SXSW: Dan Auerbach Rules!!

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Thursday, March 19, 2009

Music / Culture

SXSW: Dan Auerbach Rules!!

Posted By Jamie Gadette on March 19, 2009, 12:28 AM

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Question: Is Dan Auerbach as good live as he is on his solo album Keep It Hid?

Answer: Mind. Too. Blown. To. Respond.

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But seriously. As one half of The Black Keys, Auerbach definitely knows how to bring it onstage, but before tonight I wasn't sure he'd capture the same spark that ignites each of the duo's insanely heavy, blunt-force blues shows. And while the absence of drummer Patrick Carney is apparent on the album the void helps maintain a distinction between the two projects. For his official SXSW 2009 appearance, Auerbach performed with his current backing band Hacienda who also took the stage for their own showcase slot later in the evening. It took about 40 minutes for the stage crew to load in a slew of instruments for the gig: bongos, two sets of drums, two organs/synths, several guitars, bass, pedals galore ... and not a single one was under or overused during the show. Tearing through lively numbers off his debut (surely an early contender for the #1 album of '09), he proved that practice and workaholicism absolutely pays off. Don't miss Auerbach when he rejoins Carney in SLC this summer for the Twilight Concert Series!

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