The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach

friend and bandmate Patrick Carney for Let's Rock. But it was their next record, a blues covers album called Delta Cream, that was their true homecoming. Recorded in just a day, the spontaneous studio jam was something of a reset, a reminder of the sounds and the spirit that first drew them to music as teenage neighbors growing up in Akron, Ohio.

The down in dirty blues atmosphere is apparent on their latest album, Drop Out Boogie, or at least twenty years almost to the day after their debut, the Big Come Up. A lot's changed since those days of recording in basements and touring in bands. Now they've become heroes themselves to a whole new generation of brash blues punks, all awaiting their own big come up. I'm so happy to welcome Dan our By first and foremost congratulations on a new record.

I mean, it's really it's setting the summer off right for me. It's to me, it's the perfect convertible album. I know you released Waiting on a Song on eight track, and I'm kind of wishing you did that with this one too. I feel like it's the perfect eight track record. UM started at the very beginning, what role did your album Delta Cream, their previous record, play in the creation of Dropout Boogie? You know, I don't think we could

have had one without the other. You know, I think Um Delta Delta Cream kind of paved the way for for Dropout Boogie. You know, we it was so um off the cuff Delta Cream was and it was so easy, and we ended up both really loving it and loving the way it sounded. We just kind of took that positive momentum and we went right into making Drop Up Booie. Yeah.

I think Pat called it a great reset of the band, and was it amuse reset musically in terms of reminding you of the the artists and the songs that first brought you together or was it a reset in terms of actually playing the music in a room together. I mean, um, a little bit of both. I mean, we definitely were playing stuff that influences when we first started, but we were also playing with Kenny Brown for the very first time.

We were playing with the bass player for the very first time in the studio, we were playing with the percussionists for the very first time. So it was like it was this weird combination of absolutely brand new and old. And I think that that is a balance that we always kind of strive for in our records, you know, Oh yeah, I mean Kenny Brown and stuff Eric Deaton

was bringing to the table. It sounds so good. I mean, I feel like a huge debt of gratitude not only for the music that you've made as the Black Keys, but just turned me onto acts like you know, Junior, kimbro Are, All Burnside Mississippi, Fred McDowell, I mean people I never would have heard of where it not through your covers on Delta Cream and just people you cited

in interviews as influences. And and I gotta say that Robert Finley record, Oh my god, Sharecropper's son is just such an incredible album, and he's he's the real deal. I so I want to thank you for all those influences you've You've shared with your fans too, Yeah, of course. I mean I was honored to get to make those records with Robert. I mean, as soon as he walked in my studio, it was just like he was electric. He just was like he was wearing a three quarter

length leather duster and a giant cowboy belt. Buckley had snakeskin boots, song leather pants. He had a satin cowboy shirt on and a leather cowboy hat, and his hair was braided underneath it. It was like, I was like, who is this guy? I'm so glad to hear that living up to all of my dreams and expectations like

a Louisiana superhero. That's so cool. I mean it sounds like, in the same way that you opened up the band on Delta Cream, you opened up the songwriting process a bit on dropout boogie, working with outside writers and I think five tracks. What led you to bring Greg Cartwright and Angelo into the sessions. Well, those are a couple of guys that I had worked with a lot in the past, and I just wrote some songs with Greg

and Angelo on the new Marcus King record. You know, I I've done a bunch of things, you know, we worked on the Velvet Heres together and just all kinds of stuff. So I kind of had a feeling that Pat would get along with them and that it would be fruitful. So we rang them up and it was great. It was so easy, it was fun. And and here, you know, we are like twenty years into our album career and uh, we're you know, doing something we've never

done before. So it was really nice. Yeah, I wanted to ask you more about what you're writing processes is historically like with Pat, because how much of it is improvising together versus want of you bringing sort of a song frack into the studio and then working it out at a table. It sounds like it's more improvisational, right. It's always been improvisational, you know, We've always just kind of messed around in the studio and and something happens.

