are persecuted and highly disregarded in all aspects. No one is ever right or justified when they cheat, deceiving two or even more people.

I carried a burden of my Father’s affair as a child for years before finally telling my Mom.  I have seen that men can treat women so shitty, and maybe that has obscured my view.

Perhaps because I witnessed my Dad carry his affair on, believing that she was just a “friend”, I somehow feel like all men do that and are disposable. It’s unfortunate when people are so loyal and good to others.

I do, however, believe we go through this heartache and pain to become stronger and grateful for what we have. There are, therefore, a lot of the upbeat and hopeful songs from The Black Keys too.

Each of the ‘Keys albums have at least one song about betrayal, so I shall explore more of the lyrics of those songs and how they affect me in future posts.

photo: msachtler

Related posts:

1. The Best Black Keys Song Lyrics
2. Blakroc Lyrics
3. Was The Black Keys’ Track I Cry Alone Influenced By Little Willie John’s My Love Is?

You know you are thinking too much about The Black Keys when…you start dreaming about them.

I should mention I’ve had a few dreams before where I’ve met Dan and he has ignored me. I guess that can be explained as fan anxiety. I’m not sure how I explain this dream, however.

The dream I had last night went like this:

I’m waiting to see The Black Keys at a live concert. I’m standing back from the stage on the right. Pat comes onto the stage from behind the stage curtains. He sits down at his drum kit with the crowd going wild. He launches into a drum solo. The crowd are screaming with joy, recognising it as the song ‘Scarred’ [note: this song title doesn't exist in reality]. I stumble with my camera trying to get it to video mode since I realise Pat never does drum solos. As I’m fidgeting with the camera I realise someone in front is videoing on their camera and they are blocking my view. So bummed out. Then Dan comes out and the drum solo segues into Dan playing Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’ accompanied by Pat. As the song goes on Dan is cranking so hard the song morphs into Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’ until only Dan’s playing. The crowd is loving it, screaming with absolute joy. I’m still standing there amazed and fumbling with my camera unable to get it into video mode.

Hmmm.

Have you ever dreamt about The Black Keys? Is that what being a fan is all about?

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1. Dan Auerbach – When The Night Comes – Live
2. March 08 Dream
3. A Black Keys Fan On Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

The musical lineage and influence of the Auerbach and Carney extended families on The Black Keys is often over looked. Until now, I don’t think I really appreciated all the connections.

It’s easy to acknowledge the mythologised road trips Dan took with his Dad to try and see Junior Kimbrough. Whilst that legacy is important, maybe we should pay more attention to the influence of Robert and James Quine on Dan’s development as a musician and guitarist.

Dan Auerbach did a lot of interviews after he released his solo album ‘Keep It Hid’. Not many were as insightful as this one.

In a wide-ranging interview, respected Triple J radio host, Richard Kingsmill, inquired into the musical heritage of Dan’s family and unearthed interesting anecdotes about his Uncle James Quine and noted guitarist Robert Quine his first cousin once removed.

Dan’s full name is actually Daniel Quine Auerbach. The Quine family heritage stretches back via Dan’s Mother’s side of the family. They are all related to the famous analytical philosopher WV Quine (Robert’s Uncle), who was also born in Akron, OH.

In the aforementioned interview Dan tells a great anecdote of playing guitar for and with Robert Quine when he was a 16 year old. The story is even more innocent when you understand the musical legacy of Robert Quine. He was at the heart of the New York punk scene playing with everyone from Lou Reed, Richard Hell and the Voidoids through to Mathew Sweet.

I never knew that it was actually Robert Quine who laid down the instantaneously catchy guitar lines on Sweet’s song ‘Girlfriend’ (listen to it below).

As with Kimbrough, Dan never got to play with Robert Quine in a professional capacity. You can feel Dan’s lament in the interview that Robert died in 2004 just as The Black Keys were making great strides and before they had a chance to seriously play together. It would have been a raucous jam, for sure.

For more info on Robert Quine check out this excellent article by his cousin Tim. Tim is also Dan Auerbach’s cousin and the article includes some additional quotes from Dan.

It’s always been too easy to pigeon hole Dan’s guitar style and The Black Keys song book as “blues rock”. Like Robert Quine, Dan has not been fearful to experiment and define his own sound, most impressively on his solo album. Robert’s influence might be reflected in the angular sounds of ‘The Breaks’, through the harsher electric sound on the Magic Potion record, while the country influence on ‘Keep It Hid’ reflects the heritage of James Quine.

James Quine, of course, accompanies Dan on the track ‘Trouble Weighs A Ton’ and took the publicity photos used for the album. He’s actually an acclaimed photographer and it’s worth checking out both his photographs and music. James is the brother of Dan’s mother.

Keeping it all in the family, let’s not forget that Dan’s father Charles Auerbach wrote the words to ‘Whispered Words’. It’s interesting to hear Dan discuss this on the interview. I’m surprised like the interviewer that he didn’t press his father for a deeper interpretation of the lyrics. Charles apparently told Dan about Jessica Lea Mayfield as well, the rest is history.

I also hear whispers that Pat Carney is recording with his Uncle Ralph Carney who helped out on The Black Keys’ Attack and release record. Pat has recently changed his MySpace page to reflect the naming “Pat and Ralph Carney” including a photo. Ralph Carney has had a long association with Tom Waits and interestingly Robert Quine played on Tom Waits’ 1985 album, ‘Rain Dogs’. Both Robert Quine and Ralph Carney have played with guitarist Marc Ribot (also of Tom Waits’ band) who also contributed to the Attack and Release album.

I loved Mathew Sweet’s ‘Girlfriend’ (with Robert Quine on guitar) when I was growing up. I also briefly studied WV Quine’s philosophy at University. Very tenuously, no wonder I like The Black Keys so much!

Come to think of it I’d love to hear a Black Keys version of ‘Girlfriend’. Too cheesy? Maybe, but I reckon it would work.

Mathew Sweet – ‘Girlfriend’ live on the Dennis Miller show (that’s Robert Quine in the dark glasses on Mathew Sweet’s left)

Dan Auerbach w/ James Quine – ‘Trouble Weighs A Ton’

Related posts:

1. Maybe Why Pat Carney From The Black Keys Talks About Fast Food A Lot In Interviews?
2. Interview with Patrick Carney from The Black Keys – Part 2
3. The Black Keys Akron, Ohio, Google Map