the Mother Hips, West by God & Brown House

In my brief tenure in Chico, I've never seen so many people in LaSalle's having such a good time. And for good reason. This, the last Chico Mother Hips show, was a certified event.
Opening things up was Brown House, a band relatively new to Chico, but consisting of members who've been hitting local and regional stages for years. With an immediately engrossing party rock vibe, deep and resonant vocals, plenty of flashy guitar solos and tight performance overall, their set was appreciated by many in attendance. Basically, chicks who spend three hours on their hair alone and guys who sport Pearl Jam Ten T-shirts and backwards baseball caps would get their rock fists up in the air upon hearing Brown House's established, not overly-adventuresome sound. They proved a well-selected opener.
Next, pop-rock from West by God confronted the crowd, which subsequently diminished for smoke breaks of various natures. It could be said that the band was good at what they do, which is run-of the-mill pop-rock progressions and over-the-top stage presence. They did "done" great. They had a lot of enthusiasm, but fell short in the "overall impressive" category. To be fair, some in attendance were down with the band's sound; and for that matter, I still like chicken nuggets that have been kept on a hot plate for hours…still, there's something to be said for freshness. West by God would probably make a darn good cover band.
And then the shit hit the fan(s). I've heard legends of Hips shows back in the day when the crowd would occupy every available inch of space in the venue, pints of beer raised over their heads, rowdy as hell and losing all their senses in the thundercloud of an epic show. This was that epic show of yore. The Mother Hips absolutely tore it up, playing their tight blend of rock 'n' roll and country-rock with the heart and soul of a band on fire with rejuvenated fervor. Ripping through a long set of songs from their extensive repertoire, the members seemed to be really enjoying themselves. Some personal favorites included "Grizzly Bear," "Back to the Grotto" and "Bent Carousel," all played with incredible spirit and expert showmanship.
This, of course was to be the last time that Chico would ever host a Mother Hips show, and the energy on behalf of both the band and the crowd was fitting for such a landmark, albeit bittersweet, event. Shows like these bring bands on the verge of break-up back into healthy, future-seeking status. One had to wonder just what was going through the band members' minds while playing at the top of their game and witnessing such a gracious response from their fans. We can only hope that the shows that follow are met with equal enthusiasm. The band may be winding down, but Wednesday night's show was proof that they're down, but not nearly out.
- Richard Stein
- Photo by Alyssa Starkey

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