The Mother Hips Celebrate 30 Year Anniversary With Vinyl Catalog Reissues

The Mother Hips are about to begin their 30th Anniversary in January. That’s a big deal and it can’t be understated. When you think of any kind of partnership (work, marriages, even friendships), it’s tough to make it to thirty, but this band is about to cross the threshold to an exclusive club. This is something to be celebrated – it needs to be celebrated – by band and fans alike.

The Mother Hips have followed a challenging road and the fact that they have come out of adversity, the grind of the music business and all that it entails, with heads held high and standing tall is, well, it’s just worth celebrating. And any other year it might be as easy as hosting a week-long run of shows at a special venue for everyone to get together and revel in the righteousness of the milestone. 

But, Covid.

So, how does a band, whose hallmark is their live shows and their dedication to their fans, mark this momentous achievement when large gatherings are verboten? The answer came from Joe Poletto, owner of Blue Rose, The Hips’ record label. At a 4th of July celebration this summer in Sea Ranch, CA, Joe almost off-handedly turned to co-frontman Greg Loiacono and said, “What if we just re-release the Hips’ catalog on vinyl?” Brilliant! Awesome! Really? Yup!

While the hope is that perhaps in late 2021 everyone may be able to gather for a proper concert, the heart of the 30th Anniversary celebration will be the monthly limited release of reissued full-length albums that span the band’s entire career over the course of the year beginning with the band’s legendary debut, Back To The Grotto, in January, 2021. Each month a new vinyl reissue will follow until all full-length albums are rereleased. In Poletto’s words, “A rock band that has been together for 30 years and is still going is significant. We felt that assembling The Mother Hips’ collection of music to vinyl was the right way to celebrate with the fans.”

And if that were not enough, the catalog reissue ends with the release of two albums of new material at the end of 2021. This will be a great year to be an old fan of the band, hearing new songs for the first time (and old songs in a format many of us have only dreamed would happen) and a new fan discovering the deep well of California Soul that so many of us count as the soundtrack to the lives we have lived to this point. 

The relationship the band has had with Blue Rose has been, and certainly will continue to be, a fruitful one. In five years of partnership, the band has released two Mother Hips records (including a tour de force electric live release) as well as numerous solo albums from both Tim Bluhm and Loiacono. And to make the whole thing even sweeter, all sales proceeds will be donated to the Blue Rose Foundation whose mission is to award preschool scholarships to children from economically disadvantaged families and foster a life-long love of learning and provide the children with the tools to reach their full potential. 

You can pre-order your vinyl at the following link:

https://blue-rose-music.myshopify.com/collections/the-mother-hips

Finally, each month, beginning in January, Glide staff writer Andrew Quist will cover the latest upcoming monthly reissue through interviews with band members and fans that will tell the story of the band’s history through the people that were there and contextualize each release through our collective memory. Glide is honored to be a part of this epic moment in Mother Hips’ history . . . Hipstory? Sure, it works! Happy 30th, everybody!