Press Kit

Interview
Static Multimedia
January 2006

The Mother Hips came out of the bar scene of Chico, CA to build enough of a following to join tours for higher-profile acts such as Wilco and the H.O.R.D.E. tour during the course of the 1990s. After a bit of a hiatus the band, singer/guitarist Tim Bluhm, singer/guitarist Greg Loiacono, drummer John Hofer and new bassist Paul Hoaglin, are back with a new EP on Camera Records entitled Red Tandy.

Bluhm, also the band's chief songwriter, answered the call when Static Multimedia reached out for a Q&A with the band.

Static: What's the last song that flat-out scared you?

Tim Bluhm: "Weighted Down" by Skip Spence

What was the worst show you ever played, and why?

1992, The Cock and Bull in Santa Monica. The rugby-playing, beer-drinking regulars couldn't hear the game on the TV and words were exchanged. The owner kicked us out. My parents were there.

What will you do immediately after completing this interview?

Play my drums.

What song are you most proud of on this album? Why?

"Colonized," because it has a message that I believe is important and it is really fun to play.

What can fans expect to get at one of your concerts that they couldn't necessarily get on your album?

Faster tempos, more screaming, just more energy in general.

Who/what were some motivators for getting you into the industry?

I think it started for me when I saw how people treated well-known musicians. I wanted to be accepted.

What direction do you feel you're headed in artistically? What's next?

I take myself less seriously than I used to but I am more serious in general. I don't feel like my direction has ever really changed. I am still trying to do what I was trying to do when I was 20 years old; write good songs and play them to people. Now I am also geting into recording music and that has been very interesting to me.

What would you like to come back as in a later life?

A pelican.

What was your first live performance like?

Out of tune. We were a singing trio with kind of ambitious parts that we couldn't really pull off. The doorman said it sounded like the Meat Puppets. We were going for Crosby, Stills and Nash.

Whose phone number would you most like?

My lost friend from high school, Onno.

What periodicals, if any, do you subscribe to?

TapeOp and the New Yorker

Name something non-musical (e.g. book, person, building, animal) that has inspired or influenced you.

There is this book called California Classics by Lawernce Clark Powell that talks about a lot of great California writers and their books. That pretty much pointed me to most of my favorite California books.

What one thing must you have on tour with you?

Ear plugs.

Favorite recreational tour stop?

Surfing.

What other artists are you currently listening to?

Jackson C. Frank, Teenage Fan Club, Paula Frazer.

Who would you like a chance to collaborate /tour with?

Neil Young.

What's the best thing about being a musician?

You don't have to work for the man.

What's the most truly subversive piece of music you know?

"Grand Funk" by Grand Funk Railroad.

What was the first song you learned to play?

Probably Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here."

How did you come up with your name?

Come on...

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