The Black Keys have a new album coming out. They are also playing one event during SXSW:

ITEM!
Guitartown/Conqueroo Present Kickoff 2010
Wednesday March 17th 11am-9pm
Joe’s Bar and Grill | 506 West Ave Austin TX 78701
FREE No Wristband Required

Three Olives Vodka Stage (Front)
11am David Olney Nashville, TN
12pm Freedy Johnston Austin, TX
1pm David Faulkner Sydney, AUS
2pm Stonehoney Austin, TX
3pm Emory Quinn San Antonio, TX
4pm The Cardinal Health San Antonio, TX
5pm Steve Poltz San Diego, CA
6pm Wirepony San Diego, CA
7pm Anne McCue Nashville, TN
8pm Triple Cobra San Francisco, CA

Hornito’s Tequila Stage (Back)
11:30am Tom Freund Venice, CA
12:30pm Randy Weeks Austin, TX
1:30pm James McMurtry Austin, TX
2:30pm Jon Dee Graham, Austin, TX
3:30pm The Silo’s New York, NY
4:30 Austin Collins And
The Rainbirds Austin, TX
5:30pm Chip Robinson Raleigh, NC
6:30pm Thundersosa Austin, TX
7:30pm The Band of Heathen’s Austin, TX
8:30pm Raul Malo Nashville, TN

More after the jump. (more…)

This is a press release for The Black Keys new album:

THE BLACK KEYS’ NEW ALBUM BROTHERS DUE OUT MAY 18 ON NONESUCH RECORDS
ALBUM RECORDED AT THE LEGENDARY MUSCLE SHOALS STUDIOS IN ALABAMA

“…earth-shaking…”—New Yorker

“…they just keep getting better and better.”—Rolling Stone

The Black Keys release their sixth full-length album, Brothers, May 18 on Nonesuch Records. The album arrives on the heels of three other acclaimed projects the band released in the past year: Dan Auerbach’s solo effort, Keep It Hid, the debut LP from Patrick Carney’s band Drummer, and Blakroc, a collaboration between The Black Keys and renowned MCs including RZA, Mos Def, Q-Tip, and Raekwon. The Black Keys’ 2008 album, Attack & Release, received praise from The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, the Los Angeles Times, and MOJO, which called the album, “…rich with melody and driving power.” The band will support Brothers with a tour that includes a sold out performance at Central Park’s SummerStage in New York City on July 27 (additional dates will be announced soon). More info and tracklist after the jump (more…)

America’s Number 1 Source for News, Weedsteeler.com is sending two of our finest to an inside-job city in style with a party at Bristol Bar this evening. The music will be provided by the usual cast of total shit-maniacs(sorry only Columbus staffers) ,  Chris Lutzko of the Unholy Two, and Sargent D of Stuff You Will Hate.Com/MetalInquisiton.

The event is hosted by CJ Townsend

MP3:Kid Cudi, Kanye West, & Common-Make Her Say (Sammy_Bananas_Remix)

Sammy Banana’s is playing at Bristol Bar this Friday along with CJ Townsend, and DJ Dan from Paradise Garage. He puts out music on Fool’s Gold Records (A-trak, Kid Sister, Cool Kids etc). The New York Native dejays all-around the globe.

I met Sammy in the beginning of November. Dood booked Columbus’ CJ Townsend to play at Piano’s in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
I was in the city, hanging out with Pat, and Mike of the Blakroc movement.
We met CJ and Lil Franz up at Piano’s because it was CJ’s 21st bday. (if you know me, ask me about me getting really drunk and stomping on a grown man’s feet, and trying to run his pocket because I was confused of his intentions and didn’t like how he looked in general)

Sammy played classic New York rap half the time, and house the other half.
CJ and Sammy sampled Gucci Mane’s adlib “Burr” “Burr”,and would press a button that would repeatedly make this adlib audible at random intervals whenever they felt like it.
Regardless of what music they were playing.
Be it Golded Era Hip Hop, House, New Jack Swing, Electro or Fidget R+B.

