The Butthole Surfers, originally from San Antonio, brought psychedelic mayhem with them wherever they went. Credit: Courtesy Photo / The Butthole Surfers

San Antonio-born psychedelic — and psychotic — rock band Butthole Surfers will drop a new LP, Live at the Leather Fly, on May 9.

The group announced the new release, comprised of live recordings, yesterday via an Instagram post. The album includes the single “Human Cannonball,” which was originally released as a studio recording on the 1987 album Locust Abortion Technician.

“The version of ‘Human Cannonball’ on Live at the Leather Fly is better than the studio version,” Butthole Surfers guitarist Paul Leary said in the post. “There’s just something about the energy that a packed house inspires that is hard to replicate in a recording studio.”

The new album follows the release of a feature-length documentary on the band titled The Hole Truth and Nothing Butt, which debuted in March during the SXSW festival.

The Leather Fly is not a real venue but rather a fantasy of frontman and consummate mad lad Gibby Haynes. 

“Back in the ’80s, Gibby used to fantasize about a nightclub called the Leather Fly,” Leary said in a caption of one of the tracks on YouTube. “He wanted it to have a stuffed leather fly hanging in front of it. There were two competing promoters on the scene: Steak Watson and Lady Corn Wilson.”

In anticipation of the album’s release, the Butthole Surfers released an official visualizer for “Human Cannonball” on YouTube. 

Youtube video

While the Instagram post credits Leary with mixing the album and creating its cover artwork, some commenters online accused the band of using AI to generate the imagery. One demanded the band “pay a real artist.”

When reached for comment, Leary confirmed their suspicions.

“Yes, I designed the album cover, using AI,”Leary told the Current. “I will use AI again on the next album cover I design too. If someone doesn’t like it, they are welcome to not buy the album. Good grief.”

“I use whatever it takes to get the image I want,” Leary continued. “Such is the nature of art.”

Musical acts have recently come under fire for using AI to generate album artwork, among them Tears for Fears for the LP Songs for a Nervous Planet, NME reports. Other bands say they’ve been unfairly accused of using AI album art, including Killswitch Engage, according to a report by VICE.

Live at the Leather Fly is currently available for streaming everywhere. Preorders of the album are available through Sunset Boulevard Records.

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This article appears in Apr 2-15, 2025.

Stephanie Koithan is the Digital Content Editor of the San Antonio Current. In her role, she writes about politics, music, art, culture and food. Send her a tip at skoithan@sacurrent.com.