Lips Like Morphine

Passion,Talent, and Drive are the essential ingredients that go into a successful band. The hot local band Lips Like Morphine is one that has just that. They were first established 2 years ago with brothers Charles and
Ahmad. Charles lived in Las Vegas, and tried to convince Ahmad to move
here from New York. After a few debates, Ahmad made the move; something
that would start what we know as Lips Like Morphine.

With brother Ahmad on board, they set their sights on Dell, a talented
bassist who first got his initial start being apart the original line
up of the popular band The Killers. Dell listened to the pitch, got a
hold of the music and never turned back. Next was Chris to join, not
soon after they landed PJ. As the story goes, PJ was the only one out
of fifteen guitarists who showed up to the audition without his guitar;
sort of a pre-interview before the audition. Although there were a few
change ups along the way, the band that rocks out venues across town
are now all together and making music that gets everyone moving.

Their backgrounds differ. From Tool to the Killers, Kill Hannah to War Tapes,
these guys know what they like and use it in to create their own. They
pull huge inspiration from the alternative sounds of the 80s and 90s
along with unconventional inspirations such as jazz. Together their
inspirations fused with their creative talents create what they
describe as Brit Pop/New Wave sound, a blend of 80s new wave with
modern 90 alternative rock. Sounds like a lot to describe one band, but fans only know one thing, they’re good.

With a name like Lips Like Morphine, it often brings up a question of what
it all means. Kill Hannah had a hit song off their Until There’s
Nothing Left of Us album entitled “Lips Like Morphine.” Lead vocalist
Charles instantly fell in love with not only the song but also the
name. It stuck with him until the discussion of a band name came up. As
luck would have it, he proposed Lips Like Morphine and everyone agreed.
They describe the significance of the name to the euphoric state guys
find themselves after they kiss a hot girl; the surreal feeling of “did that really happen?”

Passion
in music is in many of us. People can be passionate about music and not
be musicians. Talent is what separates the audience from the
performing artists. What separates other local upcoming bands and Lips
Like Morphine is the amount of drive these 5 young men have. They
possess an astounding understanding of what steps need to be done in
order to move forward and move up in this business. Many will notice
after going to their Myspace page is with a fan base close to 10,000,
they only have 2 songs up for people to listen. It’s all about
perfection. They refuse to put up songs of low quality, in turn harming
their image as a ripe band, ready for whatever opportunities may come.
Every step, every concert, every venue this band does is with one goal in mind, the top.

Here are some factoids of the members of Lips Like Morphine:
Charles (lead vocals): His father was a jazz musician. He named a whole album and song after Charles. A picture of Charles is also on the cover of that album.
Ahmad (drums): Can solve the Rubix cube in under 3 minutes.
Dell (bass): Is the original bass player for the Killers.
PJ (guitar): Went to Beverly Hills High and used to hang out with young Sean Stewart and Paris Hilton.
Chris (keyboards): Is the substitute piano player for the hit show Phantom of the Opera playing at the Venetian. - www.xpozlv.com

http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2008/oct/16/theyve-got-killer-hooks/

Like Morphine looks to take local success to the next level.

Charles Earland jumps up and down on the checkerboard floor, sips his beer and makes love to the microphone. Sweat soaks his face, blurring his eyeliner. During a break between songs, he chastises his bandmates: “I don’t care if we’re playing to two people at church! We gotta play every song like it’s our last if we’re gonna make it.”

Less than a week earlier, on a Sunday night, Lips Like Morphine packed The Beatles Revolution Lounge—empty just moments before the band’s arrival—with sexy chicks. The girls remained on their feet for the entire set, singing, dancing, screaming, totally focused on the action, much to the chagrin of drunken men nearby. On a chilly Friday tonight, however, the crowds are far away from Jillian’s upstairs stage.

Dell Star, Lips Like Morphine’s tie-wearing, moon-eyed bass player, was the original bassist for The Killers (and Dave Keuning’s onetime roommate). They played together for about a year before Star got “stressed,” had “an early mid-life crisis” and left the band. But Star says they still hang out. “Dave’s my favorite—he’ll actually drink and have a good time,” says Star. “It reminds me of the old days having fun at shows with Dave and Brandon.”

Lips Like Morphine’s sound roughly resembles The Killers’—neat pop-rock hooks washed in New Wave-y synths—but Earland’s voice features far more low-range alt-rock grit than Flowers’. Charles and his brother, Ahmad (the band’s drummer), who hail from New York, write all the lyrics. They were influenced by their father (also named Charles), a famous jazz musician who took them on summer bus tours and introduced them to soul, and by all sorts of records, from the Eddie Money, Kansas and Moody Blues they listened to as kids to the Brit-pop, hip-hop and grunge of their more recent past and present.

Lips Like Morphine, which also features PJ Paradise on guitar and Chris Lash behind the keys, has been steadily building a buzz in 2008, playing all over town—Puff Lounge, Wasted Space, Beauty Bar—and scoring a mention in LA-based URB magazine. The band is currently at work on its debut EP, with an eye toward signing with a label by January. - Las Vegas Weekly

On Fox 5 MORE Show. The show was a live broadcast of Lips Like Morphine acoustic session and interview with the band.

September 12, 2008 - Fox 5 - Television

Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld1BW2mG_KI&feature=player_embedded

Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQEyvCuDxVg&feature=player_embedded - Esoteric Radio

Cover of magazine and a 5 page article of the band. - Badidea Magazine

The City Life's Sunday July22nd Pick of the Week: Lips Like Morphine

Kill Hannah's song "Lips Like Morphine" has been played more than 3.5 million times on myspace.com. Local synth-pop five-piece, Lips Like Morphine is crafting tunes every bit as catchy, but minus the dark undertones. Charles and Ahmad Earland are the musically pedigreed sons of '60s jazz organist Charles "the Mighty Burner" Earland, and their songwriting will appeal to fans of their pals The Killers. "Mrs. Heartbreak" beats with the pulse of The Psychedelic Furs, and the chorus of "The Radio" will stick in your synapses like stray gum clings to your shoe on a sweltering Vegas afternoon.

Sharing the bill is Phoenix, Ariz.'s Vitruvian; similar to the way Leonardo da Vinci's famous illustration "The Vitruvian Man" blends art and science, the band's interpretation of modern rock is balanced and proportional. "Poizen" Ivy Hover, ihover@lvcitylife.com - City Life