The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach Announces Solo Debut, Tour Dates

The Black Keys' guitarist Dan Auerbach has announced his solo debut, Keep It Hid, will come out February 10th on Nonesuch. Auerbach steps outside his comfort zone, tackling drums, keyboards and six-strings on the disc, which is a bit of a family affair — his uncle James Quine contributes guitar to "Street Walkin," and his father originally wrote "Whispered Words." "This record is a mixture of things I like to listen to, psychedelia, soul music, country harmonies," Auerbach says in a statement. He worked on the album while recording and touring behind the Keys' Danger Mouse-produced Attack & Release, ultimately recording at his Akron Analog studio. "I wanted a live, organic sound," he adds. "Nothing was too plotted or planned, just a lot of spontaneity."

February 28 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
March 1 - Boston, MA @ Paradise
March 2 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
March 3 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
March 5 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
March 6 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
March 7 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
March 10 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
March 11 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
March 13 - San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo's
March 14 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre

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Song Stories

“I'm Yours”

Jason Mraz | 2008

Jason Mraz re-emerged after his disappointing second album with this lead single, a Jack Johnson-esque ditty about giving yourself fully to someone else. The success of the reggae-tinged song (it earned two Grammy nods and a spot on the Billboard singles chart for well over a year) was something the folk-pop singer never predicted when he wrote it in 15 minutes at home. "I played a happy-hippie chord progression that would probably work without 50 different Bob Marley songs," he told Rolling Stone. "I thought, 'It's too novelty. This is a nursery rhyme,'" concluding that "you can never guess what's gonna be a hit."

More Song Stories entries »

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