The Black Keys on What It Takes for a Band to Make Its Big Break

Gritty rock music and bourbon whiskey go way back. The soundtrack of America owes much to this union, so it’s no surprise that present-day torchbearers of blues rock grit, The Black Keys, have aligned with the equally timeless Wild Turkey. The bourbon maker just launched its Trust Your Spirit campaign, which includes concerts throughout the rest of the year under the banner of the 101 Bold Nights series, including The Black Keys’ first Nashville show since 2019. 

The campaign, focused on inspiring upcoming artists to trust their own creative instincts, will raise money for the Sweet Relief Musician’s Fund and also fund a mentorship program with the non-profit label, Spaceflight Records. The rock duo has a long history of supporting and recording upcoming artists, and they’ve had to trust their own spirits to carve out the career they’ve made over the past two-plus decades.

We spoke to Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney about helping fellow artists, their upcoming tour and new album, and the whiskey that Carney calls “a professional drink.”

Men’s Journal: First things first—how do you take your bourbon?

Patrick Carney: Ice is mandatory for me with a bourbon. I need to water that shit down. I like an old fashioned.

Dan Auerbach: We both like an Old Fashioned.

What does the idea of “trusting your spirit” mean to you in your career?

PC: From the very beginning, we had no means. So, we had to do everything ourselves as far as recording and figuring out how to get on the road, play shows, and tour. Even by the time we were signed to our second record label, Fat Possum, we continued on like that. As far as trusting your own instincts, for Dan and me, it’s always been pretty obvious to us when we’ve made something that we’re clearly not comfortable with. Usually, if we do make something like that, we quickly move away from it. That said, sometimes pushing yourself a little bit can result in a big win. I think it’s a fine line to figure out what feels good and what doesn’t. 

Helping out emerging artists is a key part of this campaign. That seems to be a common thread in your careers.

DA: We’ve basically spent our adult lives helping other artists out. I started my record label, Easy Eye Sound, 10 years ago. And I moved to Nashville to work with artists and make records. So, every year, I’m working in creating a record for someone who’s being heard by the world for the first time. I love to get to do that. It’s an honor to be able to do that. We understand the impact a helping hand can have when you’re young artists.

PC: Yeah, we’ve both been recording other bands since 2005, or maybe even longer.

DA: And we bring them on the road with us—brand new bands who haven’t even gone on tour. Or a band like Shannon and The Clams, who are well established but have never been to Europe for some reason. We’ll be bringing them to Europe this summer for the very first time.

You guys were on the other side of that early on, right? Getting support from Beck and Radiohead, among others?

PC: Our first big break was from Sleater-Kinney. We were on a tiny label out of Burbank, where there was no marketing budget. There was no money, we got zero dollars for an advance, we had to supply the record, and the deal was basically that he would take 90 percent of the money and we’d get 50 albums and 200 CDs. That’s all we had. We had nothing. It took someone like Janet from Sleater-Kinney. She mentioned us in Rolling Stone, invited us on tour, and it was on that tour where we met Beck. Then Beck took us on tour. That’s the kinda support you need. 

There was this guy in the U.K. who really helped us out way back—John Peel, the legendary DJ. That’s how Radiohead heard us, because John Peel was playing us. Every little bit helps for a brand new band without a spotlight. Just Janet mentioning us in Rolling Stone magazine changed our lives, you know? 

How does working with new artists affect what you create?

DA: Every project you work on kinda feeds your brain, gets you inspired, and gives you ideas for the next time you go into the studio.

What are you guys working on right now?

PC: We’re making a new album. We’re almost done with it. It’ll come out next year. And we’ve been traversing the globe. We were in London in January for a couple weeks. We were in Paris. We’ve been here in L.A. a bunch, working at Easy Eye. We also have our first European run since 2015 in June and July, setting things up for the next record.

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We’ve been doing these things we call record hangs—where Dan and I and some friends deejay 45 vinyl records. We did one last week in L.A., and Beck and Dan the Automator and Natalie Bergman from Wild Belle came out. And we just play 45s for hours. We go until the bar shuts down. The Automator came to the hang and was standing there on stage with us, and he couldn’t control himself. He raided our record boxes and started spinning and did an impromptu 45-minute set, which was insane. When we go to Europe to tour, we’re doing a hang in London. We’re gonna do one in Manchester, Paris, and Hamburg.

What’s the most important advice you’d give to musicians who want to get to where you are?

PC: It all comes down to the amount of work the artist wants to put in. Dan and I have routinely seen people who have insane amounts of talent but don’t do the fucking work. Janet from Sleater-Kinney or Beck can put you onto Radiohead, but you still got a thousand shows to play before someone gives a fuck, really.