The Black Keys kicked off their trans-Canadian summer tour with sold-out shows in Vancouver and Calgary. There are several more sold-out Canadian dates to follow in the coming weeks, plus a few select shows in the US. Band mates Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney are "in top shape," says the Vancouver Sun of Monday's tour launch. "The Black Keys are a better band than they've ever been ... Auerbach and Carney just nailed it." Vancouver's Straight calls it "a blistering, glorious motherf*cker of a set."

The Black Keys kick off their trans-Canadian summer tour with a sold-out show outside Vancouver tonight and several more sold-out Canadian dates to follow, plus a few select shows in the States. “Canada loves The Black Keys,” exclaims the Vancouver Sun. Dan Auerbach tells the Toronto Sun: “I’m really excited. We’ve got sort of a big set up, bigger than we’ve ever had.” Following their recent MuchMusic Video Awards performance, the Vancouver Sun proclaimed their set the best of the night, calling the band a “refreshing change of pace.” Check out the video of how tonight's tour poster was made.

Among the more memorable moments of this weekend's Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival were sets from The Black Keys, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Wanda Jackson, and The Low Anthem. Whether performing on the festival’s largest What Stage, or in one of three intimate festival tents, Nonesuch artists conquered the infamous Bonnaroo dust and heat to deliver noteworthy performances. Among the highlights was what Rolling Stone called a "supersized and stunning" main-stage debut from The Black Keys, "the perfect soundtrack as the sun was setting.”

The 10th Annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival gets under way in Manchester, Tennessee, tomorrow and runs through the weekend, with performances from a number of artists familiar to readers of the Nonesuch Journal: Jessica Lea Mayfield, The Low Anthem, Wanda Jackson, Sara Watkins, The Black Keys, Dan Auerbach, and Allen Toussaint. In addition, Nonesuch has teamed up with Relix magazine and the Bonnaroo Beacon, the official daily newspaper of the festival, to offer two very special contests to Bonnaroo attendees.

The Black Keys' album Brothers was released one year ago today on Nonesuch Records, launching an unforgettable year for the band that included multiple Grammy wins, earned them a Gold Record, and landed them on countless year-end best lists. In honor of the album's one-year anniversary, the band is offering 20% off all orders in The Black Keys store at blackkeys.com; use the code BROTHERS at checkout. While there, enter to win the mustaches worn by Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney in the video for "Howlin' for You," signed by the guys. For the best visual on the mustaches, watch the video here.

The Black Keys have been nominated for three Billboard Music Awards: Top Alternative Artist and Top Rock Album and Top Alternative Album for their album Brothers. The guys are back on the road, performing at the Mesa Amphitheatre tonight. They play the first of several upcoming festival headlining appearances at Coachella tomorrow, which will be webcast live on YouTube. Additional upcoming performances include headlining sets at The Hangout Festival, Summerfest, Bonnaroo, and Outside Lands. Check out a behind-the-scenes look at their unforgettable "Howlin' for You" video here.

The Black Keys have added another date to their summer tour schedule unveiled earlier this week: as a part of Summerfest 2011, the band will headline  at the Marcus Amphitheater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 6, along with touring partners Cage the Elephant and special guest Florence + the Machine. Tickets go on sale March 5. Fan pre-sale for the June and July shows announced this past Tuesday began yesterday through MusicToday.com. Public on sale for those is either tomorrow or Saturday.

The Black Keys, fresh off their multiple Grammy Awards wins for the album Brothers, have announced plans for a summer tour of the US and Canada. The band will be joined for most of the dates by special guests Cage the Elephant and, for the first date in June, by Booker T. Jones, Nicole Atkins & The Black Sea. Fan pre-sale for the newly announced shows starts this Wednesday.

The 2011 Bonnaroo festival lineup has been announced, and among the performers at this year's gathering will be The Black Keys, The Low Anthem, Wanda Jackson, and Jessica Lea Mayfield. The festival will take place June 9 through 12 in Manchester, Tennessee; tickets go on sale this Saturday, February 19, at 12 EST.

The Black Keys walked away from last night's Grammy Awards ceremonies with several awards for their album Brothers, including Best Alternative Music Album. The Plain Dealer exclaims: "It's official: The Black Keys are good as gold." The love continues as they spend their Valentine's Day on Conan, tonight. Also on tonight's show: Justin Bieber. The Black Keys were on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Friday, performing "Howlin' for You"; watch it here.

Congratulations to the Nonesuch artists who were presented with Grammy Awards at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, held Sunday, February 13, in Los Angeles: The Black Keys, Carolina Chocolate Drops, and World Circuit / Nonesuch Records artists Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté. Together, these artists' 2010 releases garnered a total of six awards.

The trailer for Howlin' for You, directed by Chris Marrs Piliero and featuring music by The Black Keys, which premiered on IMDB yesterday, seems to have gotten some notice. Pitchfork calls it "hilariously awesome," this "trailer for a so-bad-it's-insanely-good action film." They're not alone. "It's campy, it's cheesy and it's full of violence," says Billboard. "This is certainly a release we're howlin' for." Watch the trailer here. The Black Keys will be on The Tonight Show tonight; their album Brothers, on which "Howlin' for You" appears, is up for six Grammys on Sunday. They spoke about that with KROQ yesterday.