The Black Keys Announce World Tour of America
THE BLACK KEYS ANNOUNCE WORLD TOUR OF AMERICA
PLAYING SHOWS IN ATHENS, GA, ST PETERSBURG, FL, AND OXFORD, MS
ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP WITH SAVE THE MUSIC TO SUPPORT
MUSIC EDUCATION IN HILL COUNTRY MISSISSIPPI SCHOOLS
DELTA KREAM OUT NOW
Today, The Black Keys (“America’s Most Trusted Band” -Stephen Colbert) announce their World Tour of America. The band will perform three intimate shows in Oxford, MS, Athens, GA, and St Petersburg, FL, surrounding their performance at Pilgrimage Fest in Tennessee. A portion of each set at these intimate shows will consist of songs from the band’s new album, Delta Kream, which features eleven Mississippi hill country blues songs by artists including R. L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough. Patrick Carney said of these dates, which the band hopes to make a tradition: “Dan and I have joked about doing a tour of American cities named after other cities in the world since we were touring together in a van. It feels like now is as good a time as any and we are excited to play in some places we haven’t played since the early days of the band and for fans that have not had a chance to see us in a while.” Tickets for these dates will go on sale here on Friday, July 23 at 10am Local Time. Members of the Lonely Boys and Girls Club will have access to pre-sale tickets.
Photo by Joshua Black Wilkins
The Black Keys have also announced that they will partner with the Save The Music Foundation to support elementary and middle school music programs in Mississippi—starting with Holly Springs. Fans can participate in a sweepstakes to win a once-in-a-lifetime experience with the band, with 100% of the proceeds going towards music education grants in seven schools across Mississippi. Every Save The Music school commits to having music for at least ten years, and most of the programs last far beyond that. The band shares about the program: “We’ve teamed up with Save The Music – a national non-profit dedicated to building school music programs – and a group of local Mississippi partners to contribute instruments and teacher support to schools in the Hill Country. The goal is to grow music programs across the state, starting this coming school year with Holly Springs.” Fans can view sweepstakes details and participate at: https://www.propeller.la/theblackkeys
Every Save The Music school commits to having music for at least ten years, and most of the programs last far beyond that. The band shares about the program: “We’ve teamed up with Save The Music – a national non-profit dedicated to building school music programs - and a group of local Mississippi partners to contribute instruments and teacher support to schools in the Hill Country. The goal is to grow music programs across the state, starting this coming school year with Holly Springs.”
The Black Keys’ tenth studio album, Delta Kream, was released on May 14, 2021 and recorded at Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville. The album takes its name from William Eggleston’s iconic Mississippi photograph that is on its cover. Delta Kream is available for purchase on all formats here.
CRITICAL PRAISE FOR DELTA KREAM
“By spending the time playing the blues that’s buried deep in their soul, the Black Keys reveal how far they’vegone in a space of 20 years...”
-Pitchfork
“[Delta Kream] finds Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney doing what they do best, riding a smoky electric bluesgroove that gives Auerbach plenty of space to wrangle some emotion out of his guitar.”
-Stereogum
“A tribute to the roots and blues music they were raised on, featuring some of its most formative play- ers … a slow-rolling swagger through a bygone era, gilded by the band’s own faithful imitations … a living history lesson, too.”
-Entertainment Weekly
“Stellar… an exciting foray into Hill Country blues combined with The Black Keys’ signature garage rock sound.”
-Consequence of Sound
“Thick, swampy sonics created by the four players as they weave these licks together with the intensity and sheer love of the music that clearly runs through their veins… if enough Keys fans are encouraged to explore the originals, this project will have accomplished its mission.”
-No Depression
“The Keys have streamlined some great blues songs into sleek, rock-leaning jams.”
-Rolling Stone
“Their mastery of the unmathematical Hill Country style oozes here from every groove. Their back-to- our-roots arc is hardly new, but this music is timeless, alive, and about as good as it gets.”
-MOJO
“Recorded with former RL Burnside guitarist Kenny Brown and bassist Eric Deaton, this revisits raw and mesmerising RL Burnside and Junior Kimbrough ’juke’ numbers ... you completely understand how the simple groove and ringing of the strings might act as a revivifying tonic.”
-Uncut
Formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001, The Black Keys, who have been called “rock royalty” by the Associated Press and “one of the best rock ‘n’ roll bands on the planet” by Uncut, are guitarist/singer Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney. Cutting their teeth playing small clubs, the band have gone on to sell out arena tours and have released nine previous studio albums: their debut The Big Come Up (2002), followed by Thickfreakness (2003) and Rubber Factory (2004), along with their releases on Nonesuch Records, Magic Potion (2006), Attack & Release (2008), Brothers (2010), El Camino (2011), Turn Blue (2014) and, most recently, “Let’s Rock” (2019), plus and a tenth anniversary edition of Brothers (2020). The band has won six Grammy Awards and a BRIT and headlined festivals in North America, South America, Mexico, Australia, and Europe.
THE BLACK KEYS WORLD TOUR OF AMERICA
9/20 Athens, GA – The Classic Center
9/21 St Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live
9/23 Oxford, MS – The Lyric
For more information, please contact Mary Moyer (mary@qprime.com) or Emilio Herce (emilio@qprime.com) at Q Prime, 212.302.9790.
For international inqueries, please contact Matthew Rankin (matthew.rankin@nonesuch.com) at Nonesuch Records, +44 207 938 5552.