Client Spotlight: The Black Keys

Client: Alive Natural Sound
Album: The MOan / Have Love Will Travel by The Black Keys
Packaging: Standard 7-inch Record Jacket

Our clients (and neighbors!) Alive Natural Sound Records have been working with DoradoPkg for a number of years on new and re-issued releases. Yet, it took a trip to Chili John’s right here in Burbank for us to realize that cover art for The Black Keys’ 7-inch single, “The Moan / Have Love Will Travel” was photographed right in our own backyard! We spoke with Patrick Boissel from the imprint about the inspiration behind this local album cover, record jackets as art and, of course, chili…

DoradoPkg: What inspired the photo shoot in front of Chili John’s for “The Moan b/w Have Love Will Travel” 7-inch?

Patrick: I thought the vibe of the Chili John’s building would work well with the band. There’s something inherently real about the place, the same way there’s something real about the Black Keys. I took a series of photos, and we shot the trailer for “The Big Come Up” there as well.

Check out the promo trailer HERE.

DPKG: “The Moan” EP cover art doesn’t feature a photo of the band, whereas the single obviously does. The single’s cover art seems very candid and personal. Was that an intentional choice?

Patrick: The CD EP “The Moan” was a follow up to the “The Big Come Up”, it seemed a good idea to link them both in terms of color palette. This said there are two photos of Dan and Pat, from the same Chili John’s photo session, inside and on the back of “The Moan” CD EP.

DPKG: Do you and/or Dan & Patrick actually eat at Chili John’s? Did you shoot the picture on a random lunch day, or was this a predetermined location for the photo?

Patrick: The restaurant is five minutes from our office, we literally just had to walk down the street. The shoot happened during the summer, on a Sunday morning, if I remember correctly. The Black Keys had played their first LA show ever the night before. Chili John’s was closed so they didn’t eat there that day, but I have. The chili is amazing, I highly recommend it.

DPKG: What are some of your favorite album covers and why?

Patrick: The Rolling Stones “Sticky Fingers”, the version with the working zipper. Really clever and fun. Probably Andy Warhol’s best cover for the Stones. Hawkwind “In Search of Space”, by Barney Bubbles, with its poster style layout and beautiful Sci Fi logo. Totally trippy. The Jam “In The City”, designed around Martyn Goddard photography. Perfect in its rock’n'roll simplicity.

DPKG: What role do you think cover art plays in a music fans experience?

Patrick: They give a visual dimension to the music, which is an integral part of the vinyl experience.

Thanks Patrick! For more info on Alive Natural Sound, visit their website: www.alive-totalenergy.com