MUSIC: The Mother Hips

Ok, so here's another band that has somehow managed to put together a pretty extensive career and somehow fly under the music radar for a long long time. The Mother Hips, hailing from California, are often said to play a unique brand of California Soul music (for whatever that is worth).

Returning to the fold after a four year hiatus, they've released a new EP called Red Tandy which you can listen to over at their mypsace page. Harp Magazine describes the release as "psychadelic retro-rock guitar-pop with catchy hooks, honey-soacked harmonies, and hippie-soul infused lyrics." Just about right on.

They also just released an entertaining DVD called Beauty Rock: Live at the Catalyst. The live music part of the DVD comes from a 2003 show in Santa Cruz directly preceeding their hiatus. Also included are interviews from the bandmembers describing the show, their careers, and the break-up (which turned out to be a hiatus). I got a chance to watch the DVD and it's a classic example of rock 'n roll done california style. You can order it here.

To get a taste of the Mother Hips live, here's three tracks from their July 2006 show at the High Sierra Music Festival. I was actually at this show and my interest in the band grew 10 fold after seeing them deliver this blazing set.

::: The Mother Hips - Mother Hips (live @ High Sierra 2006)
::: The Mother Hips - Red Tandy (live @ High Sierra 2006)
::: The Mother Hips - Two Young Queens (live @ High Sierra 2006)

You can order albums and merchandise through their official website.

[Photo credit goes to John Carelton.]

Tags: mother hips, california, red tandy, psychadelic, music, mp3, macktronic, cannonball!