Black Keys

Much like the White Stripes, the Black Keys started out as a guitar-drums duo marked by a heavy blues influence, but managed to grow on successive albums, avoiding the very real danger of becoming trapped by their original concept. "El Camino" finds them at risk of becoming trapped by their current one. The Black Keys take care to echo the flagship singles from last year's Grammy-festooned "Brothers": "Mind Eraser" recalls "Tighten Up" without the sparks and "Gold on the Ceiling" has the same stomp-and-swing as "Howlin' for You. " The deadlocked, Stereolab-Flaming Lips bass line groove of "Stop Stop" adds a hint of...

►Today is Sunday, April 15, the 106th day of 2012. There are 260 days left in the year. ►Today's birthdays: Actor Michael Ansara is 90. Country singer Roy Clark is 79. Author Jeffrey Archer is 72. Rock singer-guitarist Dave Edmunds is 68. Actor Michael Tucci is 66. Actress Lois Chiles is 65. Writer-producer Linda Bloodworth-Thomason is 65. Actress Amy Wright is 62. Columnist Heloise is 61. Actress Emma Thompson is 53. Bluegrass musician Jeff...

Right in the middle of the first song, "Howlin' for You," when the guitar riffs caromed off the heavy crash of drums, the unthinkable came to mind: The Black Keys weren't always this big. Not their songs, their popularity, or even their stage presence. At the TD Garden last night, where more than 14,000 roaring fans sold out the house, it was clear singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney have shed their indie status; they're newly crowned superstars. Now a decade into their career, it's hard to imagine why it took so long.

"Locked Down" works on two levels. It's Dr. John's new album, but it's also a sly homage to the classic records he's been making since the late 1960s. His latest is the closest he has come to making a masterpiece in a very long time. As is often the case, it took new blood to rattle his cage and coax some inspired performances from the good doctor, whose given name is Mac Rebennack. Dan Auerbach, the Black Keys guitarist and singer, produced and played on "Locked Down. " His approach to recording Dr. John obviously came from a place of respect but also curiosity.

TD Garden GM Hugh Lombardi presented Dan Auerbach (no relation to legendary Celtics coach Red Auerbach, as far as we know) and Patrick Carney of the Black Keys with a banner before their sold-out concert on Wednesday night. This was the first banner presentation to an act passing through and something the folks at the Garden hope to turn into a tradition - the Garden does lay claim to the most championship banners of any arena in the US, after all. The guys from Van Halen will get theirs when they come to town on Sunday.

The sun had finally, suitably, set when Black Keys singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach strode onstage Saturday and greeted the sold-out crowd with the quintessential query of a seasoned rocker: “How you feelin’ tonight!?’’ Without waiting for an answer, Auerbach bowed deeply into the hard, humid chords of “Thickfreakness,’’ the dinosaur-heavy title track from his group’s 2003 album, and the Bank of America Pavilion seemed to become instantly electric, totally alive. Right on cue, drummer Patrick Carney commenced to match those chords...

Now that the Black Keys have graduated to arena status, singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach jokes that he and drummer Patrick Carney have become divas, and are looking forward to putting the Coachella grounds on "lockdown" next month - like Eminem allegedly did at Bonnaroo a few years back. "It was awesome," Auerbach recalls with a laugh of the rapper's reportedly extensive security measures. "I wasn't allowed to go to my dressing room because Eminem was somewhere around. " It seems highly unlikely that the hard-working duo, who come to TD Garden...

"Locked Down" works on two levels. It's Dr. John's new album, but it's also a sly homage to the classic records he's been making since the late 1960s. His latest is the closest he has come to making a masterpiece in a very long time. As is often the case, it took new blood to rattle his cage and coax some inspired performances from the good doctor, whose given name is Mac Rebennack. Dan Auerbach, the Black Keys guitarist and singer, produced and played on "Locked Down. " His approach to recording Dr. John obviously came from a place of respect but also curiosity.

We hear MTV Hive Live will kick off its first Boston show March 25 at Brighton Music Hall, featuring Cleveland indie rockers Cloud Nothings. As with the MTV Hive Live in NYC series at Webster Hall - which has featured the Black Keys, the National, Sleigh Bells, and Theophilus London - the concert will be live-streamed for audiences far and wide. Also bringing the high-profile project to fruition: Crossroads Concerts and Fenway Recording Sessions. A Classic Education and the Dirty Dishes will also be on the bill.

