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Live review: Dan Auerbach
Dan Auerbach’s regular gig, the Black Keys, has been called garage blues rock by so many music journalists that he’s had to clarify in interviews that the band doesn’t consider itself a blues act. He’s even gone so far as to suggest that his band mate, drummer Patrick Carney, has something of a dislike for the genre.
Which makes one wonder if he struck out on his own, with this year’s solo LP “Keep It Hid,” to show the world just what an Auerbach-led blues band would actually sound like. Taking to the Austin Ventures stage with backing band the Fast Five — better known as San Antonio rockers Hacienda — Auerbach delivered a brilliantly realized 45 minutes of hard-edged, full-bodied blues rock.
With the lovelorn “I Want Some More” — in the finest blues tradition, the first of what would be many songs about women and the pain they can cause — Auerbach employed his sharp-as-a-razor voice and virtuoso guitar playing for a powerfully gritty opener. And “Whispered Words” demonstrated that Auerbach keenly understands the power of tension and release in blues, with its frequent start-stop solos and dramatic pauses.
Backing Hacienda more than kept pace, really strutting their stuff on occasional hook-heavy rockers like “My Last Mistake.” Even with the considerably loud dance mashup of Girl Talk drifting over to the Austin Ventures stage, Auerbach kept it loud, fast and fierce, with an intense performance that provided a perfect cap to a long, grimy day.
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Permalink | | Categories: ACL 2009: Sunday, ACL Festival 2009