You know. It's been something that we've been able to do since we were like sixteen seventeen. I think that's why we stuck with it when we started, because we realized right off the bat, We really didn't have to work at getting it to sound cool. You know. It's like, as soon as we started making music together, it was like, Oh, that's I like that whatever that is that sounds fun, you know. So I think we just it's just always

been there like that for us. So that's that's generally how we started the songs, and then we kind of you know, have to shape the song that way. It's a little bit reverse, you know. And since moving to Nashville, I've definitely, like UM, gotten to appreciate more old school style of UM songwriting, you know, just the base chords and melodies and lyrics first. But you know, so I guess I understand how that works too. But the way the pattern I work is just different, you know, you

just always has been. Yeah, I mean moving to Nashville, it's such a collaborative musical scene that must have been sounds very different to you know, having been sort of more self contained the two of you. That must have been a really cool, uh you know, sort of new learning process of working in a whole different way. Yeah, it was. It was you know, pretty uh I opening when we first got here. But you know, I always loved Nashville and the and the music scene here, and

I can't imagine living anywhere else. I mean, I've been here eleven years, almost twelve, I guess now, and it's an amazing city if you're a musician, you know, it's just like there's so many tools in the toolbox here. It's, um, you know, I find it hard to live without. At this point, you're talking about that a little bit of magic with you and Pat. I mean, this blew my mind, good love, burn the damn thing down, didn't I love you? I think these are all first takes, right, that is

just incredible to me. Yeah, those are all just first take, one take songs. Wow, that is there. I'll go back and um, spruce up the lyrics. But I'm as we're playing it down, I'm like improvising lines and stuff. Sometimes the line of work. Sometimes it sparks some better line. But you know, yeah, those are those are first takes. But that's why they have that feel and that sound

and you can't really fake that. And um, you know Wild Child does not have that sound, but we like to have a mix of those, those different kinds of recordings. You know, I think it I think it's a nice to to have a like a little bit of a you know, different palette there. Oh absolutely, I mean that's spontaneity, the excitement of the moment of creation. It's so cool and it's so apparent in the tracks, but it got something like wild Child. It's it's such a great vibe.

I feel like it's it's got a different feel to it than things I've heard from you. It almost feels the groove is thord funky comes to mind. I know that's an overused word, but it's got such a different flavor to it. It's such a cool track. How did that track come together? I mean I probably started with the drum loop, you know, is a funky ass due wipe Bo, And you know, we started with the with the rhythm track, and I think instantly we really liked

it. It It was so simple. We both there's something so kind of like instantly likable, catchy about it. Um, so we just kept working at it, you know what I mean. So, uh, that was the That was one of the songs we called in Angelo, were called him Greg and we sat down at the table with some acoustic guitars and we kind of like worked out the melodies and the lyrics, but that was after we had the instrumental, you know, so it was fun. You know, I think it was

worth It was definitely worth while. I know you've worked a lot with Danger Mouse in the past, and something that I've noticed is that I feel like I can always tell the albums you made with him because there's something in the rhythm that's different and I can't put my finger on it. It just it swings differently these albums that that you self produce. I don't know if it's not playing with a click or something, but I feel like on a track like how Long on this

new album, it's got this incredible feel to it. It's a slower and looser That's one of my favorite tracks on this how Long. It's such an incredible I really liked that song a lot, and you know, that was just that just happened out of an improblem playing guitar and drums across from each other, you know, just started playing that lick and Pat fell in and that one came together really quickly. To be honest, I do like that song a lot. I love how your vocal sits

in it. It's like it's not like a lead singer it's like another instrument to me. It's it's such a cool way that it sits in the track. Yeah, I don't know. You know, when Pat and I UM are in a good place and comfortable, Um, I don't know. It's I've never been more comfortable playing with someone, you know, in my life. I don't even have to think about it, you know. I wanted to ask you about your I think your latest single, and it Ain't Over UM has

this really unique sound on it. When I was listening to it, I couldn't figure out what it was. I assumed it was a keyboard sound. I did a little digging and I learned it was something called an optagan, which I'd never heard of in my life. Oh well, tell me about that. Almost like an early sample, like a souped up melotron, right, Like, what is that? Yeah? They had UM these little disks that you would put in it. It was basically like a Fisher Prize keyboard

toy for kids. And you know, I think people got hip to them, and people like Tom Wade's and I don't know everybody's used them, but they just have an amazing sound, and you know, you can flip the discs upside down and it plays the sounds backwards, so you know, it has a keyboard sound and then like a rhythm accompaniment which is like got some like kind of generally cheesy sounding percussion or drums or bass or something like that. And Uh, it's really fun to kind of spark ideas.

