Black Lips: Fowl and Frenzy

By Daniel Alleva

Atlanta’s Black Lips are a hot-stepping hybrid of smarts, humor, and song. The band has been tearing it up ever since guitarist/vocalist Cole Alexander and bassist/vocalist Jared Swilley met while still in junior high school. Speaking about The Renegades - a band Cole and Jared first formed which also included Black Lips guitarist Ian Saint Pé – Cole bemuses, “We didn’t know how to play, but we booked a gig anyway – so we kind of had to learn a little bit.” By time The Renegades were done, Black Lips - in all their anarchic glory - were born.

Growing up listening to the music of their parents, the band was influenced by a multitude of different genres - ranging from blues and country to straight-up oldies. “Then we got into punk rock,” says Cole, and punk would prove to be the glue that would bind the Black Lips’ distinct tastes together. One needs to look no further than their latest release, Good Bad Not Evil, for the proof. Whether it’s the ferocious energy of the album’s first single “O Katrina,” or the shimmying doo-wop of “Bad Kids,” the Black Lips potpourri of sound is sure to keep rock n’ roll off of life support.

Before signing to Vice Records, the band made a name for themselves with their chaotic live show. Last summer, when the band played the Siren Festival in Coney Island, they tossed a live chicken out on stage while feathers were dumped on the crowd from above. Black Lips have been known to get naked, make out with each other, or - as alleged - leave bodily fluids behind on stage. But all hijinks aside, the band is a force to be reckoned with musically. They’ve been dubbed one of the hardest working bands in the game right now – and they perhaps are even one of the best live bands, as well. Their sound is a 1-2 power-punch, and Cole is fully aware of how frenzy and fowl all play perfectly into the Black Lips motif. “For the most part, we still do what we’ve always done,” says Cole, when asked if he thinks if signing with Vice has changed the band after several indie releases. He even notes that he’s quite pleased with how the live show has evolved over the years.

Always keeping busy, the Lips’ companion piece to Good Bad Not Evil was last year’s Los Valientes del Mundo Nuevo, a live album that might or might not have been recorded in Tijuana, Mexico. Given the psychedelic nature of the Black Lips’ tunes, it’s quite possible that the actual location of the recording will forever remain a mystery. But what is not a mystery is where Black Lips hope to be this summer. “We’ve got a lot of new material written, so I want to head back to Atlanta. It’s great to be able to record there, and then head home afterwards to crash.” Prior to recording, the Black Lips also plan to make their silver-screen debut. “The details are a little sketchy still, but we’re supposed to be playing this 80’s-era, DIY band (in an upcoming feature film),” says Cole.

What is definite, though, is that the band will be featured in “We Fun: Atlanta, GA Inside Out,” the sequel to the cult-classic music documentary, “Athens, GA Inside Out.”