While still teenagers, they formed 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 Slaughterhaus label.
Just days before a tour was to begin in December 2002, Ben Eberbaugh was killed in a car accident after his car was hit by a drunk driver. The band carried on believing that Eberbaugh would want them to continue.
The band's debut full length album was released on Bomp! Records in 2003. Eberbaugh was replaced by Jack Hines, a friend of the band members, but he too was eventually replaced by current guitarist, and former Renegades member, Ian St. Pe , 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. 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.
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.
The band also has songs from previous recording sessions, and they will eventually be released by In The Red Records.
The Black Lips are going to star in a film called Let It Be. They will play musicians in a fictitious '1980s era DIY band called The Renegades. The movie is set for production in 2008.
Cole, Jared and Joe also play in a band called The Spooks, along with members of Deerhunter and The Kiwis. The Spooks have recorded an album which should be released in 2007 or 2008 on the Die Slaughterhaus label. Ian also plays in a blasphemous garage punk band called The Original Three. There is a full length record out on Empty records and a single out on SYA records (Italy). The Original Three will have a new single coming out in December 2007 on Savage records (Sweden). Jared plays in a band called The Gaye Blades. Rob's House Records has released one 7" by The Gaye Blades, and another one should be released before the end of 2007. Cole has also 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.
In 2009, the band released their fifth album, "200 Million Thousand", on Vice Records.
Band Members
* Cole Alexander (Old King Cole Younger) - Vocals, Guitar (2000 - present)
* Jared Swilley - Vocals, Bass Guitar (2000 - present)
* Joe Bradley - Vocals, Drums (2000 - present)
* Ian St. Pe - Guitar (2005 - 2014)
* Jack Hines - former Guitar (2002 - 2005, 2014 - present)
* Ben Eberbaugh - Guitarz(2000 - 2002) - deceased
Dumpster Dive
Black Lips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looking in a garbage bin
And I ain't seen some good trash
Since I, since I don't know when
Since I don't know when
I went out dumpster diving
Found some dirt painted gold
All covered up in mold
I dived in dusty diamonds
All crumbly and old
I took some sancrest jewelry
And dumped it in a hole
Woke up where the sunshine bleeds
Looking in a garbage bin
And I ain't seen some good trash
Since I, since I don't know when
Since I don't know when
I went out dumpster diving
Found some dirt painted gold
I kept some dusty silver
All covered up in mold
I dived in dusty diamonds
All crumbly and old
I took some sancrest jewelry
And dumped it in a hole
The lyrics to Black Lips's song "Dumpster Dive" showcase a unique perspective on the practice of diving into dumpsters for discarded items. The song starts with the singer waking up in a place where "the sunshine bleeds," likely indicating a neighborhood or part of town that is run down or neglected. They then describe their search for "good trash," indicating that the act of dumpster diving is not just about finding anything valuable, but about finding something that has real worth or meaning.
The singer then goes on to describe their finds, including "dirt painted gold" and "dusty silver all covered up in mold." These descriptions suggest that what others see as worthless or useless, the singer sees as something valuable and potentially beautiful. The lyrics also touch on the idea of the past, with mentions of things that are "crumbly and old" and "sancrest jewelry," which may have once been treasured but are now discarded.
Overall, the song's lyrics paint a picture of someone who is able to see value in what others deem worthless and who finds beauty in unlikely places. The act of dumpster diving is not just a means of survival or a way to find basic necessities, but a way to connect with the past and to find value in overlooked things.
Line by Line Meaning
Woke up where the sunshine bleeds
I found myself in a place where the sun is harsh and intense
Looking in a garbage bin
I searched through trash to see if I could find something useful
And I ain't seen some good trash
I haven't come across any valuable items while rummaging through garbage
Since I, since I don't know when
I can't even remember the last time I found something good
I went out dumpster diving
I went out searching for useful items in trash bins
Found some dirt painted gold
I found something that might not look valuable to others, but to me it was a treasure
I kept some dusty silver
I held onto something that was old and covered in dust, but still had worth to me
All covered up in mold
Despite being covered in mold, I saw value in the object I found
I dived in dusty diamonds
I searched through old and crumbling items, hoping to find something valuable
All crumbly and old
The items I found had seen better days and were showing signs of age
I took some sancrest jewelry
I found some valuable jewelry, but I didn't plan to keep it for myself
And dumped it in a hole
I buried the jewelry, perhaps hoping someone else might discover it and find joy in it
Woke up where the sunshine bleeds
I found myself in a harsh and difficult environment
Looking in a garbage bin
I continue to search for items in places others overlook
And I ain't seen some good trash
Despite my hard work, I haven't come across anything valuable
Since I, since I don't know when
I can't remember the last time I found something that had worth to me
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Cole Alexander, Ian St. Pe Brown, Jared Swilley, Joseph Bradley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
petrologyboy
I just experienced these guys' music for the first time at the ACL Festival this past Friday. I LOVED IT! Raunchy great sound, and good chord-changin' songs that got to me right away. This was one of them. New fan, reporting in.
einfachfabs
love it, sounds like rolling stones! thumbs up!! :)
ForeverCones
i have already heard this song about 5 times today. i cant stop listening to it. catchy as fuck
SsooFfetch
have not had a show here in a bit, and I might add that if they continue to have them on the roof, they should have a well formed band such as this play :D.
Eric Gagnon
Stellar harmonies
Laino91
I love Jared's voice on the chorus, you don't really hear that on the album.
Gaël Chavarria
True rock'n'roll ! If we were in the 60's people would say they rock but now, young people think rock'n'roll is just perfect solos, perfect voice and good looking face, fuck'em.
Daniel Connelly
Sounds like early Rolling Stones - I like it
mat zun
what kind of a guitar does cole play???
Rise242
Good one!