I've done it before. You know, I used it on the Doctor John record I made. Um. You know, we used it a bunch. You know, it's a fun tool. I like, there's definitely some different sounds on this record. I know that, UH used the wall for the first time right on on what what track was on Wild Child? Yeah? Yeah? On Wild Child? Yeah, some rhythm guitar. Yeah. I don't know what got into me feeling crazy that day. M I gotta ask you about the guitar work by Mr

Billy F. Gibbins. How did he get involved and what was he like just to play with in the room? Man? He Uh, he's the best. He's the coolest, coolest guy on earth. I mean I texted him and told him Pat and I would be in the studio and if he was free, he should stop by because I heard he was in town. And uh, and I didn't hear anything from a few hours went by, and then he got a text from him he said, I'm headed over, amigo. He showed up. Man, he didn't bring guitar. He just

brought bottle of bottle of wine. And uh. I handed him a guitar that I had plugged it straight into an AMP, a guitar he's never played before. You know, pour him a glass of wine and we just started playing. And we played for you know, almost two hours and um, and then he took off and I think we probably had like four songs kind of written in that time. We were just flowing. It was great and good Love

is one of those songs. And it's just like his sound is so instantly identifiable as it's awesome to be able to like, um, sit in the room with him and play music. It's like, it's pretty cool. Oh man, man, it wasn't even his guitar. Wow, just all in the fingers. What what is man? He had this old triny Lopez that I own that that used to be used to belong to Mississippi Fred McDowell. What. It's a beautiful guitar. You can see video footage of him of Fred McDowell

playing it. On YouTube. He's Scott his wife glued like some um jewelry, some like brooches to the headstock into the upper about of the guitar. And um, it's a cool guitar, you know. But we've always heard stuff about Billy Gibbons like he plays special kind of slinky strings and only uses this kind of whatever. It's like, Man, this guitar had normal as strings, plugged it straight into an amp and it sounded instantly like Billy Gibbinson was

fucking awesome. Wow have you played with them before. We've done a couple of things with them before, but not like this. Oh. Man, that that is incredible. I hope we get to hear those other songs you guys worked on too. I hope there's a you know, expanded edition or EP or you know special seven inch or something coming. Yeah, I mean you never know. Man, Oh, that is so cool. I mean you've you've worked with so many amazing artists. I mean you mentioned Dr John, Robert Finley, you know,

Yola see low Green, Lana del Rey. How is your production work outside of the Black Keys impacted your work in the band as producing outside people almost given you kind of more objectivity when it comes to your own band and your own sound and change the way you worked.

I think so. I think it really has. I think it especially in the last few years, being able to hone in on our strengths and being able to like maybe figure out how we how it's like max enjoyable what I mean, because that's really what's most important for Pat and I at this point, is to like be able to do this, uh and enjoy it. You know, that's kind of the goal. I think he said in a few interviews that this is the most enjoyable record you guys have ever made. You do you echo that sentiment? Yeah,

it was. It was pretty awesome. I mean, you know, every record we got to make is really fun, but there was something about this when where it was just like we're firing on all cylinders, you know, It's just like we were so um, we're just in that in the zone. I love the title of the record. I immediately thought of Captain Beefhart and Safe as Milk was sort of my access point to his music. I just I think that record is incredible. I mean, I'm glad

those spine tingling vocals. I mean, that's crazy kind of warp do wop sound. I mean Ryan Cooter's guitar work. Such an amazing record. I know that sounds like that was a real point of connection for YouTube growing up when you first were um discovering music together. Yeah, it was a huge influence on on us. And when we were first touring in the van, just the two of us, you know, zigzagging back and forth across the States. It was one of the records we listened to the most.

I still amazing to me. But when you were growing up, I can't imagine there are many other kids in town who were listening to Captain Beefar and yet you guys were just down the street from one another. It's just such a crazy thing to consider. I mean, it really does make you, you know, I wonder about fate. What were some other musical points of connection between the two of you when you were first getting to know each other.

