The Arcs are an American

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

band formed by

Dan Auerbach Daniel Quine Auerbach (; born May 14, 1979) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer, best known as the guitarist and vocalist of The Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. As a member of the group, Auerbach has ...

, the

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

and

vocalist Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

the Black Keys The Black Keys are an American rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums). The duo began as an independent act, recording music in basements and self-producing their ...

. The band consists of Auerbach,

Leon Michels Leon Marcus Michels is an American music producer, record executive, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist best known as the leader of the eclectic soul project El Michels Affair and co-founder of Truth & Soul Records and Big Crown Records. H ...

, Nick Movshon,

Homer Steinweiss Homer Steinweiss is an American drummer, songwriter, and producer known as a prominent drummer in the New York soul revival scene. He is a founding member and drummer of groups including Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Lee Fields & The Expression ...

, and formerly Richard Swift, who died in 2018. They released their debut album ''

Yours, Dreamily, ''Yours, Dreamily,'' is the debut album by The Arcs, a side-project by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. The album was released on September 4, 2015. Recording The album originated as an Auerbach solo project but morphed into a collaborative effor ...

'' in 2015. Their second album, '' Electrophonic Chronic'', was released in January 2023.

History

Auerbach announced this side project after performing on the Governors Ball in 2015. The group's first album, ''

'' was released on September 4, 2015. Members include

, Nick Movshon,

, and Richard Swift, along with contributions from

Kenny Vaughan Kenneth Vaughan is an American guitarist. He is best known as a long-time member of Marty Stuart’s supporting band, The Fabulous Superlatives. Career Early life Vaughan was born in Oklahoma, but raised in Denver, Colorado. His guitar instru ...

and Flor de Toloache. The Arcs performed at the 2016

Coachella Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert ...

along with Wayhome and Osheaga. Swift died in July 2018. A second album was first announced by the band while touring in 2015 but failed to materialize. On October 13, 2022, the band announced their second studio album, '' Electrophonic Chronic'', which was released on January 27, 2023, through Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound label. The announcement coincided the release of the album's lead single, "Keep on Dreamin'". The album features the band's full original lineup, including Swift. It was recorded primarily before Swift's death, at Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville,

Electric Lady Studios Electric Lady Studios is a recording studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. It was commissioned by rock musician Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and designed by architect John Storyk and audio engineer Eddie Kramer by 1970. Hendrix spent only ten we ...

in Manhattan, and Michels' Diamond Mine studio in Queens, New York. It was co-produced by Auerbach and Michels. In the album's press release, Auerbach said, "This new record is all about honoring Swift. It's a way for us to say goodbye to him, by revisiting him playing and laughing, singing. It was heavy at times, but I think it was really helpful to do it."

Members

Current members *

– lead vocals, electric guitar (2015–present) *

–

farfisa organ Farfisa (Fabbriche Riunite di Fisarmoniche) is a manufacturer of electronics based in Osimo, Italy, founded in 1946. The company manufactured a series of compact electronic organs in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Compact, FAST, Professiona ...

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

, electric guitar, drum pads (2015–present) * Nick Movshon – bass guitar (2015–present) *

– drums,

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

, bass guitar (2015–present) Former members * Richard Swift – drums, percussion, keyboards, drum pads, backing vocals (2015–2018; his death) Contributors * Flor de Toloache – lead vocals, backing vocals, trumpet, violin,

vihuela The vihuela () is a 15th-century fretted plucked Spanish string instrument, shaped like a guitar (figure-of-eight form offering strength and portability) but tuned like a lute. It was used in 15th- and 16th-century Spain as the equivalent of t ...

– baritone guitar, electric guitar

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

Music videos

* Outta My Mind * Put a Flower in Your Pocket * Keep on Dreamin'

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arcs American garage rock groups American indie rock groups Musical groups established in 2015 2015 establishments in the United States Nonesuch Records artists Warner Records artists