In the Lip Zone

It’s not a given name, it’s a givin’ name,” says Lipbone Redding of his unusual and somewhat uncomfortable nickname (his real name is Lawrence). “I didn’t come up with it. They started calling me that and it really stuck, so there it goes. At least it’s not some silly nickname like ‘Winky’ or ‘Doo-Dah.’” “They” started calling him Lipbone because of his impressive ability to emulate the sound of horns with his mouth. Also referred to as the “voice-tramentalist,” Lipbone traded in all his electronic guitar gear and pursued a career in fashioning the sounds of trumpets and trombones and, believe it or not, has enjoyed considerable success in doing so, reaching number three on the Jam Band charts, behind Keller Williams and moe. When I spoke with Lipbone, it was apparent that the man is a free spirit, rolling his syllables with a Southern drawl that prompted me to accuse him of hippie-dom. “It would be my goal to engender the finest aspects of hippie-ism,” he said, then he quoted Gandhi. But if you had to peg him as something (which, being a “voice-tramentalist” and all, is not an easy task), one might say he’s a sort of Franti-meets-Gillespie type jam jazz. Having just released his third full-length album, Hop the Fence , the Lipbone (which is how he consistently refers to himself, with the definite article) plays all the guitar and, obviously, “horns.” He also carries with him a drummer and bassist, all of whom have headlined at the Hartford Jazz Festival. The three are currently touring the country, promoting their latest release. So when I began reading up on Redding, I kept running into references to the “Infamous Pancake Incident,” a story that has made the Lipbone notorious in the underground jazz clubs of New York. “I’m not sure but everybody told me it was Ricki Lake sitting in the front row. I can’t officially say it was her, but there were whisperings of a celebrity being at our show,” Redding said. Ricki Lake always being an interesting beginning of a story, this particular concert was sort of a “hippie event,” according to Redding, and many of the people who attended would bring food and braid hair. “This one girl shows up and she’s got one of those turkey pans filled with big pancakes. There was some banter going on and this girl was laughing and tossed one of the pancakes on stage … that started the avalanche. Somebody pushed a button with that first pancake and suddenly CBGBs was filled with flying pancakes and Ricki ran holding her hair, which was covered in syrup and butter.” The legendary event serves as both interesting and indicative of the kind of show a man whose nickname is Lipbone puts on. Hop the Fence is an easy CD to listen to: it’s relaxing, it’s warm and it makes you want to put on a tank top and take off your shoes. And every horn on the album is mouth-made, a fact I found difficult to believe at first, but have quietly accepted. After all, a self-made hippie who threw pancakes at someone who may or may not have been Ricki Lake has got to have some credibility somewhere. And if you’re at his Mezzanine show in Hartford on March 24, make sure you say hi to him. “That’s what the Lipbone’s shows are about: sayin’ hi.” ● Lipbone Redding 8 p.m., March 24 at the Mezzanine, 960 Main St., Hartford, (860) 524-9590 Tell us what you think. E-mail editor@hartfordadvocate.com Subscribe to the Hartford Courant today and receive up to 50% off!

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