I mean, we loved Which Hang Records. We loved Liquid Sours, the Jizz album, just the aesthetic of the record, the way it sounded. We loved Um Credence clear Water. We used to sit and listen to Buy You Country over and over again. Um. Yeah, we love to be hard and we would listen to the Sonics all the time. Um, yeah, I don't know. We we liked We liked music that was real, raw, kind of grimy and and fun. That was kind of what we were into. Had read that

The Big Come Up. Initially, an early version of it had like skits in between the songs, like a hip hop record. Yeah, and the dude who owned the record labels this French guy who's like in the rock and roll hated rap. He was like, he's like, what is this ship? You got got to get rid of this stuff,

And uh, it was probably the smart idea. We did leave a couple of little things and so it was nice, but it was probably It's crazy that Dropout Bookie came out the day before the twenty anniversary of your debut, The Big Come Up. Uh what do you see when you contrast those two, Because in a funny way, I almost feel like Dropout Boogie is more like your first record than any you've made in a while, all aside from maybe Delta Cream, especially something like the closer Didn't

I Love You? I Mean to me, that feels like something that that could have come out of the basement in a way. Yeah, I think that we are. The more I work with other people, the more I appreciate, you know what, the thing that the specialty gift that Pat and I were given, you know what I mean, And to be to be able to have our own sound and our own thing. It's just like we're just really starting to be able to really enjoy it. I think, you know what I mean? And uh, I agree with you.

I think that I think that the The Deltas Cream album was definitely like a reset and and and this album does feel like it's it's coming from the same place as the big come up was. I know you're you're just wrapped an album and you're hitting the road, but I understand you're working on more material in the studio. Where are you at with that? We we're pretty far along on a on another record, and we had some fun people come in and write with us. So yeah,

we're excited about that. It's actually pretty legit so far. Are you able to say who or is it a little too early for that? Yeah? Too early for me. I talked to me about the tour of this summer because it sounds like you've got a few friends going out with you. Kenny and Eric and you're gonna do a Delta Cream Spotlight and the Gabber Brothers and they

go way back with you, right, Yeah. The Gabber Brothers played in a band called the Shams who played with the Black Keys on at the Black He's very first show in Cleveland, Ohio at the Beachland Town. Oh Man, what do you remember by that gig? Not a whole lot. We feel like we had like thirty minutes of music and we played it in like fifteen minutes because we were so nervous. We played everything like four times speed.

It was like when you're on your TV and it says two times speed and then you go to four times speed. That's where were we were at the whole set and I remember going. I just remember we came to backstage and it was like we looked at each other like what just happened? Was the fun though out? Not really? Is it fun? Oh No? It was never racking, but it was cool when they asked us to come back.

I mean a lot of full circle moments. I got the gab of Brothers with you and sounds like you're gonna be hitting the Blossom Music Center in Ohio for this tour. You know that spot's got a special meeting for you. Yeah. I used to work there when I was, uh teenager. I used to be one of those kids in the parking and with the flag waving the cars. So but I mean it was always like a real

magical place. I used to kind of like be able to go backstage and stuff, and I saw the inner workings of the place, and it's like right in the in the middle of the woods. It's really beautiful there. It's like everybody goes there is really happy to be there that you know. So it was like a kind of an amazing place. Oh man, were you able to see many of the acts there. I went and saw Whitney Houston with my mom that rule. That's so cool. Yeah,

he was awesome. She was all I remember is we were in the grass and they didn't have really good video screens, so looking at her on stage, she was just like a little minuscule neon dot running back and forth. I just remember everybody on stage head on kneeon like jogging outfits. It was crazy. So it feels like that was her aesthetic for a while, Like you know, the Jamee found the workout tape aesthetic late eighties stuff. Oh man, I've I've had the pleasure of seeing you several times

in concert. I'm looking forward to it again this summer. I uh, I save this question for last because I'm always afraid that people are gonna hang up. I mean think I'm crazy for asking it, But I'm curious what you have to say about this, especially with sort of the Blues being steeped in in in so much um mythology in a sense, do you believe in a in

a supernatural element in music? Um? Yeah, I think that there's some some something ancient, something um in our d n A that you know, allows us all to understand music no matter what language it's in, and to be able to feel things from music. I think there's something special there. But you know, it's I think that's why it's usually part of every religion on earth. It's like music think is very important to humans and it's hard to really say why, which makes it so magical. Yeah,

the mystery of music is just so. It's one of the things that keeps me coming back and you look at all these you know, remains of ancient cultures and back at a time when human beings were just struggling to to to eat and live. You see remains of primitive instruments and you think, wow, this was really a priority for us, even you know, at a base level need. It's something that was always there and something we always needed.

