The Mother Hips will be performing two shows on July 8th at Hopmonk Tavern in Novato, California. There will be a 1:00pm matinee show as well as a 7:00pm evening show. Asher Belsky opens the matinee. The Courtney Janes open the evening show. Both will be on the the outdoor stage. These shows tend to sell out so get your tickets early!
I’m thinking of trying something new and wanted to get input from people like yourselves.
Over the past 5 years I’ve been doing a lot of sailing on the West Coast, Mexico, Croatia and the Caribbean. As I did with the High Sierra songwriting trips I did years ago, I’m thinking about combining my passions to organize an annual sailing and music experience in the Caribbean.
I would like to start small to test out the idea: A few couples/parties joining for a 4 day/4 night trip in the British Virgin Islands aboard my friends’ boat; a catamaran called Lost Cat. She’s a beautiful boat that I crewed on a couple of years ago. I’ll be joining the captain again this year as he sails her from Bonaire to Tortola, where we’ll be based for most of November.
It seems the perfect opportunity to test-drive the concept of a sailing/private concert experience. For 4 days we will sail and island hop in the BVI during the days, then drop the hook in beautiful bays where we’ll hang out for the night for drinks & song.
Being aboard a catamaran like Lost Cat is pretty luxurious and is a great experience for those who maybe haven’t spent much time on a sailing vessel (it doesn’t “heel” and there’s lots of room), and for those who already love sailing (she’s fast and performs well). There’re private queen berths and a great meals prepared on board. Typically we’d spend 3-4 hours under way each day.
If this is something you would be interested in doing, let me know and I’ll send out more details as they unfold. -Tim
This album rests in a place of reflection and wisdom from experience, looking back on places and relationships with a sense of growth tinged with longing. The bluesy rock influence prevalent in much of The Mother Hips’ music is still present, though they push further here, broadening the spectrum of their sound between country, rock, and psychedelia.
★★★★
When We Disappear
BLUE ROSE. CD/DL/LP
Having followed The Mother Hips through 30-odd years and a dozen albums, I still don’t have an easy answer as to what kind of band they are. All I know is that whatever they play or sing sounds like California. Late-’60s/early-’70s West Coast country rock and soul play a big part – at its best here on tender, bittersweet Leaving The Valley and masterful, Gram Parsons-y Almost To Idaho. Sometimes it brings to mind The Band – if The Band were a jam band. There’s also elements of psych rock and Beach Boys (both can be found in Room Four) as well as harmonies (Lost Out The Window) and rocking blues (She Stepped Away).
Mother Hips’ co-founder Tim Bluhm recounts: “When we were teenagers we were on a road trip in the Great Basin with my older brother and some of his friends. They had this cassette tape with a lot of weird music on it and one night at the campfire this song came on and freaked us out,” Tim Bluhm explained. “We later discovered that it was the Charlatans covering a Buffy St Marie song.”
In Their Words: “In one of our last writing sessions before we started the recording process, I had brought a demo of a soulful, guitar groove to Tim. I kept repeating the phrase while Tim worked towards the main melody on guitar. We decided that it was quite effective when he sang along with the guitar line. The lyrics are about the departure from the womb and the desire to return.” – Greg Loiacono, The Mother Hips
Our new record When We Disappear is out today! We recorded at Jojo Manson‘s The Kitchen Sink Studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Mojo Magazine gives it 4 stars ****
Produced and Mixed by Tim Bluhm and Greg Loiacono for Blue Rose Music
Danny Eisenberg – piano
Mastered by Anthony Puglisi
Art by Jason Lee Denton
Pick up the vinyl and CD here:
Check out “Codine” live at The Guild. Special thanks to Relix for the video.
Listen to the studio version of this song here: https://fanlink.to/Codine
