Black Keys' Carney Talks Ike Turner/Danger Mouse Collaboration, Radiohead, Audio Eagle
"I know that Jonny Greenwood really likes guitars. So maybe that's it: there are guitars in our band."

Patrick Carney's 2006 included a tour with Radiohead, a new label, and a new record. And that was just on the Black Keys side of things. Between all of that and the Keys' other touring, Carney still found time to work on his own label, Audio Eagle Records.

On May 15, Audio Eagle will put out its second and third releases: Houseguest's High Strangeness and Beaten Awake's Let's Get Simplified. The former band is from the Black Keys' hometown of Akron, Ohio, and the latter is from Kent.

We caught up with the drumming half of the Black Keys recently to talk about the scene in northern Ohio, his own musical history, his love-hate relationship with Norah Jones, his hate-hate relationship with the National League, and what this year holds for his label and the Black Keys, including a collaboration with Ike Turner and Danger Mouse.

Pitchfork: What is with the slogans under the Audio Eagle Records logo on the Houseguest and Beaten Awake CDs? There are two different slogans. One is "True Catsup" and the other is "Seriously Folks."

Patrick Carney: When me and my brother laid out the records, we decided that we would put a different slogan on each of the records. Those were the only two that we could think of, and they are really fucking stupid.

Pitchfork: Where did they come from?

PC: I don't know. It was pretty much the stupidest things we could think of. I think the one on the next record is going to say "We Live to Kill." There's an exterminator in Akron [and] I think that's their motto, so I think we'll steal that one.

Pitchfork: Does that record have a release or even a band attached to it?

PC: [It's] a band called the Royal Bangs from Knoxville, Tennessee.

Pitchfork: So you're not planning on keeping Audio Eagle strictly local to Ohio?

PC: No, the first three bands are from Ohio. And that's mainly because they're the first three bands that I thought of when I thought about putting out records. The ones I see the most. I think all labels should focus on their base. Every city has a bunch of bands that are really good, but nobody will put out their records for whatever reason. I know from experience it's hard to convince a label to put out a record when you're in a band that no one has ever heard of.

Pitchfork: Is that what got you into running a label? Are you friends with these guys?

PC: Yeah, I'm friends with all the guys in the bands, but also, I was a fan of all of the previous bands that these guys have been in since they were like 14.

Pitchfork: Any high-profile bands?

PC: Some of the guys were in Party Helicopters. A couple of the guys were in a band called Harriet the Spy. They were a pretty popular hardcore band. And then some of those guys were in a band called The Man I Fell in Love With, which is like the Steely Dan of Kent from 1995. And it's probably one of the coolest records that has ever been made in Ohio, but no one's ever heard it.

Pitchfork: What's it called?

PC: The record was called the Dis Yourself EP. It's really pop, kind of like an indie rock, unpretentious My Bloody Valentine kind of thing... is how I would describe it.

Pitchfork: You think My Bloody Valentine are kind of pretentious?

PC: Yeah, yeah I do.

Pitchfork: Do you still like them?

PC: Yeah, I do. I like it when bands are pretentious, as long as I don't know them. It's more believable if it was a band that existed before, or in a different country.

Pitchfork: As long as you don't have to deal with all the egos, then it's okay?

PC: Exactly.

Pitchfork: So Houseguest and Beaten Awake are not pretentious?

PC: No. They also don't have cool haircuts.

Pitchfork: Is that a trade off? Do you have to be pretentious to have a cool haircut?

PC: Well, I don't know. That band the Horrors, for instance-- I think that's embarrassing. Their music is pretty good, I guess. But you know when you're 20 years old and you move out of your parents' house and you get a weird haircut? And when you go back and look at those pictures when you're 26, you feel a little bit embarrassed. Kind of like when you wake up in the morning after you've been drinking, and you realize that you sounded like an asshole all night long.

Pitchfork: Yeah, everyone goes through that, but these guys are doing it more in public.

PC: Yeah, exactly. [MORE...]

Photos: The Faint [Omaha, NE; 03/11/07]

Photos by Paparazzi by Appointment

The Faint previewed a bunch of those new songs they've been talking about at a private tour kick-off party at Omaha's Waiting Room Lounge last night. Only 100 special guests received golden tickets for the event, and from the looks of it, this was a psychedelic, sweat-soaked, multimedia bonanza. Catch Saddle Creek's glammiest as they prepare to invade SXSW this week.






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Sufjan Interviews My Brightest Diamond
Shara Worden on Madonna: "She is a queen with a iron fist and honey for hips."