But it's really hard to articulate exactly why, but it definitely it hits us, absolutely absolutely, And you know, we're so lucky that we grew up in North America and you know, in America and like the melting pot that this country is has just been like it was just like exploded with music, and every corner of this country has got a little special niche and and a special you know, notch in history. And um, I just got

so into all the regional music in America. Record labels like our Hooly you know that would that would like just like really dive deep into where this music came from, and it's just so special. I love that. I love like the dust to digital account and stuff like that. I'm always love discovering all these pockets of music. And you I mean, I'm so excited for the the Sunhouse

set you have coming out soon. I'm uh just I'm so grateful for a lot of the music that you've again I said, this is the beginning of talking to you, just that you've shared through your label and just through interviews citing your influences. I mean, you've really uh turned me and I'm sure millions of others on the so much great music that would have otherwise never crossed my path. Yeah, that sun House tape is crazy, just out of the blue.

Dick Waterman said, I have a box full of tapes in my gras and they've been there since the sixties. Do you want do you want them to want to buy them? Just a treasure chas, Oh my God, and this and that the Sunhouse album that we just put out forever on my mind. It predates his Columbia recordings, and so it's like some of the earliest recordings after he was rediscovered in the sixties, and and in my opinion, some of the greatest versions of those songs. They feel

so comfortable. I don't know what it was about the surroundings where he was, but man, he was like sober and singing with so much conviction and amazing performances are kind of like blew my mind. After we got that tape transferred, and that's what was on it. It was absolutely insane. God, I mean, that's amazing. That's do you have any other uh? I hesitate They called archival, but I guess that's the word I'll use. Uh projects in the works that you're excited about. Yeah. Here you know Waterman,

he sold me a whole box full of tapes. What we're all different artists, So yeah, we've got some plans. Oh man. Yeah, we can't spill the beans yet. We got some really good stuff mined up to release. It's kind of you know, being a blues nerd since I was a kid, it's pretty mind blowing to be able to like acquire this stuff and be able to put it out. It's kind of insane. How did how did

this music first reach you? I mean, I know that I'm probably of the last age group that didn't have the entire history of record of music at their fingertips growing up, And so it was hard where I was living just to get you know, a copy of Odyssey and Oracle by the Zombies or something. It took up six weeks to get imported from god knows where. How did you first discover this this kind of music when you were growing up? Like, how did you got its safe as milk reach you. I mean I heard about

Save His Milk from Pat. But my dad had keptain Beefheart albums um at the house. Uh, although we didn't listen to him much, but you know, my dad had a great record collection. My mom's family played blue grass, and my mom's uncle's a harmonica player and played a telecaster a Telly custom um or yeah, tele custom into a super reaver, which is what I ended up playing when I when we started the Black Keys, because I you know, as he always had a bad bass guitar sound.

But he introduced me to all kinds of people like Lightning Hopkins and um, you know just that pretty much everybody really, I mean he he hit me to all the good blue stuff, and between that the blue grass, my mom playing classical music, my dad's record collections, and then when Pat and I got into the van with each other and we would spend like ten twelve hours every single fucking day together, we were playing each other's stuff. And so, I mean Pat played me led Zeppelin for

the first time I had ever. My dad never played led Zeppeline, never really heard it. I need, I knew a couple of songs from the radio, but I'd never heard any of their albums. Um, but you know, he introduced me to the Captain beefheard stuff, and um I introduced him to Junior, kimbro and Harrold burn Side and like you know, between all that, I had some really good influences. Oh Man, well we are. As a fan,

I'm grateful that that you've shared them. I am. I don't want to take up too much more of your time, but I am so grateful for your time today, and most importantly, I'm so grateful for your music. Dan. Thank you so much. You're the best. Hey Man, thanks so much. I appreciate it. We hope you enjoyed this episode of

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