The Mother Hips - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Formation and Debut

-Biography:Tim Bluhm was born and raised in California. As the singer/guitarist and primary songwriter of rock band The Mother Hips, Bluhm has spent the last two decades performing, writing, collaborating on, and producing music....

(vocals/guitar), Greg Loiacono (guitar/vocals), Isaac Parsons (bass) and Mike Wofchuck (drums) met in 1990 while attending California State University-Chico, living off campus in Bradley Hall. They jammed and played some original songs at a few parties (once billed as Pippi Longstocking and the Trunk-of-Funk), but soon Isaac and Mike were lured away by the prospect of playing Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...

and Jane's Addiction

Jane's Addiction

Jane's Addiction is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band's original line-up featured Perry Farrell , Dave Navarro , Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins . After breaking up in 1991, Jane's Addiction briefly reunited in 1997 and again in 2001, both times...

covers at big parties as the rhythm section of the Keystones. Meanwhile Tim and Greg played their acoustic guitars and sang to whomever would listen, and wound up backing up songstress Ali Weiss in the mellow trio Ali and the Cats.

These bands played throughout 1990, but in early 1991, Tim, Greg, Isaac and Mike got back together and got serious about being a rock band. It didn't take long to step up from parties to local Sacramento Valley area watering holes

Bar (establishment)

A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...

like LaSalles and Juanita's. They began playing original songs rather than covers. The band released Back to the Grotto
Back to the Grotto
Back to the Grotto is the debut studio album by northern California rock band The Mother Hips. It was recorded in July and December 1992 and released in February 1993...

in February 1993. It was produced by the band with a mutual friend, Paul Hoaglin (who would join the band nearly 10 years later when bassist Parsons left.)

Major label

The Hips were courted by major record labels and did sign a deal with MCA. Music producer Rick Rubin

Rick Rubin

Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...

and A&R Exec. Rob Kasino signed them to American Recordings even though they were still students at Chico. The Hips then became labelmates with Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash

John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...

, Tom Petty

Tom Petty

Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...

, and the Black Crowes

The Black Crowes

The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in 1989. Their discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the...

(whose Chris Robinson helped the band to sign with American.)

They did more recording and mixing on Back to the Grotto for its American re-release (March 1995) and set out to record a follow-up. Released in August 1995, Part-Timer Goes Full
Part-Timer Goes Full
Part-Timer Goes Full is the second studio album by northern California rock band The Mother Hips.-Track listing:# "Shut the Door" – 3:40# "Stoned Up the Road" – 3:26# "Mona Lisa and the Last Supper" – 3:21# "Poison Oak" – 2:58...

included new songs as well as tunes from their back catalog. American Recordings decided the song "Shut the Door" would be released as the first single, but this decision did not go over well with some fans, who thought the song was not representative of their sound. While the song didn't top any charts, the fanbase grew due to touring, including a concert at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds with 2,400 tickets sold. They were also headlining major venues like the Fillmore in San Francisco and appearing at festivals like Laguna Seca Daze and the HORDE

H.O.R.D.E.

Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere or H.O.R.D.E. Festival was a touring summer rock music festival originated by the musical group Blues Traveler in 1992. In addition to travelling headliners, the festival gave exposure to bands, charities, and organizations from the local area of the...

tour.

Their third album Shootout
Shootout (album)
Shootout is the third studio album by northern California rock band The Mother Hips.-Track listing:# "I Can't Sleep at All" – 4:01# "Mother Hips" – 3:24# "Honeydew" – 4:09# "Collected Some Nerve" – 3:13# "Single Spoon" – 3:11# "So Much" – 3:55...

was recorded in early 1996 and released in October of that year. American Records failed to promote the album and eventually dropped the band from their roster.

Changes & Later Days

Their music shifted direction around 1997, with shorter, radio-friendly songs, instead of longer multiple sectioned songs. They started to get into basic country-style songwriting, but it didn't fit with drummer Mike Wofchuck's style, so they replaced him with John Hofer, formerly of the Freewheelers. In 1996, the band members moved out of the Chestnut Street house in Chico, to the San Francisco Bay Area, where they are currently based.

They recorded the stripped-down Later Days
Later Days
Later Days is an American rock band from Naples, FL formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Mike Wassef, bassist Robert Curtin, and drummer Derrick "D-Rock" Peltz.-Early Years:...

album and self-released it in May 1998. They continued playing frequently, focusing mostly on California cities, with occasional jaunts to Utah or the Pacific Northwest. They self-recorded another album, the more pop-oriented Green Hills of Earth. Indie label Future Farmer liked the album and released it, but, again, the album did not promote the band to their desired popularity. Bassist Isaac Parsons left the band in March 2002, to spend more time with his son. Shortly after, multi-instrumentalist Paul Hoaglin, co-producer of Back To The Grotto and Part Timer Goes Full, stepped into Parsons' place. Later that same year Greg Loiacono, lead guitarist, decided he too needed a break, and the band went on indefinite hiatus after two shows at Slim's in San Francisco in February 2003.

