The Raconteurs

Members: Brendan Benson, Patrick Keeler, Jack Lawrence, Jack White

Active: 2005 - present

The Raconteurs are (according to definition) a rock-and-roll supergroup featuring the songwriting Jack White of The White Stripes and Brendan Benson. In their own words, however, they are not a supergroup, asserting that the term implies something pre-planned, when they are actually "a new band made up of old friends."

The full band consists of:

Jack White (of The White Stripes) - vocals, guitars, keyboards

Brendan Benson - vocals, guitars, keyboards

Jack Lawrence (of The Greenhornes and Blanche) - bass guitar

Patrick Keeler (of The Greenhornes) - drums

FORMATION

According to the official website, "The seed was sown in an attic in the middle of a hot summer when friends Jack White and Brendan Benson got together and wrote a song that truly inspired them. This song was "Steady, As She Goes" and the inspiration led to the creation of a full band with the addition of Lawrence and Keeler." The band came together in 2005 and recorded when time allowed for the remainder of the year. Though lacking the sharp themes of the White Stripes, the Raconteurs consistently dress in plaid, their website sports a retro computer theme, and the album and stage set-up revolve around brown, yellow, and khaki colors.

THE FIRST SINGLE

The band's 7" "Steady, As She Goes/Store Bought Bones" was released on January 30, 2006 in the UK. The release was limited to 1000 copies. On March 7 another 1000 copies were released in the USA. Many copies of the 7" have appeared on online shopping websites such as Amazon and eBay at prices of over 40/$60. These songs are also available to be streamed on the band's official website.

The video for "Steady As She Goes", directed by Jim Jarmusch, premiered on MTV2 on March 10, 2006. It is also available for streaming on the band's website.

"STEADY AS SHE GOES" GENERAL RELEASE

A CD version of the single will be on general release on April 24 with the B-side "Bane Rendition".

The original "Steady, As She Goes/Store Bought Bones" 7" will also be given a general release on April 24. Although the record itself will be the same, the artwork will be a mirror version of the original release. The single reached #4 on the UK Singles Chart and #12 on the UK Download Chart.

A second, new 7" record is also being released on April 24. It will feature an acoustic version of "Steady, as She Goes" as well as "Call it a day", taken from their forthcoming new album.

An accoustic version of the song was available in the iTunes music store during the week of May 2 2006, free for anyone who wished to download it.

BROKEN BOY SOLDIER

The Raconteurs' full-length debut, titled Broken Boy Soldiers, was released on May 15, 2006 in the UK and May 16 in the US.

The album was released on via Third Man Recordings/XL Recordings in the UK, and through Third Man Recordings/V2 Records in the US.

A version of Broken Boy Soldiers leaked onto the Internet on April 2nd, more than a month ahead of its release.

THE SABOTEURS

The Raconteurs were forced to rename themselves as "The Saboteurs" for the Australian market when it was discovered that a Queensland band was already using the name "Raconteurs". The Queensland band refused to give up their name for the amount they were offered, and instead tried to extract a higher price from the Raconteurs' record company. A member of the Queensland band has said that they hadn't been informed of who was trying to buy their name and asked for the larger sum of money to see what would happen.

ALBUMS

2006 - Broken Boy Soldier

SINGLES:

2006 - Steady, As She Goes