The Black Lips

Black Lips
Black Lips in concert, SXSW 2007
Background information
Origin	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genres	Garage rock, psychedelic rock, lo-fi, garage punk, punk rock, indie rock
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass, drums
Years active	1999 — present
Labels	Bomp!, In the Red, Vice
Associated acts	Almighty Defenders, Deerhunter
Website	www.black-lips.com
Members	Cole Alexander Jared Swilley Jack Hines Joe Bradley
Past members	Ben Eberbaugh Ian Saint Pé Richie Hayes

Black Lips is a garage rock band from Atlanta, Georgia.

The band formed in 1999 in Dunwoody, Georgia after guitarist Cole Alexander and bassist Jared Swilley left the Renegades, and guitarist Ben Eberbaugh left the Reruns. Alexander and Swilley were known for their crude antics both during shows and at school. They were kicked out of school during their senior year after the Columbine Massacre in 1999 because they were regarded as a "subculture danger." Drummer Joe Bradley, who had been studying in college after graduating high school early, joined a few months later. They released their first 7-inch in 2002 with tracks from their first ever studio LP ~ completed in 2000 with producer/guitarist Eric Gagnon of The El Caminos. The 7-inch featured Juvenile and Ain't Coming Back, both of which were tracked, mixed and mastered by Gagnon, and was released on their own record label, Die Slaughterhaus. Just days before a tour was to begin in December 2002, guitarist Ben Eberbaugh was driving a car when he was struck by a drunk driver and killed. The band carried on, believing that Eberbaugh would want them to continue.

The band's debut full-length album, Black Lips!, was released on Bomp! Records in 2003. Within this tribute album commemorating Ben Eberbaugh's life as a quality musician, they released two more songs from their set with Gagnon (2000): Stone Cold (with gagnon on bass) and Can't Get Me Down were already mixed and mastered by Eric. They were wise enough to have Stone Cold remastered with the channels flipped from the original two track mix ~ a clever way to avoid legal trouble from a keen producer. Back in 2000, Jared put himself in rehab during the studio session with Eric, so Cole asked Gagnon to play bass both in the studio and during a live show at The Earl (Atlanta, GA) ~ Eric agreed so long as he didn't have to record anymore firecrackers in his studio ("Ain't Coming Back"). Eberbaugh's bluesy guitar takes control of their early work ~ Eric was a perfect match for these youngsters ~ with a knack for the blues, Eric features Ben's guitar. After his untimely death in 2002, Ben's legacy was filled 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 quit the band in 2004 so he could settle down with his wife. Ian St. Pé, who at the time was enrolled at the University of Memphis as a music major, got a call from the band asking if he wanted to immediately join them on tour. Pé, who spent his early twenties buying alcohol for his then-underage future band-mates, dropped out of school and accepted the band's offer. They slowly built a fanbase that appreciated their rough pastiche of blues, rock, doo-wop, country, and punk. They gained national attention in 2006 with features in Spin and Rolling Stone. The band got exposure in the New York Times during the 2007 South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, in which they played a dozen shows over a three-day period.