The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach Talks New Year's Eve Gig, Grammy Nominations

The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach Talks New Year’s Eve Gig, Grammy Nominations

2012-12-27

Story by Cat Badra

The Black Keys singer and guitarist Dan Auerbach says fans keep the band going strong

The Black Keys are set to play a New Year’s Eve gig in Las Vegas on Monday (Dec. 31), and the concert at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel marks the blues-rock duo’s debut New Year’s Eve show in Vegas. When asked about the upcoming stint, singer and guitarist Dan Auerbach told the Las Vegas Weekly he’s looking forward to the playing with a full band at the show, especially after years and years of performing strictly as a duo.

“It used to be we’d record our songs, and when we went to play them live we’d have to completely deconstruct them to make it work as a two-piece,” he explained. “But now, we bring on a couple of extra musicians, and we can play the songs really close to how we record them, which is fun for us.”

The Blacks Keys recently received an impressive five Grammy nominations, including the highly-coveted nomination for Album of the Year, for “El Camino,” and Record of the Year, for “Lonely Boy.” Aside from his work with the Black Keys, Auerbach is also nominated for Producer of the Year. While he’s honored by all the hoopla, Auerbach says Grammys aren’t what keeps the band going strong.

“A Grammy is really nice, but having lots of fans is really nice, too,” he said. “I think just getting a record out is a success on its own. I remember when we got our first record, how excited we were to just hold it in our hand. That was success.”

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Cat Badra

Meet the expert - Cat Badra is a music writer for Audio Ink Radio and a range of other music, sports and lifestyle publications. She's a graduate of Michigan State University with a master's degree in theater and speech. Contact her at cat@audioinkradio.com.