State of The Arcs: Dan Auerbach Talks New Band, Old Feud

On Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7:15 p.m. PT/10:15 p.m. ET, Yahoo Live will live stream the Arcs' show from NYC's Bowery Ballroom. Tune in HERE to watch!

The Black Keys are arguably one of the biggest rock bands on the planet (although Jack White, who notoriously criticized the band for having a similar bluesy sound, might have a thing or two to say about that -- but more on that later). So why would Dan Auerbach, frontman of the renowned duo, want to launch a new project under the unfamiliar moniker the Arcs?

Although most of the world only learned about the Arcs when they recently announced the September release of their debut album, Yours, Dreamily, it turns out that the band, comprised of Auerbach and renowned session musicians Leon Michels, Richard Swift, Homer Steinweiss, and Nick Movshon, has been making music together for several years. 

“The guys in the Arcs are some of my oldest friends… this is my crew," says Auerbach. "These are my best friends and guys that I’ve made records with over the years in some formation for Dr. John, Ray Lamontagne, Lana Del Rey, and a bunch of other things no one’s heard of. We’d been making songs for years and never released them. We’d just make songs when we had free time, put them on the computer and share them with each other, and that was it."

Auerbach’s humility and low-key approach are refreshing, as is the fact that he has largely refrained from commenting on an ongoing feud between the above-mentioned Jack White and the Black Keys. White famously accused the Ohio duo of ripping off the blues-rock sound of his former band the White Stripes; the row recently went another round when Auerbach’s Black Keys bandmate Patrick Carney had it out with White on Twitter, alleging that White tried to start a fight with him in a bar and hurling insults that he’s a “40-year-old bully” and tweeting, “Jack white is basically billy corgan’s dumb ass zero t-shirt in human form.” (Carney and White later tweeted that they'd patched things up and were "cool" with each other.)

The Zen-like Auerbach classily doesn't take a swing at White in this interview, but he admits: “It’s so tempting with all the goodies that I know, but I’m just not gonna do it. I’ve been so busy and focused on making music.”

And now, back to the music. While the Black Keys made a name for themselves with their stripped-down, Mississippi Delta-style blues-rock, the Arcs boast a fuller sound with occasional synths, some pop flourishes, and a dash of Latin culture thrown in for good measure, with a few tunes featuring New York’s all-female Mariachi band Flor de Toloache.

The singer/guitarist admits that it was a slightly risky proposition to put out music that didn't prominently bear his name. "This is an unknown and since I’m not using my name, radio stations are hesitant to back it,” Auerbach admits. “It’s kind of in a way like starting over, even though there’s a great head start.”

While his other band's notoriety will undoubtedly attract Black Keys fans and curious listeners, Auerbach is very adamant that this is not a side-project and that it’s very much its own entity. “I’ve never called it a side-project," he says. "I’ve been really adamant that none of our publicists say ‘side-project,’ but some journalists take the liberty of putting that label on it.”

While Auerbach has definitely hit his stride with the Black Keys, who are accustomed to playing massive arenas and major festival crowds and have several Grammy Awards under their belt, he welcomes the challenge of starting smaller, mixing things up and working with artists who can teach him a thing or two.

“Working with these guys who can run laps around me, it’s the ultimate challenge,” he says. “We each excel at something and when we make songs together, we’re all producing. These musicians can show me up any day of the week.”

As for Carney's take on his bandmate's other project, he's been very supportive. “He’s got a radio show on Sirius and he’s been playing some of the Arcs' music,” says Auerbach. “He texted me the other day that he really digs it. That’s the way it should be.”

The Arcs have only played a couple of live gigs to date, and they’re excited to kick off a run of live shows starting at New York’s Bowery Ballroom on Sept. 26. “This’ll be our first official ticketed, open-to-the-public show,” Auerbach notes. “It’ll be the first time the Arcs have played with a PA system. I’m excited to be playing this s--- for real.”