Photos by Denny Renshaw (left) and Matt Wignall (right)

Sufjan's journalistic coup continues! This week our bard slacked off on his 50 States Project by interviewing bandmate and My Brightest Diamond sorceress Shara Worden as part of Asthmatic Kitty's "Half-Week of My Brightest Diamond" (yes, it's officially a trend now).

Sufjan-- who recently reviewed a MBD gig, along with other dabblings in the written word-- talked My Brightest Diamond's just-released remix disc Tear It Down with Shara, who declared, "Genre is a bit overrated, so I like the concept of taking these tunes out of the indie rock world and letting them breathe in a different context." We can dig it.

Mr. Stevens also waxes philosophical about the essence of remixing and whether his own tunes are suited to such a treatment. Survey says...not so much. "I've never embarked on this before," wrote Sufjan, "and I have the feeling my songs don't lend themselves to remixing." Shara thinks otherwise, and the two basically geek out about remixes and music and clubbing(!) for a few more paragraphs. Plus Shara calls Madonna "a queen with a iron fist and honey for hips." It's cute. Read the whole thing here.

While you're around, check out the wacky video for Gold Chains' remix of "Freak Out", some rare/early/live MBD cuts on Asthmatic's AKRadio, and Shara's list of her favorite "electronicish" records, which includes Peter Gabriel, Four Tet, the Books, Pierre Boulez, and, yes, Throbbing Gristle.

My Brightest Diamond hits the road with the Decemberists later this month, following a couple SXSW engagements. [MORE...]

Photos: Jon Brion [Chicago, IL; 03/09/07]

Photos by Steppenwolf's James Geneske
Steppenwolf review by Rob Mitchum
Hideout review by Joshua Klein

Steppenwolf's lobby walls are adorned with pictures of actors that have graduated from Chicago's theater scene to Hollywood success, people like Gary Sinise, John Malkovich, and Frasier's dad. So it's only fitting that the theater would host a rare visit from Jon Brion, Los Angeles' human hub of film and music. Sporting a thick beard and dressed in a light-gray pinstripe suit, Brion looked like an overcast Wayne Coyne as he ran from instrument to instrument on the Steppenwolf stage, accompanied only by his beleaguered roadie Sammie.

Some technical problems marred the set, most notably in the electric guitar sound, but Brion rolled with the punches, using the unintentionally-muted sound for an on-the-spot mashup of "Lithium" and "Don't Think Twice It's Alright", and cranking out refreshingly uncluttered guitar solos (complete with accompanying interpretative dance). One thrill of Brion's sets is observing the recording process in microcosm, as he spontaneously constructs songs on multiple instruments with extensive looping, like the piano string percussion of "Same Thing" or the White Album-inspired version of "You Don't Know What Love Is". Mostly, it's just astounding to be in the presence of someone with such unbelievable musical talent-- did I mention the impromptu ragtime-piano cover of "Back in Black"?-- particularly since it's cut with enough pop-music loyalty to avoid being merely a technical ability showoff.

Two nights later Brion played the tiny Hideout, a more down-to-earth spot than the stately Steppenwolf, where the gleefully manic multi-instrumentalist went nuts for nearly three hours, giving the small crowd an even better glimpse of what the inside of his brain must be like. A Bee Gees medley followed by most of side two of Brian Eno's Here Come the Warm Jets? "Life on Mars?" and "More Than This"? "The Boys are Back in Town" played on eight-string ukulele? Pure pop genius, with added points for Brion remembering all the words to Leonard Cohen's "Famous Blue Raincoat" and big upping Randy Newman and Willie Nelson. The trainspotters went bonkers trying to stump the savant, but Brion always stayed one step ahead.

JON BRION at STEPPENWOLF



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Avey Tare Talks Pullhair Rubeye, Animal Collective
"It's almost something we didn't have a hand in...It's this music that was just there."

Photo by Sue Christy

One fateful night in December 2006, Avey Tare and Kría Brekkan decided to do something crazy. They had just seen David Lynch's three-hour mindfuck Inland Empire and found themselves holed up in a New York apartment after a blizzard foiled holiday travel plans. They had a reel of new recordings lying around. An air of whimsy had descended on the evening. And what happened next just might blow your feeble mind.

They decided to play their recordings...backwards.

Okay, so not exactly revolutionary. Still, not many musicians take backwards recordings a step further. Not many make a whole album out of them. Indeed, those backwards versions have become Pullhair Rubeye, Avey and Kría's previously reported Paw Tracks debut that has the message boards abuzz-- nevermind that it doesn't technically come out until April 24. (This is the age of internet, after all.) Most of the discussion, meanwhile, can be summarized with a single question: Is this a joke?

