On the new album 鈥淒elta Kream,鈥� The Black Keys are, as the song says, 鈥淕oin鈥� Down South.鈥�
Guitar and vocalist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney pay homage to the Mississippi blues with covers of greats, including R.L. Burnside, David 鈥淛unior鈥� Kimbrough and Mississippi Fred McDowell.
Burnside鈥檚 鈥淕oin鈥� Down South鈥� is one of Auerbach鈥檚 favorite songs. As a teenager, he saw Burnside play with Kenny Brown, a blues slide guitarist, in Cleveland, Ohio, and the performance has stuck with him since.
Neither band member grew up in the South 鈥� they are natives of Akron, Ohio 鈥� but both were infatuated with Burnside and other iconic hill country blues musicians. With some encouragement from their brothers, Auerbach and Carney formed a friendship over that music after living close to each other but being separated in school by grades.
The teenagers at the time started jamming together, and when Auerbach鈥檚 band didn鈥檛 show up at a bar gig one night, Carney stepped in as drummer. He came equipped with a recording device.
鈥淲e went down to the basement and we recorded five R.L. and Junior covers and made this demo and we just formed a band right there on the spot,鈥� Carney says. 鈥淪o, I mean, literally, the band wouldn鈥檛 exist if it weren鈥檛 for these guys.鈥�
But it鈥檚 been two decades since that moment 鈥� The Black Keys officially formed in 2001 鈥� and they haven鈥檛 made an album of Mississippi blues until now. But Carney says 鈥渆verything we do is an accident,鈥� so it鈥檚 no surprise the two stumbled into recording 鈥淒elta Kream.鈥�
After finishing tour, Auerbach was at his record label, Easy Eye Sound, and invited Kenny Brown, who played slide guitar with Burnside, and Eric Deaton, who played bass with Junior, to come record with Robert Finley, an artist on his label. Percussionist Sam Bacco was also present. Auerbach called up Carney to come jam with them, a 鈥渘o brainer鈥� decision, Carney says.
Over the course of two days, with no rehearsals, was born.
The Black Keys had never played with a percussionist, slide guitarist or bassist, Auerbach says. But the combination of talent and a mutual adoration for old blues songs that they knew so well 鈥渨as like this brand new experience,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t was really amazing.鈥�
A standout song on the album is 鈥淐rawling Kingsnake.鈥� The Black Keys summoned Junior鈥檚 鈥渦nique,鈥� 鈥渋dentifiable鈥� version while recording their own take on John Lee Hooker鈥檚 classic song, Auerbach says.
The many different versions that exist of the 鈥淐rawling Kingsnake鈥� are an example of what makes music in the U.S. so 鈥渂eautiful,鈥� he says, referring to the 鈥渕elting pot鈥� of sounds from various regions across the country when a band records their own cover.
Though the band has dabbled in recording new genres, don鈥檛 expect Carney to make a vocal appearance anytime soon. He hasn鈥檛 let go of the traumatizing time his sixth-grade music teacher made him sing 鈥淢y Country, 鈥楾is of Thee鈥� in front of the class, turning him bright red.
鈥淪he gave me an F in music 鈥� and now I have five Grammys,鈥� he says.
Carney jokes that the only time you鈥檒l hear him sing is 鈥淭winkle, Twinkle Little Star鈥� to his son.
Auerbach and Carney have been playing together for 20 years now. Carney says the two have 鈥済rown up together鈥� 鈥� from basement recording to headlining Coachella.
Fans can rest assured that the musicians are still friends after all these years.
鈥淚 spent more time with Dan than I have at this point with my parents, with any partner, romantically,鈥� Carney says. 鈥淵ou know, we spent a lot of time together. We鈥檝e lasted longer than Led Zeppelin and The Beatles combined.鈥�
produced and edited this interview for broadcast with . adapted it for the web.
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