The Black Keys

Some bands can be awkward when taken out of small, intimate venues and plopped on an outdoor stage, where the impact of the music can get lost in all that open air. The Black Keys are not one of those bands.

From the first feedbacked seconds of “Thickfreakness” and on, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney radiated the same signature cool that can be heard on their albums. It’s a sound that respects all the cigarette voices and garages that have paved the way, but one that is grounded and thick and swaggering.

It was so great to see two comparatively men dominating an entire stage, filling it with big bad guitar riffs and drums that just didn’t quit. And my only real complaint is the choice to add two other musicians (bass and keys) into the mix. I was bummed that they felt the need to supplement themselves, because the core members of the Black Keys
rock harder together—you’d only need to have stuck around for their full-on conquering attack of “Your Touch” for evidence of that.

But regardless of how many musicians were kicking around on stage, the Keys are a prime example of how to  command attention. They didn’t need to overcompensate with overdramatic theatrics or attention whore antics (coughTorqCampbellandRiversCuomocough) to draw a crowd. All they needed were a guitar, a drumkit, and two talented, commited musicians, because that red hot Black Keys sound speaks for itself.

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MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/theblackkeys