According to Avey Tare, it's no such thing. "There's not really anything behind it or anything," he told Pitchfork recently. "We're not trying to mess around with peoples' heads or play a prank or anything like that."

In fact, Avey Tare (known to the IRS as David Portner) and Kría Brekkan (known to rock journalists as former Múm member Kristin Anna Valtysdóttir) happen to like the backwards versions.

"We just got really into it, and decided to focus on that as a release."

Avey is ready for the obvious rebuke to his and Kría's approach. "I think some people would criticize and say, 'You could flip around any music'-- like a Garth Brooks record, and you know, it's just going to sound like Garth Brooks backwards, or equally as crappy or whatever.

"But I think to us, the songs have a looser, organic feel anyway that doesn't have a lot of A-B-A-B structure. So in a way it does work backwards, just because it doesn't lock into...these tight drum sounds or tight guitar chords."

Plus there's an enticing element of fate at work. "That's [part] of why we liked [it] backwards, because it's almost something we didn't have a hand in, in a way. It's this music that was just there without us planning out so much, kind of this freeform thing that was happening. So that was appealing." [MORE...]

Sub Pop Launches New Label, Hardly Art

Sub Pop founder Jonathan Poneman has started a new label called Hardly Art, presumably taking its name from the lyrics to the Thermals' "No Culture Icons". Or, as we'd prefer to believe, former Pitchfork staffer (and current Vibe editor) Sean Fennessey's blog.

Hardly Art will run out of the same Seattle office as Sub Pop, with former Sub Pop publicist Sarah Moody at the helm. Sub Pop and the Alternative Distribution Alliance will handle distribution for the label.

Hardly Art's first signing is Seattle-based duo Arthur & Yu, the stage aliases for occasional Jimmy Tamborello collaborators Grant Olsen and Sonya Westcott. They will release In Camera, their debut for the label, on June 19. [MORE...]

Exclusive: Polyphonic Spree's Army Finally Marches
Band signs to TVT Records

It's been a long journey since the Polyphonic Spree's last release, but the Dallas collective have finally settled on a battle plan for their third album. It's called The Fragile Army, a nickname the group received from Mike Mills, director of 2005 indie flick Thumbsucker, which the band scored.

"We have entered a new phase in our musical contribution," says frontman Tim DeLaughter in a press release, and indeed, the Spree have undergone quite the makeover for their new record, which hits stores sometime in June via the group's new home, TVT Records. Yes, the Polyphonic Spree are labelmates with the Ying Yang Twins. Finally!

Details and tracklist after the fold. [MORE...]

Clientele Reveal LP Details, Tour With Beach House

Cue the fanfare: the Clientele have revealed the details behind their new national anthem, aka their third full-length proper, God Save the Clientele.

Merge will deliver the 14-track set, which follows up 2005's wonderful Strange Geometry, on May 8. As previously reported, God Save features production from Lambchop's Marky Nevers, more string arrangements from Louis Philippe, and violin and keyboard contributions from the Clientele's newest member, Mel Draisey.

"It's a lot more cheerful," Clientele frontman Alasdair MacLean told Pitchfork back in December. "It's an upbeat record, a fun record. Whereas the other records were very neurotic and depressed, I think."

The Clientele take the newfound good cheer to North American venues this spring as they embark on a lengthy May tour with another Pitchfork favorite, Beach House. [MORE...]

Brightblack Morning Light Respond to Tucson Incident

Photo by Magic Andy McLeod

Last Wednesday, as previously reported, Matador Records duo Brightblack Morning Light played Tucson, Arizona's Club Congress. The gig ultimately "went off without a hitch," according to a Matador representative, however, it was in jeopardy for a few moments as, in the words of Matador's blog, "at least one venue owner took considerable umbrage at what he thought to be BBML's insistence that servicemen and women be barred from attending their show."

This misunderstanding, as reported, arose from a poorly-worded clause from the band's tour rider. "No U.S. Military entities in any form allowed within the event," read the original rider, intended to reflect Brightblack's request for no military recruitment at the performance-- a common stance among indie bands, shared by TV on the Radio, among others.

The club sought clarification. "On the day of the show," wrote Brightblack's Nabob Shineywater in an e-mail to Pitchfork, "they asked if we were opposed to military recruitment at music venues and we said 'Yes.' Then they asked if we allowed soldiers to our shows, and we said, 'Yes.'" The band also amended its tour rider to read, "We do not support military recruitment for the US Government's soldiers being held on site of where we are conjuring up music."

