Why The Black Keys Made a Documentary About Their Rise From Broke Indie Rockers to a Top Band That Didn’t Speak to Each Other for Three Years

variety.com:

William Earl administrator It’d be easy enough for The Black Keys — singer and guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney — to remain in rock star mode at this point in their career.

After all, they’ve reached the top of their craft: radio hits, arena tours, festival headlining slots, and twelve albums. But that vibe doesn’t reflect their modest Ohio upbringing. “The average person might just be familiar with a couple of our hit songs and not know the story,” Carney said. “To be able to have a true document that shows all the work and things that went into that was interesting, so you have to tell the actual story.” The duo shares their tale — warts and all — in the new rock doc “This Is a Film About the Black Keys,” which debuted at SXSW on Monday.

The film traces the band’s origin, starting with two young men brought together by circumstance in the Akron music scene, to a broke touring band that steadily grew a fanbase but couldn’t elevate to the next level.

But the big leagues came calling when the band started inviting collaborators into their insular studio sessions, adding different textures to their bluesy rock.