We have very few rules here at Music Video Monday. The number of videos submitted over the years which we have rejected can be counted on one hand. There was one which depicted the band tying up a woman and beating her with a baseball bat. We noped out of that one right quick. Another rejected video was hosted on PornHub. While we are not prudes (We’re the Memphis Flyer, after all), we could not see our way clear to feature that much nudity.
The one hard and fast rule we have for MVM is that either the musical artist or the filmmaker must be from Memphis. But we’re making an exception today, because the video is just that good. The Black Keys‘ Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney are originally from Akron, Ohio, but their current home base is in Nashville. The garage rock duo’s sound is rooted in the Delta blues and raucous garage rock, both of which Memphis has deep connections to. They’re currently prepping a new album Peaches for release in early May.
For the first single off the new record is a cover of the classic R&B rave up “You Got To Lose” by Earl Hooker, a Chicago Bluesman originally from Quitman County, Mississippi. The song has a long and illustrious history, being covered by everyone from Ike Turner to George Thurgood and the Destroyers. The Keys find the groove and ride it all the way down.
For the video, the Keys hopped in the van and made the three hour drive to the 901, where they tore the roof off Hernando’s Hideaway and spun records at Earnestine & Hazel’s. Director E.J. McLeavey-Fisher and cinematographer Alex Palumbo captured the action for posterity. You can see cameos from Memphians like JB Boyd and Boo Mitchell. The Keys ain’t from Memphis, but this video shows they understand what makes us great.
If you would like to see your music video featured on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com.