Black Keys’ Auerbach to Go Solo

Dan Auerbach, one half of rock duo the Black Keys, has just announced his intention to record a solo record. The album, called Keep It Hid, is the first solo project for the vocalist/guitarist and should not be taken as a permanent step away from the Black Keys as much as it is a temporary creative outlet for Auerbach.

Dan Auerbach, one half of rock duo the Black Keys, has just announced his intention to record a solo record. The album, called Keep It Hid, is the first solo project for the vocalist/guitarist and should not be taken as a permanent step away from the Black Keys as much as it is a temporary creative outlet for Auerbach.

“I write songs for the Black Keys, so some of them sound like they could be Black Keys songs,” Auerbach tells Billboard.com. “But some songs are just acoustic guitar. There’s some real dark tunes and some psychedelic rumbas. It’s all that stuff I grew up playing — all those bluegrass harmonies. I experimented a little bit with instrumentation.”

In addition to material that strays from the Black Keys roots and covers a wide variety of genres, Keep It Hid will feature collaborations with Auerbach’s father (Chuck Auerbach), uncle (James Quine), and fellow artist Jessica Lea Mayfield. A solo tour will allow for even more creative freedom, with Auerbach playing “anything [he] feel[s] like playing.”

Keep It Hid hits shelves February 10, with Auerbach’s solo tour beginning on February 28 with Texas natives Hacienda as support.

Still need some more Auerbach in your life? A live Black Keys DVD, Live at Crystal Ballroom, was released yesterday.