Give the Drummer some

(Credit: Audio Eagle Records)

As the powerhouse drummer for Ohio blues-rock duo the Black Keys, Patrick Carney already has his work cut out for him. But he's taken on much more, as the indie mogul behind Audio Eagle Records and the architect of Drummer, a group comprised of his  Akron pals from other bands, who all at one point were actually drummers. (In the new band, Carney plays bass.) But it's not really work, in the conventional sense, as the title of Drummer's debut effort "Feel Good Together" instructs.

"My goal for the band is to have fun," a bleary-eyed Carney explained to Metromix by phone, the groggy day after a birthday bash. "Obviously, if everyone literally feels good about doing something with their talent, then it's awesome."

But don't think Carney's side projects have taken away from the band that made him famous in the first place. In fact, the Black Keys are already working on their next album, the follow-up to their excellent 2008 collaboration with Danger Mouse, "Attack and Release."

But Carney is an able multi-tasker, like the rest of his Drummer bandmates, who are moonlighting on different instruments and churning out atmospheric space rock in the process. We talked about that rock, Ohio's underrated musical legacy, and how Sleater-Kinney jinxed his love life.

How's it going, dude? You sound spent.
My dad's 60th b-day was last night, and all of us got tipsy. I drove straight to Akron from New York City for it, so now my eyes look like I just ate a bag of crystal meth.

Excellent! So how long have you known your bandmates in Drummer?
I've known everyone since 1999, except our drummer Greg Boyd, who I met in 2007. He's the youngest, and just moved to Akron. Our guitarists Jamie Stillman and John Finley were in a band from Kent called Harriet the Spy, and are probably three years older than I. When I was 17, Harriet was the band to see in Kent; they were pretty fucking awesome. I went to high school with Steve Clements, our singer and keyboardist, who's in Houseguest.

So what made you decide to form an Ohio supergroup?
I was bored off my ass, and going through a lot of weird personal shit, including a divorce. So it was to get my mind off of that. I called up Steve, and we started talking. We picked our friends who were really talented, and then wrote and recorded from February to June.

How about the music? I saw shoegaze mentioned on your MySpace.
Since Jamie is capable of shredding the guitar, early discussion about the music involved keeping the shredding to a minimum. We wanted as much space in the music as to possible, but to also make it dense as fuck. I'm a huge fan of Pavement and early Modest Mouse. We're all into My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins, and Dead Can Dance, as well as stoner and blues rock.

The title "Feel Good Together" seems instructive.
My goal for the band is to have fun. Obviously, if everyone literally feels good about doing something with their talent, then it's awesome. I think we'll make another record, without a doubt. But I like to set goals that are reasonable: For this band, our goal was to have a record out this fall. I knew it would be the only time for a year where I would have an open schedule, because my priority is completely with the Keys.

So if Drummer needed a new bass player?
I would have no ill will. I'm pretty fortunate to be in a band that's successful. Then again, if Drummer had success and I couldn't be a part of it, that would be fucked up! [Laughs]

The disc is out on your label, Audio Eagle. Is it a family affair?
Definitely. I started it in 2005, and bled money into it while not making any at all. But it's there to put out music from friends and people I really like. It's hard to get a leg up in Ohio.

Ohio is an underrated musical hotspot.
There are tons of great bands from Ohio, like the Breeders and the Heartless Bastards. Akron also has a rich musical history. Cleveland's claim to fame is the Raspberries, Pere Ubu, and Electric Eel. But for being one-fifth its size, Akron has Devo and Chrissie Hynde. Akron has that Midwestern sarcasm, but there's no pretension. It's hard to be pretentious in a place where you cannot go out and buy an American Apparel shirt. Even the coolest kids in Akron can't have a fucking attitude when they're wearing hand-me-downs.

So what's up with the Keys? The last album was incredible.
We haven't toured that much, but it's been our busiest year, because of our separate projects. But we're recording the new album, which should be out in April. I think it is, without a doubt, our best work.

Now for the silly question: Who's Drummer's favorite drummer?
That would have to be John Bonham, but it's a compromise. Because the amount of time I have spent thinking about that question is unreasonable. There are some drummers who, for me, are more influential, like Jeremiah Green from Modest Mouse, who's my favorite drummer of the last 15 years. He plays deep in the pocket, but fast and always in the groove. His drums aren't just backbeat, but part of the music. Any drummer like that guy deserves major props. I remember when the "Interstate 8" EP came out; my mind was fucking blown. John McEntire from Tortoise is awesome too.

How about Janet Weiss from Sleater-Kinney, who the Black Keys opened for long ago? You remind me of her.
Just watching Janet play used to make me feel so bad. I went to go see Sleater-Kinney in 1999, when I was 19, and they were giving out condoms onstage. The first time I had sex with my girlfriend, who became my wife, was with Sleater-Kinney's condom. And now we're divorcing. It's all Sleater-Kinney's fault. Their condom jinxed my life!