Black Lips

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Black Lips
The Black Lips in concert, SXSW 2007
The Black Lips in concert, SXSW 2007
Background information
Origin Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Genre(s) Garage Punk, noise rock
Instrument(s) Vocals, guitar, bass, drums
Years active 2000 — present
Label(s) Bomp! Records
In the Red Records
Rob's House Records
Vice Records
Members
Cole Alexander
Jared Swilley
Ian St. Pé
Joe Bradley
Former members
Ben Eberbaugh
Jack Hines

The Black Lips are a self-described "flower punk" band from Atlanta, Georgia.

Contents

[edit] History

While still teenagers, they formed in 2000 after guitarist Cole Alexander and bassist Jared Swilley left the Renegades, and guitarist Ben Eberbaugh left the Reruns. Drummer Joe Bradley joined a few months later. They released their first 7" in late 2001/early 2002 on their own Die Slaughterhauslabel.

Just days before a tour was to begin in December 2002, Ben Eberbaugh was driving a car that was struck by a drunk driver going the wrong way on a highway. He was killed but the band carried on, believing that Eberbaugh would want them to continue [1].

The band's debut full length album, Black Lips! was released on Bomp! Records in 2003. Eberbaugh was replaced by Jack Hines, a friend of the band members, and they recorded their second studio album, We Did Not Know The Forest Spirit Made The Flowers Grow, with him. Hines too was eventually replaced by current guitarist, and former Renegades member, Ian St. Pé, in 2004.

The Black Lips have a reputation for crazy live shows that have included vomiting, urinating, nudity, band members kissing, fireworks, and a chicken. The frequency of the group's outrageous stage antics has declined, as they claim to have matured "a little bit". They have slowly built a fanbase that appreciates their energy and style that is a rough mishmash of blues, rock, doo-wop, country, and punk.

They gained national attention in 2006 with features in Spin and Rolling Stone magazines. The band got exposure in the New York Times for being the hardest working band during the 2007 South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, in which they played a dozen shows over a three-day period.

Their debut for Vice Records, Los Valienties Del Mundo Nuevo, was released in February 2007. It is supposed to have been recorded at a bar in Tijuana, Mexico, but fans, musicians, and journalists have speculated that some or most of it was recorded in a studio with John Reis. The band has denied these claims, but critics cite noticeable differences in reverb and tape and crowd noise.

In September 2007 their most recent album entitled Good Bad Not Evil was released. The Black Lips made their American national television debut in October 2007 on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and played "O Katrina".

[edit] Future plans

The band has songs from recording sessions prior to signing with Vice, and those songs will comprise an album that will eventually be released [2] by In The Red Records.

The Black Lips are going to star in a film called Let It Be. A trailer can be viewed here. [3] They will play musicians in a fictitious 1980s era DIY band called The Renegades. The movie was set for production in the summer of 2008 but has since been postponed [4].

The group have a featured role in the upcoming documentary We Fun: Atlanta, GA Inside Out. The title was coined by Jared Swilley on the band's blog.

Volume six of Brendan Canty's Burn To Shine series includes a performance by the Black Lips. There is no release date set for this DVD.

During the Summer of 2008, the band plans to record songs for a new studio album, which they anticipate being released at the end of 2008 or beginning of 2009.

The band is currently touring with The Raconteurs.

[edit] Side projects

Cole, Jared and Joe also play in a synth-punk band called The Spooks, along with members of Deerhunter and The Kiwis. The Spooks recorded songs for an album in 2004, but those songs were scrapped and the album was re-recorded. The delay in releasing the album has become comical, but it will one day be put out on the Die Slaughterhaus label.

Ian plays in a garage punk band called The Original Three. There is a full length record out on Empty records and singles out on SYA records (Italy) and Savage records (Sweden).

Jared plays in a band called The Gaye Blades. Rob's House Records has released two 7"s by the group.

Cole released solo material under the name Old King Cole Younger. There is one split 10" release of his material on Rob's House Records that features Bradford Cox of Deerhunter, under the name of Atlas Sound, on the other side.

Joe (and possibly other band members) is involved in a rap group called Incoqnekro. Songs have been recorded for an album, tenatively titled Incoqnekronomicon, to be released on Die Slaughterhaus.

[edit] Band members

[edit] Current

  • Cole Alexander - Vocals man, guitar
  • Jared Swilley - Vocals, bass guitar
  • Joe Bradley - Vocals, drums
  • Ian St. Pé - Guitar (from 2004)

[edit] Former members

  • Jack Hines - Guitar (2002-2004)
  • Ben Eberbaugh (deceased) - Guitar (2000 - 2002)

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] Live albums

[edit] Singles

  • "Ain't Comin' Back" 7" - 2002 (Die Slaughterhaus Records)
  • "Freakout" 7" - 2002 (The Electric Human Project)
  • "Ain't Comin' Back" 7" - 2003 (Munster Records)
  • "Live at the Jam Club" 7" - 2004 (Shake Your Ass Records)
  • "Does She Want" 7" - 2005 (Slovenly Records)
  • "In and Out" 7" - 2005 (Slovenly Records)
  • "Born to Be a Man" 7" - 2005 (Varmint Records)
  • "Party at Rob's House" 7" - 2006 (Rob's House Records)
  • "Born to Be a Man" 7" - 2006 Re-release with different cover (Bachelor Records)
  • "Not a Problem" 7" - 2007 (Vice Records UK)
  • "Cold Hands" 7" - 2007 (Vice Records UK)
  • "O Katrina!" 7" - 2007 (Vice Records UK)
  • "Veni Vidi Vici" 7" - 2007 (Vice Records UK)
  • "O Katrina! Australian Tour" 7" - 2007 (Juvenile Records)
  • "Bad Kids / Leroy Faster" 7" - 2008 (Vice Records UK)
  • "Michael Major / Is Is Awesome" 7" - 2008 (Vice Records UK)

[edit] Splits

  • "Black Stereo/Dirt Mono" - 2006 tour single with The Dirtbombs (Cass Records)
  • "What To Do/Factory Girl" - single with the Demon's Claws (Norton Records)
  • "Christmas in Baghdad/Plump Righteous" - 2007 single with The King Khan & BBQ Show (Norton Records)
  • "Whirlyball" - 2007 single with Baby Shakes, Gentleman Jesse & His Men, and Coffin Bound (Chunklet Magazine)
  • "Live at the Clermont Lounge" - 2008 single with the Subsonics (Rob's House Records)

[edit] External links

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