Crib Notes

Georgia’s own Mighty Hannibal previewed his new song in support of Barack Obama’s presidential nomination at the Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans earlier this month. He borrows the hook from the Winans’ song “It’s Time” (produced by Teddy Riley) and throws in his own ad-libs.

Favorite line: “I ain’t gonna study war no mo’, so John McCain got to go.”

Best known for his classic anti-Vietman song “Hymn No. 5,” Hannibal wrote it in 1966, long before anti-war sentiment had reached its peak:

And here’s footage from his performance at The Earl last year, backed by the Black Lips, who actually cleaned up for the show:

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Do you have a question for The Black Lips? A comment? Would you like to berate the band for urinating on you last time you saw them live? Would you like to berate the band for NOT urinating on you last time you saw them live.

Now’s your chance.

From the band’s blog:

we got a new phone and don’t know what to do with it so we started a hotline. It’s inspired by CB and Hamm radios, because people don’t use those anymore, and we think truckers are cool. It’ll give us something to do in the van. The minutes will probably expire, and i’m not paying for that shit. give us a ring if you are in trouble, need advice, or are just plain lonely.
949 836 7407

(photo by Joeff Davis)

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BABY LIPS: Ben Eberbaugh (from left), Joe Bradley, Jared Swilley and Cole Alexander

As December 2007 draws to a close, it has been brought to my attention that this month marks the five-year anniversary of Ben Eberbaugh’s death. Hard to believe that it has been so long. Ben was one of the earliest and most substantial guitar players and vocalists for the Black Lips; he played a key role in getting the ball rolling for the group. His death came as a shock to everyone.

I knew him well. We worked together at an “alternative boutique”/clothing store in Little Five Points, called Junkman’s Daughter. Indeed, those were dark days for both of us.

At some point, I quit. Ben was later fired for missing too many shifts, or something like that, and went on to get a job at the Majestic diner on Ponce. We stayed in touch. He was the first person to tell me that the Black Lips were in talks with Greg Show from Bomp!, which later culminated in the release of the group’s first self-titled record.

Ben was also the one who always sought me out to coax me into writing something about their next show.

I found out about his death in a pretty harsh way. I had gone home to visit my friends and family in Iowa and Nebraska. It was a pre-holiday trip to avoid the chaos of traveling closer to Christmas. When I came home, there was a message on my voicemail from a Fox 5 reporter. It said to call him back, so I did. I assumed it was about some writing job I had applied for somewhere down the line. I don’t remember his name.

I called the guy back and he says, “Radford… Radford… Oh yeah! I was calling you about the Black Lips and Ben Eberbaugh.” So I say, “Yes, I know them well. What do you need to know?” Without missing a beat the guy says “Oh, you must not know yet. Ben died in a car accident. Hate to break the news to you. Gotta go!” Click…

That was pretty hardcore. I remember thinking that he must have been drunk, or that it was the result of some sort of negligence on his part. But it wasn’t. He was hit by some woman who was driving the wrong way down Ga. 400.

There is no way to know for sure, but at the time people were speculating that she was going the wrong way down the highway to avoid paying the 75-cents toll. But who knows.

Here is a story that I wrote about the accident just a few days later for Creative Loafing.

Read the rest of this entry >>

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PIED PIPERS OF ATLANTA: Wherever the Black Lips go, CL is sure to follow.

(all photos by Perry Julien)

Before you left-click to leave another scathing comment about how you’re sick of seeing coverage in CL on the Black Lips, Deerhunter, Snowden or the Selmanaires, you should thank your lucky stars. We’re only running photos from their latest show at the Variety Playhouse Friday, Nov. 30. (more…)

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On Oct. 9, the Black Lips performed on Conan O’Brien’s late-night talk show and absolutely killed it. The quartet was at its absolute best — guitar solos, hoarse screams, the works — ripping through “O, Katrina!” from its recent Good Bad Not Evil album. They even pulled off a cool Beatle-esque bow at the end.

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WILD MAN: With a new limited-edition 7-inch single, the Black Lips marketing blitz continues.

(Sleeve art by Andrew Jeffrey Wright)

In case you haven’t noticed, Creative Loafing — like most media outlets, whether they be New York Times-big or blog-small — has its favorites. One of the bands we tend to cover over and over again is the Black Lips. The thing is, the biggest acts tend to lead busy lives. And since signing with Vice — which is pulling out all the stops to convert the band’s early buzz into actual record sales for its upcoming album, Good Bad Not Evil — the Black Lips have been all over the place.

Last month the Fader, the cool hunting magazine/marketing company, pressed up a limited-edition 7-inch single. It’s a double-A record; the A-side is a Black Lips cover of “Wild Man,” while the B-side is Yacht’s “No Favors Policy.” Near the end of the Black Lips side, there’s a brief snippet of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” The “Wild Man” 7-inch is only one of several Black Lips singles this year; others include “Cold Hands” and U.K.-only single “O Katrina!”

If you haven’t seen the Black Lips perform live, then your chance arrives on Tuesday, Sept. 11, when the band holds a CD release party at MJQ Concourse before heading out on a two-month national tour. (The band is currently touring in the U.K.) Advance tickets aren’t available, and you can only gain admission from buying a presale copy of Good Bad Not Evil at Criminal Records. In addition to the CD, you’ll be put on the guest list for the show and get a DVD, Black Lips Live in Israel, as well. Appropriately, presale copies of the package will cost $11.11 ($12 with tax).

If you’re unable or don’t want to participate in the Black Lips presale, Vice’s online video channel, www.VBS.tv, has been showing clips of the Black Lips’ time in Israel that you can view. There’s also the chance that MJQ’s guest list won’t be full by Sept. 11; if that happens, you can get into the show by buying a copy of Good Bad Not Evil for $13 at the show (DVD not included).

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So I got the new Black Lips album Good Bad, Not Evil last week, and I listened to it yesterday. It’s pretty good. Keen observers will recognize a few of the songs from their live shows (particularly “Katrina,” where the band personifies the 2005 hurricane that devastated New Orleans). Also, the album is only 40 minutes long, and that’s counting the minutes-long silence that separates “Transcendental Light” and a hidden track.

But otherwise, I like it. I’m not a Black Lips aficionado, and I didn’t hear the band’s pre-Vice albums … though I guess I should revisit their catalog at some point because that’s, like, my job. Whatever. I’m digging Good Bad, Not Evil’s garagey sound and the ’60s-ish primitivism thing. Plus, they even mention “the titties at Magic City,” which makes me want to go to Magic City and check out the strippers’ titties for myself.

OK, enough jokes. Here’s the track listing.

• 1) Lean
• 2) Katrina
• 3) Veni Vidi Vici
• 4) It Feels Alight
• 5) Navajo
• 6) Lock and Key
• 7) How Do You Tell a Child That Someone Has Died?
• 8) Bad Kids
• 9) Step Right Up
• 10) Cold Hands
• 11) Off The Block
• 12) Slime & Oxygen
• 13) Transcendental Light

Good Bad, Not Evil comes out Sept. 11 on Vice Records. Here’s the video for the album’s first single, “Cold Hands.”

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