Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney of The Black Keys have been announced as keynote speakers at South By Southwest (SXSW) this year. Their speaking engagement comes with the premiere of Jeff Dupre’s feature length documentary This is a Film About The Black Keys.
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The film follows Auerbach and Carney’s early career to the present day, from two guys making music together in Akron, Ohio, to playing some of the biggest stages in the world.
“The impact of artists has made music the foundation of SXSW,” said Hugh Forrest, chief programming officer and co-president of SXSW, in a statement per a report from Billboard. “For this reason, we’re especially excited to welcome Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney of The Black Keys, one of the most compelling rock bands around, to the Keynote Speaker lineup for a discussion on their prolific career.”
According to the report, other keynote speakers include Jane Fonda, Dwayne Wade, Elijah Wood, and Twitch CEO Dan Clancy. More speakers and panels will be announced by the festival, but current panels include “The Transformation of Music Sync: When the Songwriter Becomes the Screenwriter,” and “Death of the Follower & the Future of Creativity on the Web.”
The Black Keys to be Keynote Speakers at SXSW, Plus They’re Set to Release a New Album This Year
Recently, The Black Keys released a single from their newly announced album. The song, titled “Beautiful People (Stay High),” dropped on January 12, while the new album, Ohio Players, is due out April 5.
Auerbach and Carney have been working with songwriters like Beck and Dan the Automator, as well as producers Greg Kurstin and Noel Gallagher on the new album. According to Carney, who spoke with NME last year, “We’re working with a lot of people and the vibe of the record is fun.”
He continued, “It’s reflective of our DJ nights in a way, it’s a big Saturday night party record. We just had people come through the studio and throw a little bit of special sauce at each song.”
Although the band is working with some collaborators, Carney made sure to note that he and Auerbach still have creative control. “There are just so many different collaborations but there’s a thread through it with Dan and I filtering everything.” He concluded, “It just feels really f—ing amazing.”
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