Even though we were drunk in NYC, it felt like we were in Columbus.

Sammy really likes R+B and New Jack Swing. He is huge fan of the 90’s. So I figured I’d quiz him on his preferences.

In Living Color or SNL with Chris Rock?
In Living Color. I like the Fly Girls.

Living Single or Family Matters?
Neither.

Living Single was was the show that Friend’s appropriated for white people like Elvis and Family Matters had Urkel.
Definately didn’t watch Urkel.

Family Ties or Alf?
Alf. I’m fond of Aliens. I’m a a big XFIles fan.

Haha..perfect…Fresh Prince or Independence day
Independance Day is a good movie. But I’m going to go with Fresh Prince.

But Independence Day had aliens.
I said I like Indepedence Day. It is a good movie. But Fresh Prince captured the 90’s, Fresh Prince had juxtapositions that allowed for comedic events to transpire.
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MP3: Blakroc ft. Mos Def – On The Vista

This is the Mos Def - Blakroc jump-off. 

Hype is building on this album set to drop November 27th.

Blakroc even got a MSK endorsement

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.

You peeped Blakroc.com,yet? They have webisodes of the making of the Blakroc album.

From webisode 1, I learned that Dame Dash keeps pretty indie rock girls around like every true Hip Hop visionary should in 2009, and we also find out that Jim Jones takes awhile to craft his songs. I guess smoking weed and threatening to give bouncers wedgies disrupts a man’s concentration.

Webisode 2 documents the mighty Mos Def’s recording session with the Midwest’s best, the Black Keys, for the Blakroc project.

Lock-in!! Blakroc drops November 27th.

Photo Credit:Danielle Kline from last years Jim Jones show. Not to be confused with the one I am mentioning in this blurb.

MP3:The Black Keys ft. Mos Def and Jim Jones – Hoochie Coo -

Dipset shows in Columbus, and Jim Jones in paticular were always an interesting spectacle throughout the duration of the crews artist thug -in-residency here in the C-O because there was always an feeling in the air that admidst that there may be some sort of animosity in the room.

witnessing what maybe  the source of stress in jim jones life after the jump

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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)

MP3: Mature Fantasy by Drummer

The Black Keys‘ Patrick Carney has assembled Drummer, a new supergroup of drummers playing all sorts of instruments besides the kit. Here’s how the line-up is looking:

Singer/Guitarer – Jon Finley (beaten awake, the man i fell in love with)
Guitarer – Jamie Stillman (harriet the spy, party of helicopters, teeth of the hydra)
Bass guitarer – Patrick Carney (the black keys)
Synthesizer – Steve Clements (houseguest)
Drummer – Gregory Boyd (ghostman sandman)

Pat has been working on a lot of interesting projects lately, like scoring an animated video for Art Spiegelman. Can’t wait to see Drummer live.

You can hear more music on their MySpace page. They’ve got their first show in Columbus coming up next week. Flyer magic:

(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.

photo by Envelope

I heard the Black Keys are doing a free show at Skullys tonight.
What? Thats ignorant. Didn’t they sell out promowest last time?
Yeah
And Jack Daniel’s is giving out free brooze to boot.

Cleveland Audio Eagle Recording artist the Other Girls are opening.

Art Spiegelman, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Maus, creator of Wacky Packs and the Garbage Pail Kids, and father of the modern graphic novel (though hes still demanding a blood test), presents this warts-and-all reproduction of his private sketchbooks — and the results are as candid, sharp, and funny as the relentlessly innovative man behind them. BE A NOSE! is a rare glimpse into the secret scribblings of an American original.

More information at McSweeney’s

Michael Carney has illustrated a lot of high profile album covers, most notably the entire discography for The Black Keys (you may note that he shares a last name with the drummer of the band, Pat Carney (his bro)). Most recently, he did the artwork for The Mountain, by The Heartless Bastards. The record is one of my favorites of the year so far, so I thought it would be a good subject to kick off this new series on the site. I sent Carney some questions about this release and his career in general.

Early sketches (more…)