34th & Now

There’s something to be said for doing things your own way or so it would seem based on Akron, Ohio’s two man blues duo, The Black Keys. In an era of digital production, the band has shied away from big name studios and producers in favor of a do-it-yourself recording style—their critically acclaimed debut album Thickfreakness was recorded in 14 hours in a basement using an old 8-track recorder—a trend carried through to their latest album, 2010’s Brothers.

While some fans and critics bash the lo-fi production sound that such recording offers, you’ve got to be doing something right when you can count Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant, and ZZ Top’s legendary guitarist Billy Gibbons among your most avid and outspoken fans. You can catch the duo live through 2011 on their US and European tour.