Mother knows best

Monday, November 2nd, 2009 | musiX, pdX

There are probably only three improbable bands that are more ingrained into my being than The Mother Hips (three guesses on who they are). Bands whose songs have been there through the best and worst times of my life, songs that bring the warmth and comfort of mom’s homemade mashed potatoes. That’s saying a lot.

And The MoHips seem to get better with age. The San Francisco four-piece just released Pacific Dust, which continues where 2007’s Kiss the Crystal Flake left off—breezy harmonies tempered with crunchy guitars (”White Falcon Fuzz”), and pop hooks that amble along with noisier passages (”Pacific Dust”). Hell, the Hips have been doing it for some 20 years—criminally out of earshot of audiences who worship bands like Wilco and Blitzen Trapper—and these days sound quite comfortable embracing the psychedelic, country, pop and multi-passaged songs that occupy their seven studio records.

A ferociously dedicated fanbase doesn’t hurt, either. TDoL has prattled on numerous times about The Mother Hips. The band still tours incessantly—mostly on the West Coast—playing to rabid followers in both dingy clubs and posh theaters. The Hips will return to Portland Nov. 6 at the Doug Fir … another place that sorta feels like home.

“White Falcon Fuzz” - The Mother Hips

“Pacific Dust” - The Mother Hips

Tags: Pacific Dust, The Mother Hips

2 Comments to Mother knows best

dbj
November 2, 2009

You should hook me up.

Betty
November 4, 2009

Wow, 20 years. Maybe this is what they mean by standing the test of time. Glad you’re keeping us up to date, Mark - like w/the Hips, you gotta keep on keeping on!

The Days of Lore