"Let It Burn" marks the first time in her career that Ruthie Foster has laid down her guitar to focus her efforts entirely on her singing. She has some fearsome accompaniment in doing so: the Blind Boys of Alabama, soul legend William Bell, members of the Funky Meters, and Hammond B3 jockey extraordinaire Ike Stubblefield. The church is never far from Foster's vocals, and even though the predominant sound here is a blues shot through with organ and echoing slide guitar, she seems closer to gospel than ever, especially on the tracks that feature the combined vocal...

We hear MTV Hive Live will kick off its first Boston show March 25 at Brighton Music Hall, featuring Cleveland indie rockers Cloud Nothings. As with the MTV Hive Live in NYC series at Webster Hall - which has featured the Black Keys, the National, Sleigh Bells, and Theophilus London - the concert will be live-streamed for audiences far and wide. Also bringing the high-profile project to fruition: Crossroads Concerts and Fenway Recording Sessions. A Classic Education and the Dirty Dishes will also be on the bill.

TD Garden GM Hugh Lombardi presented Dan Auerbach (no relation to legendary Celtics coach Red Auerbach, as far as we know) and Patrick Carney of the Black Keys with a banner before their sold-out concert on Wednesday night. This was the first banner presentation to an act passing through and something the folks at the Garden hope to turn into a tradition - the Garden does lay claim to the most championship banners of any arena in the US, after all. The guys from Van Halen will get theirs when they come to town on Sunday.

Right in the middle of the first song, "Howlin' for You," when the guitar riffs caromed off the heavy crash of drums, the unthinkable came to mind: The Black Keys weren't always this big. Not their songs, their popularity, or even their stage presence. At the TD Garden last night, where more than 14,000 roaring fans sold out the house, it was clear singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney have shed their indie status; they're newly crowned superstars. Now a decade into their career, it's hard to imagine why it took so long.

Now that the Black Keys have graduated to arena status, singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach jokes that he and drummer Patrick Carney have become divas, and are looking forward to putting the Coachella grounds on "lockdown" next month - like Eminem allegedly did at Bonnaroo a few years back. "It was awesome," Auerbach recalls with a laugh of the rapper's reportedly extensive security measures. "I wasn't allowed to go to my dressing room because Eminem was somewhere around. " It seems highly unlikely that the hard-working duo, who come to TD Garden on Wednesday, will be...

The eclectic mix of The Black Keys, Skrillex and Mac Miller lead nominees for the 2012 mtvU Woodie Awards. All are up for top honor Woodie of the year along with Frank Ocean, Foster the People and J Cole. Awards will be handed out for emerging artists, performance and video. MTV added a category for electronic dance music this year, too. The awards show will take place March 15 in Austin, Texas, during the South By Southwest Music Festival. The day begins at 2 p.m. EST with the first Woodie Awards Festival, then the show starts at 9 p.m. Fans can watch...

"Let It Burn" marks the first time in her career that Ruthie Foster has laid down her guitar to focus her efforts entirely on her singing. She has some fearsome accompaniment in doing so: the Blind Boys of Alabama, soul legend William Bell, members of the Funky Meters, and Hammond B3 jockey extraordinaire Ike Stubblefield. The church is never far from Foster's vocals, and even though the predominant sound here is a blues shot through with organ and echoing slide guitar, she seems closer to gospel than ever, especially on the tracks that feature the combined vocal power of the Blind Boys (the a cappella...

Pop The Jonas Brothers Lines, Vines and Trying Times Hollywood ESSENTIAL “Black Keys’’ The Jonas Brothers’ latest album, “Lines, Vines and Trying Times,’’ strains to propel the boys out of the candied world of pop-rock. Even the CD cover shows them posing with expressions of jaded sophistication, decked out in muted taupe and sensible khaki. On “Lines, Vines and Trying Times,’’ the brothers flex their writerly muscles with mostly self-penned lyrics and music.

For 10 years, the Kills have made the most out of the fewest components necessary for rock 'n' roll - meaning, in the Kills' case, a vocalist, a guitarist, and an attitude. The duo formed in London after a chance hotel encounter between a multitalented Englishman in his early 30s with a knack for nasty, blues-rock riffs, and a decade-younger American woman who could wail to match. On the duo's striking 2002 debut EP, "Black Rooster," the sound barely added up to a one-person-band, with a drum machine completing the package.

The more a band defies category, the more we seem to want to pigeonhole it. Call it the curse of feeling at home in more than a single genre. Coyote Kolb has that burden. Led by Chadley Kolb, a redheaded stranger who looks like he was born on the road and has been living out of a suitcase ever since, the local quintet veers woozily on the outskirts of American roots music. There's no rhyme or reason to why the group might remind you of the Allman Brothers Band one minute (those beards certainly factor in)