The Black Keys

By Vix
(SugarBuzz Oklahoma City)

 

It is cold as hell in Oklahoma City. But my friend and co-worker Jamie-Lynn asked me if I wasn’t doing anything on Thursday night if I would go with her to see The Black Keys play at Bricktown Ballroom. I was gonna stay home and work, but she really wanted to go so I said…well sure.

Braving the cold we went to the venue. Jamie-Lynn told me the band was good and that I would really dig it. Being a hard-core rocker, and knowing this was a 2-man band I was skeptical to say the least. But what the hell right?

The first band that was opening the show wasn’t bad but I wouldn’t go back to see them a second time. I am not sure who they were because I was too busy looking at all the guys that looked like Mountain Men. I have never seen so many “Grizzly Adams” look alikes in one place. I can’t help but wonder, when did this become fashionable?

Anyways, after a few The Black Keys came on. Let me tell ya these guys are good. They put on a psychedelic show to say the least. The two guys have known each other for a very long time and hail from Akron Ohio. Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney have been playing together a while but experienced their first success around 2002 with the release of their first album The Big Come Up, this album was followed by Thickfreakness in 2003, and Rubber Factory in 2004. After a live recording in Australia in 2005 they released Magic Potion in 2006. For the amount of time these guys have been together as a band, their music is tight and the crowd is growing in numbers rapidly. I would have thought that this was a band that had been established and touring a lot longer than a few years for sure.

The music reminds me a lot of a modern day 60’s sound. Does that make sense? Okay wait more like if Jimi Hendrix was touring now, I think this is a lot like what he would sound like. The edgy, bluesy groove infested sound will make you shake your leg like it is having a seizure. Throw in some wacked out lighting action and you have a trippy show. I wouldn’t recommend tripping when you go to see it as I think there were a few there that were and it was a sight for sure. You could easily toss these guys into Lollapolooza, Boonaroo, or Woodstock and they would have the crowd grooving even if the crowd had no idea who they were. The band is comparative to the likes of the White Stripes. Now don’t think that’s a play on their name. These guys hadn’t even heard of the White Stripes when they named themselves. You can read more about how they came up with their name on their website (link below). It’s pretty interesting to say the least.

They can be heard on the likes of the School of Rock soundtrack singing their song “Set You Free”. They have been in Rolling Stone Magazine and Time Magazine as one of the "10 Best Acts of 2003". They have been on tour with a number of major recording artists as well as their song "The Desperate Man" was used in a 2006 Victoria’s Secret Commercial. They are favored by the likes of Robert Plant, Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), Thom Yorke, & Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead) and Kirk Hammet (Metallica).

For a band that I had never heard of I am really digging them. I am sure that I will catch their show if they happen to breeze through again. And if you are into groovy, bluesy, trippy, hippy, bod shakin tunes, this is a band you definitely need to make an effort to see.

You can check them out on their website:

http://www.theblackkeys.com/

or on MySpace at:

www.myspace.com/theblackkeys

This is Vix in the Armpit … Over and Out

Peace Fuckers!!!

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