When Black Lips tour, they don't mess around. On Feb. 1 Black Lips embarked on a two-month trek spanning from Washington to New York, then down to Tennessee and home again in Atlanta. By the time the 51-day trek finishes, Black Lips will have played 42 shows, including a stretch this weekend with two shows in Madison Friday, followed by another two in Chicago on Saturday.
When Black Lips play their shows, they don't mess around either. The group has gained international notoriety for their raucous live acts, which often include fights, urine, vomit and the like. Last February, the insanity that is Black Lips live was captured on record and released to the world.
Whereas most live records are met with criticism for being nothing more than poorly played and poorly recorded pleas for cash, Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo was recorded in a bar in Tijuana and received praise for actually relaying the energy from the show on the album. For the cynics it was just noise, but all of that changed in September of last year.
While America was transfixed on the record sales of rap icons Kanye West and 50 Cent, arguably the best album released that day came from a group of guys from Atlanta still vying for respect. Good Bad Not Evil is a little more polished than their earlier albums, but it's still the same Black Lips.
We tried to dirty it up a little,"" said drummer/vocalist Joe Bradley in an interview with The Daily Cardinal. ""But it's really not that clean compared to most records that come out these days.""
Riding the wave of success from last year's two stellar albums, Black Lips' work ethic refuses to let them take a break. They're still writing songs on the road, and as, Bradley tells the Cardinal, they have other projects in the works too.
""Some producer sought us out to play the role of a band to be the main characters of a movie called 'Let It Be,'"" said Bradley. ""We're roughly supposed to be a band that existed in the 1980's in the DIY scene.""
""Let It Be"" - a film not titled for the Beatles, but the legendary album by the Replacements - was supposed to be underway this summer, but will be delayed.
""It looks like it'll take a little bit longer, so hopefully we'll have the summer to record and have a new album out for the fall.""
However, Black Lips don't confine their tastes to just the rockabilly and ""flower punk"" that they play.
""We love southern rap. I mean, you can take or leave some of it, but for the most part it's pretty awesome. Especially, like, Three 6 Mafia and Outkast,"" Bradley said. ""And we really love DJ Assault. He does all kinds of awesome mash-ups and he's got a good sense of humor in his music.""
Despite producing great albums, Bradley said that rap acts do not translate live like Black Lips.
""See that's the problem: Live rap is really boring. I mean ... there are very few rap groups that can actually put on a decent live show. Most of the time it's like 20 dudes on stage with towels and microphones going 'what, what,' and it's really not that exciting.""
Live shows with Black Lips, on the other hand, are completely different.
Currently consisting of Cole Alexander on vocals and guitar, Jared Swilley on vocals and bass guitar, Joe Bradley on vocals and drums and Ian Saint Pé on guitar, Black Lips create a potent mixture of energy, enthusiasm and straight-up jams at each of their shows. According to Joe, a big portion of a show's success depends on the audience.
""It's always good that the audience is feeling the energy that we're trying to project. As long as they can revert that energy back to us, that's the most important thing because then you have a really good show ... When the crowd's just absorbing energy it's a lot more difficult to overcome.""
But crowd support must not be too hard to come by, as Black Lips reputation precedes them. With unruly stage antics and raw jams, Black Lips promise to leave their mark on the Rathskellar.
