"SXSW Sonic Itch Pick: The Black Keys"
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This is my favorite part of the year where the transition between winter to spring allows room for the weather to get better and for the college basketball games to get more intense. But here in Austin it means something else; it’s almost time for South By Southwest. The list has been released and this year there are over 1,600 bands being showcased to help pack the bars, clubs, streets, bathrooms, pedi-cabs, and any other location were space is available.
And since Sonic Itch Music is well, a blog about music, we’ve decided to do our part and help you guys out a little. I’ll be featuring a band that will be performing during the festival (maybe even some who won’t) to aid that everlasting fear of which show to choose.
And we present, The Black Keys.
Being that this is the city where Stevie Ray Vaughan sharpened his skills to become one of the most influential artists to ever live, there are enormous expectations when it comes to blues music. And the blues are everywhere here, from sidewalks to Antone’s. Any given night in Austin, there are musicians singing for their Tex-mex supper, greeting us with their heart-wrenching tales of Texas blues. So, for a duo from Akron, Ohio to enter the blues arena and challenge the long-standing heavies with their immeasurable sound, completely justifies me showcasing them as the very first band I won’t miss during the festival.
For any blues fan, hearing that 12-bar blues chord progression never gets old, even with one of the oldest forms of American music. But lead vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach revives life and wisdom into his songs, even with his under-30-mind, resembling the sounds of Chess Records, circa 1951. The songs are simple yet poignant, with lyrics keeping in tune with the blues frame of mind. But Auerbach’s guitar-playing skills raise the stakes, adding more than the essential elements that the blues require. Drums, which are done by Patrick Carney, stays in sync with Auerbach’s incessant need to rock. And Auerbach’s pitch-perfect moans complete the sound, making you think he was 75 with a drinking problem.
Maybe it’s the lack of direction that the music industry has obtained or maybe it’s my need to know how the blues should sound, but whatever the reason, these guys are saving all of our heads and minds one song at a time. SRV would definitely be proud that Austin is host to this band again.
And now you can be too.
MP3> The Black Keys ‘Work Me’
Catch their show at Emo’s Main Room (603 Red River) at 1 a.m. (a perfect time for the blues) on Wednesday, March 12th.
-Sonya
This is my favorite part of the year where the transition between winter to spring allows room for the weather to get better and for the college basketball games to get more intense. But here in Austin it means something else; it’s almost time for South By Southwest. The list has been released and this year there are over 1,600 bands being showcased to help pack the bars, clubs, streets, bathrooms, pedi-cabs, and any other location were space is available.
And since Sonic Itch Music is well, a blog about music, we’ve decided to do our part and help you guys out a little. I’ll be featuring a band that will be performing during the festival (maybe even some who won’t) to aid that everlasting fear of which show to choose.
And we present, The Black Keys.
Being that this is the city where Stevie Ray Vaughan sharpened his skills to become one of the most influential artists to ever live, there are enormous expectations when it comes to blues music. And the blues are everywhere here, from sidewalks to Antone’s. Any given night in Austin, there are musicians singing for their Tex-mex supper, greeting us with their heart-wrenching tales of Texas blues. So, for a duo from Akron, Ohio to enter the blues arena and challenge the long-standing heavies with their immeasurable sound, completely justifies me showcasing them as the very first band I won’t miss during the festival.
For any blues fan, hearing that 12-bar blues chord progression never gets old, even with one of the oldest forms of American music. But lead vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach revives life and wisdom into his songs, even with his under-30-mind, resembling the sounds of Chess Records, circa 1951. The songs are simple yet poignant, with lyrics keeping in tune with the blues frame of mind. But Auerbach’s guitar-playing skills raise the stakes, adding more than the essential elements that the blues require. Drums, which are done by Patrick Carney, stays in sync with Auerbach’s incessant need to rock. And Auerbach’s pitch-perfect moans complete the sound, making you think he was 75 with a drinking problem.
Maybe it’s the lack of direction that the music industry has obtained or maybe it’s my need to know how the blues should sound, but whatever the reason, these guys are saving all of our heads and minds one song at a time. SRV would definitely be proud that Austin is host to this band again.
And now you can be too.
MP3> The Black Keys ‘Work Me’
Catch their show at Emo’s Main Room (603 Red River) at 1 a.m. (a perfect time for the blues) on Wednesday, March 12th.
-Sonya