Hiatus

During the hiatus, Tim Bluhm was the most active musically. He enlisted the Southern California band Five Foot Tuesday as backup, but played to smaller audiences. Greg also formed a band, the Sensations. Also in 2004 two documentaries about the Mother Hips were completed, Patrick Murphree's Stories We Could Tell, a detailing of the history of the Mother Hips, told by the Hips themselves, friends, and family, and Bill DeBlonk's This is the Sound, a compilation of footage from the band's entire career. (A third movie followed in 2006, Dave Schwartz's chronicle of a 2003 Santa Cruz show, Beauty Rock.)

Post-hiatus

Toward the end of 2004 the Mother Hips reunited and started playing shows again. They recorded an EP, Red Tandy
Red Tandy
Red Tandy is an EP by northern California rock band The Mother Hips. The song Red Tandy was featured as a playable track in the music video game Rock Band.-Track listing:# "Red Tandy" – 2:20# "Colonized" – 4:14# "Blue Tomorrow" – 4:25...

, followed by a full length album, Kiss the Crystal Flake
Kiss the Crystal Flake
Kiss the Crystal Flake is the sixth studio album by the northern California rock band The Mother Hips. The songs Time We Had and Time-Sick Son of a Grizzly Bear were featured as playable tracks in the music video game Rock Band...

, released in April 2007. The song "Time We Had" from the album was in November 2007 featured in the music video game Rock Band, and two songs, "Red Tandy" and "Time Sick Son of a Grizzly Bear" were made available as Downloadable Content for the game on the week of April 29, 2008.

The band released their seventh album, Pacific Dust
Pacific Dust
Pacific Dust is the seventh studio album by northern California rock band The Mother Hips. The songs White Falcon Fuzz and Third Floor Story were featured as playable tracks in the music video game Rock Band...

, in October 2009 to great acclaim, including highlights "White Falcon Fuzz" and "Third Floor Story". The album was recorded at Mission Bells Studio in San Francisco with co-producer/engineer David Simon-Baker.

Paul Hoaglin ceased performing with the band in February 2011, and was replaced by well-renowned former Frank Zappa/Fear bassist Scott Thunes

Scott Thunes

Scott Thunes is a former bass player with Frank Zappa, Wayne Kramer, Steve Vai, Andy Prieboy, Mike Keneally, Fear, The Waterboys and others....

. Hoaglin subsequently participated in sessions for the eighth Mother Hips album in August 2011; however, in spite of no official announcement, it appears that he has left the band at this point. Hoaglin is currently writing, producing and performing on a new record for the Portland-based band The Red Octopuses, led by Shay Scott.

The Mother Hips will release an archival box set compilation celebrating 20 years of music together September 13th 2011. They are now recording their next album to be released in 2012.

Hipnic

Hipnic is a psych-rock and folk concert series nestled in the redwoods of the Big Sur Valley, co-curated by The Mother Hips and Britt Govea of (((FolkYEAH))). The first annual Hipnic was held at Henry Miller Memorial Library over July 4 weekend in 2009. The location for 2010 and 2011 was Fernwood Resort, with onsite camping. In addition to The Mother Hips performing both days, the guest roster has included California artists such as: Al Jardine

Al Jardine

Alan Charles "Al" Jardine is a founding member of top-selling American music group The Beach Boys, a guitarist and occasional lead vocalist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.-Early life:...

(The Beach Boys), Jackie Greene

Jackie Greene

Jackie Greene is an American singer-songwriter and musician.-Career:Greene was born Chris Nelson in Salinas, California, and developed an interest in music at an early age, starting with the piano. At 14, he began to play guitar and within a short time, was able to sit in with local bar bands. As...

, Sean Hayes, Everest, Dawes

Dawes

Dawes Cycles is a British bicycle manufacturer known for its high-quality hand-built bicycles. Dawes produces a full range of bikes including road, mountain bikes and tandems, but is best known for touring bikes, specifically the Galaxy and the Super Galaxy model lines.Founded in Birmingham, the...

, Red Cortez, Neal Casal

Neal Casal

Neal Casal is an American songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist and photographer who has maintained an acclaimed solo career as well as playing guitar for The Cardinals.-1990 - 1999:...