Dan Auerbach
Dan Auerbach
Daniel Quine "Dan" Auerbachis an American musician and record producer best known as the guitarist and vocalist for The Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. As a member of the band, Auerbach has recorded and co-produced seven studio albums with his bandmate Patrick Carney. In 2009, Auerbach released a solo album entitled Keep It Hid. In addition to winning several Grammy Awards as a member of The Black Keys, Auerbach received the 2013 Grammy Award for Producer...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionGuitarist
Date of Birth14 May 1979
CityAkron, OH
CountryUnited States of America
That culture, of looking at catchy music as a negative thing, is weird. It has nothing to do with me, or the music I was into growing up. The Stones and the Beatles only tried to write hits. Every Motown song, every Credence Clearwater song - they were trying to write hits.
My mum's family would all get together, with guitars, harmonica, mandolins and upright bass and play old blues and folk songs. That was normal to me.
Songs aren't owned by anyone.
I used to be really nervous when I sang. Like, when I was a kid starting young, 18 and 19, and my dad really had to sort of push me to start singing in front of people. Ever since I got out there and really started doing it, the only thing I've ever tried to do is just sort of is be myself, you know, never put on a voice. Sing naturally.
A Grammy is really nice, but having lots of fans is really nice, too. I think just getting a record out is a success on its own.
You get to bring your own sound system when you play an arena, all the lights and visual stuff, which I think is really cool. There's something about those old arenas, where it feels larger than life.
When I'm writing with just an acoustic guitar, it can be for anyone.
You know, there's always someone in mind when I'm writing. You know, it's all comes from somewhere inside.
I'm really not worried about what fans think.
Guitar solos bore the hell out of me. Only a few guitarists interest me, and it's not about the solos they play, it's about the grooves they create.
Everybody always wants to rebel against their parents' music, but nobody listened to music louder than my dad.
Being 16 years old and getting an electric guitar is never going to get old. There's always going to be kids making music. There's always going to be kids in bands.
I'm sure you feel differently about writing than you did when you first started. When you get older and your brain changes, you have to figure out how your job fits into your life as it changes, you know what I mean? I guess everybody goes through that stuff, and I'm no exception, always trying to figure out what I'm doing with music.
I don't make my living making records. Maybe someday I will.