Mother Hips - Live at Belly Up 2006 (IA)
For those unfamiliar with Mother Hips, the following is part of their (Wiki) history - Tim Bluhm (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 and Jane's Addiction covers at big parties as the rhythm section of the Keystones. Meanwhile Tim and Greg played acoustic guitars and sang harmonies to 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 in Chico, CA to local bars and dance clubs like LaSalles and Juanita's. They began playing original songs rather than covers. The band released Back to the Grotto in February 1993. It was produced by the band with Bay Area-based musician/producer Paul Hoaglin (who would subsequently replace Parsons on bass upon his departure in 2002). The Hips were courted by major record labels and did sign a deal with MCA. A&R Exec. Rob Kasino signed them to Rick Rubin's American Recordings even though they were still students at Chico. The Hips then became labelmates with Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, and the Black Crowes (whose Chris Robinson helped the band to sign with American.) The band visited The Black Crowes at Conway while they were recording Amorica on their way to SXSW.
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 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 tour. Their third album Shootout 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. 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 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. He was replaced by Paul Hoaglin (co-producer of Back To The Grotto and Part Timer Goes Full). In September of 2002, 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.
Toward the end of 2004 the Mother Hips reunited and started playing shows again. They recorded an EP, Red Tandy, followed by a full-length album, Kiss the Crystal Flake, released in April 2007. The band released their seventh album, Pacific Dust, 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. The Mother Hips released an archival 4-CD set compilation celebrating 20 years of music together September 13, 2011 called Days of Sun and Grass. On May 14, 2013, the band announced that their new album, 'Behind Beyond' would be released on July 9, 2013. The album was produced by David Simon-Baker and recorded at the Mission Bells studio in San Francisco and will also include the songs, 'Isle Not of Man' and 'Jefferson Army'. - The band continue to perform, for details see the website link below.
Recording Details: Source SBD>Mac laptop. - Lineage CDR>EAC V0.95 beta 4>yamp>Flac Front end version 1.7.1 level 8.
Sound Quality: Superb - soundboard.
Set List:
Set 1.
01.Cinnamon Girl
02.Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
03.Round and Round (It Won't Be Long)
04.Down By the River
05.Losing End (When You're On)
06.Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets)
07.Cowgirl In the Sand
Set 2.
01.Banter
02.Singing Seems to Ease Me
03.Colonized
04.Such a Thing
05.3rd Floor Story
06.Back to the Grotto
07.Del Mar Station***
08.Gold Plated
09.Song in a Can
10.Grizzly Bear
11.Life in the City
12.Chum
13.Blue Tomorrow
14.Red Tandy
15.Rich Little Girl
16.---waiting for encore
17.Encore: The Figure 11
*** with Court and Spark
Website: Official Here.
Comments: There are FLAC, Ogg Vorbis and mp3 download files, along with the streaming material over at the Internet Archive (here).
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