The Black Keys, “Ohio Players.” Dan Auerbach and Pat Carney reportedly found inspiration for their 12th Black Keys album by DJing small gatherings. The concept was pretty simple: The two would spin their favorite 45 RPM singles in clubs for fans. Then they looked to bring that style of…

Jon Muq, courtesy Larry Niehues For Ugandan musician and songwriter Jon Muq, “flying away” carries hopeful connotations. The title of his debut album, Flying Away is the story of a young man from a village, learning English and music by listening to old records—starting with a CD of “We Are…

The Black Keys, “Dropout Boogie.” Few bands have the keen ability to tap into the spirit of rock and roll quite like The Black Keys. Ten albums strong, the Akron duo has reliably blended blues-infused rock with a healthy serving of funk, soul and pop. Following a detour through…

Bristol, U.K.-born singer Yola had big plans: shows, festivals and even a film role—all dashed by the pandemic. But through isolation came clarity and awakening, she planted the seeds of songs that would become the foundation of her sophomore album. The pause provided a reset for the singer who…

It may take a couple songs to appreciate The Black Keys’ new record, Delta Kream, a tribute to the Mississippi Hill Country blues influences they wrangled a couple decades ago to become household names in roots rock. Delta Kream The Black Keys Easy Eye Sound/Nonesuch, May 14 6/10 It seems…

The Black Keys perform on the “Let’s Rock” tour at Chase Center in San Francisco on Nov. 20, 2019. Photos: Steve Carlson. SAN FRANCISCO — Few rock bands today can fill an arena with the mere promise of riffs and catchy choruses. Yet that’s exactly what the Black Keys did…

Photos: Karen Goldman SAN FRANCISCO — It became clear at Dan Auerbach‘s show at the Fillmore on Thursday, the second of two sold-out gigs, that the Black Keys’ guitarist was at some point in his life fascinated by the revue tours of the ’50s and ’60s. Touting not only his…

Every week there’s a plethora of new music at our fingertips. Artists on platforms like Spotify and Bandcamp are plentiful, and the radio offers a steady deluge of new singles, but who has time to sort through all that? RIFF does! We’ve pooled our resources to find some of…