ContestsEvents

ICYMI: Patrick Carney, Michelle Branch Are Engaged

There’s happy news in Black Keys world these days.  Drummer Patrick Carney is engaged to marry fellow musician Michelle Branch, proposing to her recently on Sunday (July 2), her 35th…

LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 15: Singer-songwriter Michelle Branch and musician Patrick Carney of The Black Keys attend Universal Music Group 2016 Grammy After Party presented by American Airlines and Citi at The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown LA on February 15, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.

Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images

There's happy news in Black Keys world these days. 

Drummer Patrick Carney is engaged to marry fellow musician Michelle Branch, proposing to her recently on Sunday (July 2), her 35th birthday. Branch posted a photo of her engagement ring on Instagram with the message, "I had nothing left to wish for. 34 might be the best year yet."

Carney and Branch met when he signed on to co-produce her latest album, Hopeless Romantic, which came out earlier this year. It will be Carney's third marriage, while Branch was previously married and has an 11-year-old daughter.

The Black Keys have been on hiatus since 2015 and Carney tells us that fans can probably expect some changes when he and partner Dan Auerbach reconvene to make new music:

"It's a risky endeavor 'cause a lot of times it fails miserably. A lot of times you listen to the band's catalog, the latter end of the catalog; It's so drastically different from the beginning...I'd like our next record to be something, y'know...I don't want to go somewhere too pre-planned. We always wanna go somewhere different...I think it keeps it interesting for the musician. The hard part is trying to keep the fans engaged  in the process."

Gary Graff is an award-winning music journalist who not only covers music but has written books on Bob Seger, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen.

Erica Banas is a news blogger who's been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she's ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C'mon now!) She's also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights