Black Lips on the run in India following indecent exposure

The Black Lips had an, oh, shall we say, interesting weekend. On Saturday, the band posted a letter to its MySpace fans saying it was thrown off the tour in India due to "indecent exposure" for its "most raucous set." Imagine that. From there, the guys literally had to flee the scene to escape getting thrown into a supposedly tuberculosis, maggot-infested prison. "This was a cultural clashing shitstorm," the letter reads. Just one more thing to add to the already-lenghty resume of infamy. Don't let 'em fool you: This is what they live for.

But that's just the beginning of Black Lips happenings. Oh, where to begin when the news falls into the blender all at once. Firstly, and most importantly, album five, 200 Million Thousand, is set for release Feb. 24 on Vice Records. Flashing at least the second most disorienting front-cover artwork of the year (see Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion), it contains 14 new tracks, including the song being pushed at the moment, "Starting Over" (listen here), a West Coast-psychedelic-hippie trip into the sunset that spirals into an abrasive, punk-rock nightmare.

The Lips also have a contest for the song in which fans can create a music video. Winner gets a 7" of the track "Short Fuse," a signed copy of the new record and a feature spot on the homepage of Vimeo.com.

Also on the agenda, a massive 40-date tour that includes plenty of stops on the MySpace Music tour in March. Starting in late February, the guys are on the road until early May (dates below).

And, if that wasn't enough for fans to get giddy, guitarist Ian St. Pe posted a bulletin on MySpace saying he has a new side project, The Soft Focus. According to the page, an album will be out next year. Currently, fans can listen to two works "in progress" on the music player. Under the "About..." section of the page, it reads, "Too Hippy to be Punk but much Too Punk to be Hippy." The Soft Focus adds to what seems to be the always-expanding roster of Black Lips side projects, which includes The Spooks, The Original Three, The Gaye Blades, Ghetto Cross and more.

Dates:

February
26 - Birmingham, Ala. @ Bottle Tree
27 - Atlanta, Ga. @ Variety Playhouse

March
4 - Carrboro, N.C. @ Cat's Cradle
5 - Washington, D.C. @ Black Cat
6 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ Johnny Brenda's
7 - Cambridge, Mass. @ Middle East
9 - New York, N.Y. @ Bowery Ballroom
10 - Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
12 - Cleveland, Ohio @ Beachland Ballroom
13 - Detroit, Mich. @ Magic Stick
14 - Chicago, Ill. @ Loan Square Auditorium
15 - Milwaukee, Wisc. @ Turner Hall Ballroom
16 - St. Paul, Minn. @ Turf Club
17 - Omaha, Neb. @ Waiting Room
18 - Lawrence, Kan. @ Bottleneck
20 - Austin, Texas @ SXSW
21 - Austin, Texas @ SXSW
23 - New Orleans, La. @ One Eyed Jacks
25 - Tallahassee, Fla. @ Club Downunder
26 - Tampa, Fla. @ Orpheum
27 - Miami, Fla. @ Churchill's
28 - Gainesville, Fla. @ Common Grounds
29 - Jacksonville, Fla. @ Jack Rabbits
30 - Orlando, Fla. @ The Social

April
15 - Costa Mesa, Calif. @ Detroit Bar
16 - San Diego, Calif. @ Casbah
17 - Tempe, Ariz. @ Clubhouse
18 - Tuscon, Ariz. @ Plush
20 - Colorado Springs, Colo. @ Black Sheep
21 - Denver, Colo. @ Bluebird
22 - Salt Lake City, Utah @ Urban Lounge
23 - Boise, Idaho @ Neurolox
24 - Portland, Ore. @ Berbati's Pan
25 - Seattle, Wash. @ Neumo's
27 - Eugene, Ore. @ Wow Hall
28 - Sacramento, Calif. @ Blue Lamp
29 - Santa Cruz, Calif. @ Theh Blue Lagoon
30 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Great American Music Hall

May
1 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ El Rey
2 - Pomona, Calif. @ Glasshouse

Related links:
News: Black Lips announce 200 Million Thousand, winter tour
Black Lips on MySpace
Feature: Black Lips: Wisdom Before Age

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