The Lagniappe Sessions :: Black Lips

Lagniappe (la ·gniappe) noun ‘lan-ˌyap,’ — 1. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. 2. Something given or obtained as a gratuity or bonus.

Prior to the release of their ninth record — the incredibly apt titled Sing In A World That’s Falling Apart — Black Lips touched down in Los Angeles for a secret show at Gold Diggers in East Hollywood. The following Lagniappe Session was cut just prior in the studio out back. Having morphed in both personnel and sound in recent years, drummer Oakley Munson runs us through the band’s cover selects, below — from drawing inspiration from Hank Williams to long lost VU nuggets …

Black Lips :: Alone And Forsaken (Hank Williams)

This was one of the first songs we tried for our new country leaning record. Kind of the first baby step in that direction that helped set up a kind of template. It’s the perfect mood for Zumi’s haunted style saw playing. Everyone likes Hank Williams, but his wife Audrey tried to sing duets with him and people generally panned it. Kind of like the country version of what happened with Yoko and the Beatles. We love Audrey Williams’ voice and thought she would have been great singing this song as a duet considering the lyrics.

Black Lips :: Get It On Time (The Velvet Underground)

This song was a lost and buried Velvet underground song we deciphered from a demo tape recorded at Warhol’s factory around ’65 0r ’66.  You can only vaguely hear the words to the chorus “Get It On Time” and the rest was obviously just nonsense filler being made up on the spot. Halfway through the song Lou Reed just yells “STOP!” and that’s it. It seems like they never played the song again. I decided to try to write the words but couldn’t figure out what the meaning should be so I decided to practice some necromancy, light some candles and let Lou Reed’s spirit finish writing the song…I sent a copy to Moe Tucker and she said she’d completely forgotten about the song until now and that she liked it. That was rewarding!

Black Lips :: Look Here Satan (Wayne Pat & Keith)

This is an obscure song by and obscure Atlanta group called Wayne Pat & Keith, and based on a traditional.  A really good example of the Fuzz Country sound we were going after on this last record.  We also changed the words that we couldn’t understand.  We are always messing up the words naturally so it’s like honest folk music.  This version I can’t tell if we are praising Satan or telling him to leave us alone, maybe a little bit of both.  

Recorded live by Dave Trumfio with Eric Gorman and Jonathan Thompson at Gold Diggers Sound steps from the dirty boulevard in East Hollywood, Calif. Mixed by Dave Trumfio.

Lagniappe Sessions Archives / imagery via d norsen

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