the Mother Hips

Celebrating the imminent release of their fifth album, Green Hills of Earth (on Future Farmer Records), The Mother Hips took the stage at Slim's to experience a tidal wave of energy from the roaring crowd of devoted fans. The show had sold out days earlier, due to the anticipatory buzz for the new record that was aided by a cover story in the San Francisco Chronicle's Sunday Datebook and an appearance and airplay on KFOG earlier in the week. All reports of the new record indicate that it's a watershed for the band, representing yet another stylistic shift for the Hips, the current sound being a blend of mid '60s Brit rock and So Cal beach pop from the same era.
The Mother Hips have been perfecting this style in their live shows for the past two years, gradually pulling away from both hard-edged schizophrenic time changes and country rock, without leaving either of those styles behind completely. On this night, they seemed proud and determined to showcase the concise, yet finely crafted songs from Green Hills of Earth in letter-perfect and supercharged performances. If there is one thing that ten years of constant touring and songwriting has taught them, it's how to put on a rock show. They came out ferociously, laying down solid grooves, infectious guitar hooks and spot-on vocal harmonies from the very first song, "Singing Seems To Ease Me." Their energy and stoke matched that of the crowd and it all spontaneously came together in a thrilling symbiotic rock 'n' roll feeding frenzy.
The set consisted of nearly every song from Green Hills of Earth, with a few older tracks and covers by The Kinks, The Everly Brothers and Merle Haggard scattered throughout. One particular highlight was the back to back placement of two of GHoE's love songs, each with a Southern California beach setting (guitarist Greg Loiacono's "Del Mar Station" and lead singer Tim Bluhm's "Channel Island Girl"). Other standouts were "Life In The City," and the creepy and potent "Protein Sky"
With Green Hills of Earth finally completed, a new record deal signed, and a the wheels of promotional machinery turning, there is sense of lighter than air optimism surrounding the Mother Hips, and it is shining through in live performances like this one.

- Shug

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