Cate Le Bon

Despite my confusion about whether I woke up in Columbus or Austin on Saturday morning, I triumphantly braved the cold and put in a good eleven hours of music listening/show-navigating on my last day of SXSW. My day began with a charming interview with the lovely Cate Le Bon (check back for full interview soon) and then took me to the MOG party where I camped out at for a number of hours. While there I caught performances by Dum Dum Girls, Demolished Thought (again sans Andrew WK), Freelance Whales, Broken Bells, The Antlers and The Black Keys.

Completely ignore the fact that I’m an Ohioan for one moment as I crown The Black Keys with the best performance of the party, hands down. Broken Bells was entertaining, but didn’t stray too far from what I might expect from a Shins follow-up of Australia.

The Black Keys

More bands and photos after the jump. (more…)

Official video for the the Black Keys, Mos Def and Jimmy Jones Blakroc modern blues “Ain’t Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo)” jump-off.

Blakroc in stores November 27th.

Remember when Black Keys were in Mass Appeal Magazine alongtime ago?

(I read it at a Books A Million in Lafayatte, Louisiana during the process of stealing the Espo book, “the Art of Getting Over”. I had already placed the book in my pants, and was flipping through magazines to ensure no one was following me.The article was about how this Akron band really liked the Wu-Tang Clan. So I stole that magazine too by curling it up and sliding the periodical up my shirt sleeve. Kinda risky but it was an impulse theft.)

Flash Foward a decade later.

Black Keys doing a Hip Hop album, Blakroc, with a zillion legends.

So Rza walks in the studio and says, ‘can I play some awkward guitar licks for y’all to build off of.’

Black Keys ,” sure!!”

So just as a fan, its kinda bugged to see Rza play guitar, rap and smoke weed with the Arkon band. Enjoyed watching the video throughly.

below is what is what one of the songs with the RZA sounds like. Also features Pharoach Monch of Organized Konfusion/ “Simon Says Get the fuck up” fame.

Blakroc comes out November 27th.

UPDATE: Blakroc’s official website is now live.

Here in Ohio, the rumors of a Black Keys produced Hip Hop project intially started by a Jim Jones on Twitter awhile back are becoming a reality by Patrick Carney twittering ” Blakroc” a few hours ago. The current word swinging around Columbus graffiti and weirdo creep circles about the Blakroc project like chains and exhaust is this:

Blakroc is a hip hop album produced by the Black Keys that features Rza, Raekwon, Mos Def, Jim Jones, Pharoah Monch, Q-tip, Ludacris, ODB, Billy Danze of M.O.P., Noe and Nicole Wray.

The album has 11 songs and will be released 11 weeks from today on Black Friday (the Friday after Thanksgiving).

The album is being released on a label started by Dame Dash and The Black Keys management.

Given that Rae, and Mos Def both put out their best albums in a decade this past year, I have a pretty good feeling about this record and NYC golden era Hip Hop artists in general.

(And I live in a city where we throw parades for our lost local Hip Hop icons. So us Ohioans take our Hip Hop seriously)

(Pat Carney of Drummer & Chris Lutsko of the Unholy Two of pose for a picture after the Black Keys show at Skullys. I lied to them and said it was for a men of Ohio indie rock calender that the proceeds would benefit upcoming victims of the Swine Flu. Jared Phillips declined to be in the nonexistant calender.)

I had to work before the show so I didn’t get a chance to get to see the opening act. I work at Magnolia Thunderpussy next to Skullys. So what I did observe was a line that started at 4pm which wrapped well past the Milk Bar and all the way down 5th.
I think every single person that picked up free ticket showed up.
Outside of a club rap show, I don’t think I have seen this much excitement around one band.
Ohio loves TBK.
I got there around 945 right when the Black Keys went on. Seeing a band as large as the Keys in a small venue like this is always amazing. Doods busted out “10 Am Automatic”, “Strange Times” & “Psycotic Girl”.
I don’t recall every song cause I spent the bulk of my time trying to convince girls to buy both DJ Detox and I drinks.
I would tell them Detox was sad because it was his birthday and no one remembered it. Then the girls would ask him about it.
He would tell them he didn’t know what the fuck they were talking about, that was I was lieing to them and look bewildered.
For some reason the girls would still buy us drinks.
After getting the drinks, the next move was trying to ditch the girls which was difficult because the room was so packed and no one wants to move out of the way when they are watching their favorite band.
So you then would just have to act like the conversation never happened.
Jolly goodtime. Amusing oneself while The Black Keys play loudly in an esctatic, intimate setting is perhaps the best way to spend an evening.
Pat shot the shit with us for awhile but declined going to Hendocs with us because the engine of his car had just exploded so he needed to get to Akron.

Bands: The Black Keys, Health, The Cribs, Soundtrack of our Lives
Date: Friday, March 14 (12pm – 5pm)
Location: La Zona Rosa ( 612 W. 4th Street)
RSVP: N/A

This show is being put on by Scene Magazine out of Cleveland. No information has been given about whether or not you need to RSVP for this party or can just show up. Needless to say, any party involving the Black Keys is going to be insanely packed and difficult to get into.