The Black Keys may be an Ohio act, but the rock duo behind “Tighten Up” has a fondness for classic Minneapolis bowling alleys. The band recently revealed that the cover art for its 12th studio LP, “Ohio Players,” was taken at Bryant-Lake Bowl.
Drummer Patrick Carney, in a video the band posted online, said he and guitarist-vocalist Dan Auerbach came across an old photo of a woman bowling they wanted to use for the album cover.
“We tried to license it, but we couldn’t find the owner so we re-created it,” Carney said.
The band had their tour photographer, Nashville-based Larry Niehues, hire a model to make the picture once more at the Uptown bowling alley.
“Amazing place,” Auerbach said.
Carney added that the image is “a true classic piece of Americana.”
Bryant-Lake Bowl staff say they aren’t sure when the album cover shoot took place. The venue is a popular spot for visual artists to stage their projects, bartender Janel Golden said. The bowling alley went viral in 2021 when it starred in an impressive single-take video shot via drone by Minneapolis-based cinematographer Jay Christensen.
“We’re all very excited to be on the album cover,” Golden said.
