It has been an incredible trip for our family to have followed Patrick's career the last nine years or so. It was around this time in 2001 that he and Dan were making demo tapes for the band that they had
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| Patrick Carney playing drums for Black Keys |
When their first record came out in the spring of 2002, we saw our first Black Keys show at the Tavern at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland. I think there may have been 25 people there.
Since then, we have seen them play across America and one show in England. We have seen them play in Los Angeles, New York City, New Haven, CT, Boston, Indianapolis, Detroit and San Francisco. In the early days they often played at The Lime Spider in downtown Akron. They have played the Akron Civic Theater and E.J. Thomas Performance Hall.
Lately, they have been performing before 4,000 to 5,000 a night.
The UK show was special. Katie and her father, Paul, and I traveled to England together. She was born there and came to Columbus with her family at six months of age. We visited her aunt and her Dad's cousin while in England and then headed for the Black Keys show. It was a BBC Radio One show in Brighton in October 2003. Legendary BBC DJ John Peel announced all the acts at the show and was a huge fan of the band. They made three or four appearances on his show for what are called Peel Sessions and I think the fact that Peel dug the band was a huge factor in their success in England and in Australia early on. Peel died a year after the show.
This spring and summer we saw five shows in New York City, including a benefit they did for a non-profit housing organization and as opening act for Pearl Jam at Madison Square Garden. In July they played at SummerStage at Central Park on two nights and then did a late night show at a club called Terminal 5 the same night as their last show at Central Park,
The experience has really been a family affair because Michael, 28, my youngest son, has done the majority of their art work on all their records, including the inside booklets as well as designed most of their T-shirts and done concert posters. He was especially happy with the concept for the Brothers record. Here is a link to the band's web site Band
Michael is a grad of Firestone High School's Visual and Performing Arts School and of Columbus College of Art and Design. He currently works as a graphic designer for American Eagle Outfitter in NYC. He lives in Brooklyn.
Plus the concerts have been a great way for our family to spend a lot of time together.
Pat moved to NYC in 2009 but moved to Nashville, TN, this month. Dan has already moved there. Their managers and lots of record label people and music industry folks are there. Pat bought a house there. Nashville has always been a huge music town and Katie and I are hoping to escape for a long weekend down before Thanksgiving.
His touring this year will continue in late October and into November with another few weeks in Europe. There are a few other shows before the holidays, two gigs in Chicago around New Year’s and two and a half weeks in Australia in January and then a few more weeks in March in Europe again.
Here is a link to the tour section of their Web Site Tour
The schedule is grueling but Pat is looking for some time off in 2011, although I think they are going to make another record in the spring.
They are set to be on Austin City Limits on PBS in late January.
Patrick always played guitar. He started taking lessons and experimenting with it in sixth grade or so. A few years later he began recording music and had picked up a drum kit in a trade of a cool Fender 60s baby blue guitar he purchased from a BJ classified ad for the drums and a few other guitars. In high school, there was a lot of noise coming from the basement as his bands played there. There was also lots of drumming noise of him just beating the hell out of the drums, which is what he still does. Dan lived around the corner from us and that is how they met each other.
They had been jamming together for quite a while, usually later afternoons, when they decided to make a go of it with the band.
The first time I heard the tape of their first session and the music that they were going to send out to record labels, I was blown away and I am not blown away by music easily. It was amazing. Katie felt the same thing.
Patrick, 30, is still as sweet as many of you remember from when I would bring him and his brothers into the office as little boys and fill them up with Blue Room pops and candy.
My oldest son, Will, 33, lives in Peninsula and is the superintendent of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway, where he started volunteering while in middle school. He worked as a railroad engineer and later as a safety trainer for about twelve years after high school on a variety of railroads in Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania before taking the job in the Valley a few years ago.
-- Jim Carney
The band will begin its European tour Oct. 27 in Ireland. The concert is sold out, as they usually are. Other tour events:
Wed, 10/27/2010 Dublin, Ireland Tripod - SOLD OUT
Thu, 10/28/2010 Glasgow, Scotland Academy
Sat, 10/30/2010 Newcastle, UK Academy
Sun, 10/31/2010 Leeds, UK Academy
Tue, 11/02/2010 London, UK O2 Academy Brixton
Wed, 11/03/2010 London, UK O2 Academy Brixton
Thu, 11/04/2010 Nottingham, UK Rock City
Sat, 11/06/2010 Liverpool, UK Academy
Sun, 11/07/2010 Bournemouth, UK Academy
Tue, 11/09/2010 Paris, France Le Bataclan
Wed, 11/10/2010 Tilburg, Holland 013 (Dommelsch Zaal) - SOLD OUT
Thu, 11/11/2010 Groningen, Holland Oosterpoort
Sat, 11/13/2010 Weissenhauser Strand, Germany Rolling Stone Weekender Festival
Sun, 11/14/2010 Luxembourg, Luxembourg den Atelier
Mon, 11/15/2010 Brussels, Belgium AB Club - SOLD OUT
Fri, 12/03/2010 Jacksonville, FL Met Park
Sun, 12/05/2010 Tampa, FL 97X Next Big Thing: 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre
Fri, 12/31/2010 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom - SOLD OUT
Sat, 01/01/2011 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom
Fri, 01/21/2011 Auckland, NZ Mt Smart Stadium
Sun, 01/23/2011 Gold Coast, AU Parklands
Wed, 01/26/2011 Sydney, AU Showground
Sun, 01/30/2011 Melbourne, AU Flemington Racecourse
Fri, 02/04/2011 Adelaide, AU Showground
Sun, 02/06/2011 Perth, AU Claremont Showground
Tue, 03/15/2011 Paris, France Olympia
Click on the headline for photos of The Black Keys band.
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