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Mother Hips Biography
Formed in Chico, California in 1991, The Mother Hips
have spent more than a decade refining a trademark blend of catchy, Beatlesque pop, psychedelic jam-rock and rootsy folk twang that has made
them a perennial favorite on college campuses across the land.
Lead vocalist and chief songwriter Tim Bluhm's love of retro sounds is obvious in his music, but even the music geeks here at ARTISTdirect were impressed with how deep he went into the vaults to pull out these seven nuggets from the Golden Age of hippie rock.
The Mother Hips' new EP Red Tandy
is available now in the ARTISTdirect Store, as are all of Tim's picks. Click any of the album covers for more information.
Lead vocalist and chief songwriter Tim Bluhm's love of retro sounds is obvious in his music, but even the music geeks here at ARTISTdirect were impressed with how deep he went into the vaults to pull out these seven nuggets from the Golden Age of hippie rock.
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Leon Russell Carney (1972) |
| "My parents used to have the eight-track of this when i was little and just the picture on the cover scared me pretty bad. Now that I am a full-grown man it is the music that spooks me. It is dark, reflective and really low-fi in a Nashville, Shelter People kind of way." | |
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J.J. Cale Naturally (1971) |
| "Speaking of Shelter People Records, this one can show you how much cooler J.J. Cale is than Eric Clapton (who covered Cale's 'After Midnight' and 'Cocaine.') He whispers more than sings and is one of my very favorite guitar players. Some of the tracks are just fade-ins to jams and then they fade out after two minutes." | |
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Neil Young Neil Young (1969) |
| "His first solo record. It is very ambitious production-wise and sounds way different from anything since. Kind of like Buffalo Springfield without macho Stephen Stills. Lots of layered fuzz guitars that are even now totally unique as far as I know. This record makes you wish you lived in Topanga, [California] in '68 (if you didn't already)." | |
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Linda Perhacs Parallelograms (1970) |
| "This lady seems like she was totally outside any kind of music scene, just making these tripped-out recordings somewhere along the foggy coastline of Washington state. It is creepy and pretty and very stony. I think it was recorded in 1970 and then lost until the mid '90s or something. Ameoba Records describes it as, 'Joni Mitchell on acid.'" | |
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The Beach Boys Friends (1968) |
| "Arguably the best Beach Boys album. It reminds me vaguely of Christmas time for some reason. " | |
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Grand Funk Railroad Grand Funk (1970) |
| "Super raw and raunchy power-trio recording from 1970. This is one of the records that I literally wore out when I was a teenager. This one is of course before they added a keyboard player and went all 'We're-an-American-Band' on us. " | |
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Brian Eno Another Green World (1975) |
| " I'm not sure but I bet this is a concept album. Great art-pop songs mixed with beautiful flying-over-Manhattan-at-night industrial instrumentals. I can listen to those ones over and over again." | |
Mother Hips All Music Guide Biography
Formed in Chico, CA, in 1991, earthy pop jam rockers the Mother Hips moved up from bar band status through a series of regional tours and built a sizable fan base in California. Songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist Tim Bluhm, guitarist Greg Loiacono, bassist Isaac Parsons, and drummer Mike Wofchuck met in the dorms of Chico State in the early '90s. Loiacono and Bluhm's harmonies and country-tinged melodies honored California's musical past -- from Merle Haggard to the Beach Boys to Neil Young. Their 1992 album, entitled Back to the Grotto, caught the ear of American Recordings, which released 1995's Part-Timer Goes Full and 1996's Shootout. This relationship led to high-profile slots on tours with Johnny Cash, Wilco, and the H.O.R.D.E. tour. Drummer Wofchuck was replaced by John Hofer for 1998's country-rock Later Days. Three years later, the band released the more pop-oriented Green Hills of Earth. As soon as the album gained notoriety, singer/guitarist Greg Loiacono decided to take a break from the group, leaving the band's status in question. In 2005, Bluhm, Loiacono, Hofer, and new bassist Paul Hoaglin resumed playing music and released the Red Tandy EP on Camera Recordsin 2006 and followed it up with the full-length Kiss the Crystal Flake in early 2007. ~ Zac Johnson, All Music Guide
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