The Black Keys new album, El Camino, released December 6 on Nonesuch Records, debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200. The duo is currently featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine for the first time (January 19 issue). In celebration of the release, embarks on the first leg of their North American tour this March, featuring sold-out shows at Chicagos United Center, DCs Verizon Center, and two nights at New Yorks Madison Square Garden followed by a second batch of April dates, including shows at Austins Frank Erwin Center and Seattles Key Arena. Special guests Arctic Monkeys open on the tour. Concert ticket and album packages are available at the bands site. The Black Keys are teaming up with Tickets-for-Charity to offer fans access to some of the best seats in the house. Proceeds will benefit Community Support Services in Akron, OH and W.O. Smith Music School in Nashville, TN.

In anticipation of the release, the duo recently joined Steve Buscemi on the December 2 episode of Saturday Night Live. This was the bands second time in 2011 as musical guests on the show, a rare distinction, says Rolling Stone. Other recent television appearances include The Colbert Report and the Late Show with David Letterman. Produced by Danger Mouse and The Black Keys, El Camino was recorded in the bands new hometown of Nashville during the spring of 2011. In advance of the release, the albums first single, Lonely Boy, was released in October, to acclaim from fans and press; the song climbed the radio charts rapidly and is currently #1 on the AAA chart and has spent six weeks at #1 on the Alternative chart. It also has entered the top 10 at Rock radio. Additionally, the accompanying video has been viewed nearly six million times on YouTube.

Describing the sound of the album, drummer Patrick Carney tells Rolling Stone, Every record, we figure out the mood and stick with that. With Brothers, we were listening to a lot of hip-hop and old R&B and drawing from that. This is the first record weve made where its all rock & roll. And in an interview with Spin Magazine Auerbach says, Ive never been into guitar solos. I really like when every instrument in the band is a rhythm instrument. This record has a lot of that going onguitar, bass, drums, and keyboards all working together as a rhythm instrument. But unlike Brothers, which has more of these slower songs with an open feeling, [the new LP] is definitely fast.

El Camino follows the most successful two years in The Black Keys career. In May 2010 they released their breakthrough album, Brothers. It won three Grammy Awards and an MTV Video Music Award, and topped numerous year-end lists. Brothers, which included the hit singles Tighten Up and Howlin for You, has been certified Gold in the U.S. and U.K., and Platinum in Canada. U.S. sales are nearly one million and counting.