“Sometimes it's easier to understand things than it is to figure them out.”
– Casey Stengel
Today is the birthday of Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. You may not recognize either name. That's okay. The Black Keys formed in Akron, Ohio around 2001. Auerbach teamed up with his childhood friend Patrick Carney to form their two-man band, Auerbach on guitar and Carney on drums.
I got into them when their second album came out in 2003. I liked that just two guys could make such a heavy noise. I did some reading up on them at the time. I thought it was funny that when they were first trying to get some gigs, they mowed yards in the day to make survival money since not much was coming in from the music. I read that my favorite bluesman, R.L. Burnside was one of Auerbach's influences, so that made sense for why I dug their sound.
Over the last 25 years they've been a respected outfit. They've released 14 albums and won awards like Grammys and such. Auerbach's also made a name for himself as a producer of other people's music. Carney married Michelle Branch. Given that he's not a particularly handsome man, it seems like he did okay.
Auerbach was born in Wooster, Ohio. I knew a girl from there. He turns 47 today. Rock on.