A year after The Black Keys were forced to cancel a tour due to management issues, Akron’s favorite musical sons —- vocalist-guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney — are back in action.
Touring in support of their recently released new album, “No Rain, No Flowers,” the Grammy Award-winning garage rock duo is returning to Northeast Ohio for a show on Aug. 22 at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls.
This is the band’s era of collaborations, considering its 2024 effort, “Ohio Players,” included guest appearances by the likes of Beck, Noel Gallagher and Dan the Automator.
For the new project, that spirit of creative partnerships continues, with the band co-writing alongside Grammy Award-winning songwriters, including Daniel Tashian (Kacey Musgraves, Demi Lovato) and Scott Storch (Beyoncé, 50 Cent, Chris Brown). The result is an eclectic effort that seemingly takes The Black Keys into new musical territory while still maintaining its blues-rock foundation.
We recently chatted with Carney about the band’s business issues, their influential “Record Hangs” — a series of meticulously planned all-vinyl dance parties hosted by the band and open to the public — and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Q Pat, before we chat about the new album, let’s go back a year, when the band was changing management. How did that experience make you and Dan closer?
A The music industry is just rife with those stories. I mean, every artist has one, and we had yet to have ours. But the industry has changed multiple times in many ways since we started. We’re kind of cockroaches; we knew we were going to get through it, but it just sucks, especially knowing last year we made one of my favorite records. We knew the record was basically dead in its tracks. So we just had no other option than to do what we love the most, which is to go back in the studio and make another album that we’re also very proud of. We’ve been at a pretty crazy clip here making music. From 2019 to now, it’s like six albums in seven years, so it’s pretty nuts.
Q How did the notion of the “Record Hangs” influence “No Rain, No Flowers”?
A Dan was looking for something to do after shows, so he started bringing his records out and then asked me to bring some of mine. It led to me and him just going nuts on the record collecting and now we take them with us on tour. It’s just a cool way to spend an evening. And in the right location, people start dancing and stuff like that. There’s just not enough of that in this world. Plus, this is more about musical discovery. We try to play stuff that’s pretty rare but shouldn’t be. At the end of the day, we’re just huge fans of music. It still fascinates us — discovering new music, learning how to make it. That feeds the inspiration, like when we first got together in my dad’s basement; we just wanted to make something, record something.
Q What are a few new tracks that find The Black Keys covering different ground?
A Our records just reflect what we’re listening to, really. This new record was just an extension of the “Record Hangs” in general. A song like “Makes You Mine” has this really kind of soul tinge to it. It’s something that we couldn’t have made on our own, but it sounds like The Black Keys because we made it. Then, a song like “No Rain, No Flowers” has a four-on-the-floor, almost disco beat, with a post-punk kind of guitar hook. I wouldn’t say this record is experimental, but it’s eclectic, and it’s reflective of our record bags, where there’s a lot of funk, soul, garage rock, glam rock, punk, cumbia and instrumentals.
Q Finally, the band hits its 25-year mark in 2027. Have you thought about Rock & Roll Hall of Fame eligibility?
A There are a lot of bands not in there that maybe should be, but it’s the institution. When Jack White was announced as an inductee this year, I texted him right away, “Congratulations,” because it means something to me, and it means something to him. He was excitedm and he was grateful that I reached out. He’s the first true peer of mine to get in there. So I think it’s cool to get that kind of praise.
The Black Keys
When: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 22.
Where: Blossom Music Center, 1145 W. Steels Corners Road, Cuyahoga Falls.
Tickets: $55 to $300.
Info: Livenation.com.
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