The story should have ended right there, but some person of high intelligence decided to leak the old, mis-worded rider onto the internet, that bastion of good sense and civilized discourse. A couple blogs picked up the story, some people said some mean things, and a few curmudgeons vowed to boycott a band they'd have never heard of otherwise. People are funny like that.

"I played Club Congress a few years ago with Bonnie Prince Billy & Neil Hamburger & Faun Fables," wrote Shineywater. "The place had a different vibe back then. I don't like the place really, we probably won't visit there again."

Once again, the moral of the story is get off the internet and go do something constructive, people! (Says the guy writing for a webzine.)

Shineywater further explained his stance on the Matador blog. "It is my belief that the US military itself has always been a tool of genocide, beginning with Native Americans. I believe that this war is blood for oil, not blood for democracy. With that knowledge, the US Military should accept that it has been misled, as the polls show as the majority opinion among US citizens. That's why we don't support any recruitment for the US Military. We do support impeachment of the current President, who was falsely elected."

As previously noted, Matador and Brightblack wish to offset carbon emissions from the band's "turr", which continues in Denton next month. For every purchase made from Matador's webstore, the label will buy 50 pounds of carbon dioxide offset from Terrapass, with a goal of ultimately making up for the 30,000 pounds Brightblack's turr is expected to generate. [MORE...]

T.V. Eye: March 12-18, 2007

Pitchfork's T.V. Picks for This Week:

Monday, March 12:

CBS: "Late Show With David Letterman": Amy Winehouse
NBC: "Late Night With Conan O'Brien": Dr. Dog

Tuesday, March 13:

NBC: "Late Night With Conan O'Brien": Mary Weiss
CBS: "Late Show With David Letterman": The Good, The Bad, and the Queen

Wednesday, March 14:

PBS: "Tavis Smiley": Chris Brown, Common (rerun)
NBC: "Late Night With Conan O'Brien": The Shins
NBC: "Last Call With Carson Daly": Peter Bjorn & John

Thursday, March 15:

NBC: "Last Call With Carson Daly": Grizzly Bear

Friday, March 16:

NBC: "Last Call With Carson Daly": Deerhoof

Saturday, March 17:

NBC: "Saturday Night Live": Snow Patrol

Pitchfork Music Festival Tickets on Sale Now!

Let the games begin! Tickets are ON SALE NOW for the 2007 Pitchfork Music Festival, taking place July 13-15 at Union Park in Chicago! So head on over to Ticketweb ASAP, because this is our biggest year ever, and you don't want to get shut out.

In case you missed it, on Friday we announced that the fest has been expanded to three days, thanks to a partnership with All Tomorrow's Parties' "Don't Look Back" series, which features music legends performing their seminal albums live in their entireties. Friday night, July 13, will be the series' North American premiere.

On Saturday, July 14 and Sunday, July 15, the fun continues with performances from Cat Power, Clipse, Of Montreal, Iron and Wine, Girl Talk, Jamie Lidell, Grizzly Bear, Professor Murder, Ken Vandermark's Powerhouse Sound, and many, MANY more to be announced.

Click fast, because three-day passes-- which cost only $45-- are extremely limited. A Saturday/Sunday pass runs you $35, while Saturday or Sunday individual passes go for $25. Friday's only $15.

Keep up on all the latest festival news and details by bookmarking the Pitchfork Music Festival webpage and by tuning into the Pitchfork Music Festival podcast.

And if you're in Austin for SXSW this week, don't forget to swing by the Pitchfork Music Festival/Windish Agency party at Emo's and Emo's Jr. on Friday, March 16 from noon to six p.m. Festival artist Girl Talk will be there, along with Peter Bjorn & John, Do Make Say Think, the Pipettes, the Ponys, Rjd2, Menomena, Deerhunter, Simian Mobile Disco, Fujiya & Miyagi, Beach House, Marnie Stern, and Crystal Castles.

!!! Announce North American Dates

!!! are in the midst of taking Myth Takes on the road to the far-off reaches of Australia, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands.

But now they've been kind enough to extend their travels to North American shores for a post-Coachella month of shows, after which they'll break before hitting a few European festivals. !!! play tonight in Melbourne.

And be sure to check out the band's bananas new website, where everything is in threes (just like the band name!) [MORE...]

Do you have a news tip for us? Anything crazy happen at a show you attended recently? Do you have inside info on the bands we cover? Is one of your favorite artists (that's not somebody you know personally) releasing a new record you'd like to see covered? You will remain completely anonymous, unless we are given your express permission to reveal your identity. (Please note that publicists, managers, booking agents, and other artist representatives are generally exempt from this rule, but will also be granted anonymity if requested.)