Tim Bluhm of the Mother Hips Goes Solo

For those Mother Hips fans who have been living under a rock for the past year, the now-defunct band ended its 13-year career in February 2003, with a two-day farewell concert in San Francisco.

Every member has since then delved into new projects including the group's songwriter and co-guitarist, Tim Bluhm, who has openly embraced a career as a solo artist, embarking on what he likens to an adventure in music quite different from anything in the past.

"This album ('The Soft Adventure') definitely allowed me to explore slightly different areas of music because there is no one else who can really tell me what it should be like, so I can do whatever I want," said Bluhm. "In the past, playing by myself and putting out this solo record was always related to playing mellower music because the Mother Hips was a rock 'n' roll band. But now that the group doesn't exist any longer, I finding that putting rock 'n' roll on future solo albums is going to be really fun."

Released this year on California Recordings, "The Soft Adventure" is a compilation of Bluhm's latest material, a series of six songs recorded in 2001, along with 10 older tunes from what many call the lost album. Entitled "Colts," it was originally recorded in 1996 but never released until now.

"The new record is pretty mellow because at the time I recorded those songs, the Mother Hips was still very much alive and I anticipated that by the time I released the album the Mother Hips would no longer be around," said Bluhm. "However, it turns out it's really fun to play rock 'n' roll and I took it for granted because it's all I've ever done as an adult. So I would sometimes get burnt out on it when the Mother Hips would be touring so much and I would think, 'I don't want to play rock 'n' roll anymore.'"

The Mother Hips and Bluhm thus far have never been in the spotlight of commercial media coverage nor attracted the following of a mainstream fan base. However the band always packed venues across the country with a devoted, underground audience that seem equally interested in the work of Bluhm and his former bandmates who are jump- starting their respective solo endeavors.

"I'm definitely not interested in being a recognizable personality. I'm much more interested in having people recognize my music and exposing my music to a lot of people," said Bluhm. "That is more a measure of success for me than how many people recognize me when I'm trying to eat a bagel or something. That doesn't hold any appeal or intrigue to me."

As a songwriter, Bluhm, a native of Manhattan Beach, Calif., spends time honing his craft by writing on a consistent basis, inspired by daily meanings or experiences in his world now living in Northern California. He tends to write when the moment hits him rather than attempting to write material while in the studio amidst recording sessions.

"I just don't work that way, but there are some people who can do it to great effect like Stephen Malkmus (former frontman of the band Pavement) whose words are really amazing, very evocative and sort of abstract," said Bluhm. "I understand he gets about half of the work ready, goes into the studio and makes up the rest as he's tracking the vocals, and I admire that very much. I don't think I have the confidence to do that or it has to do with my tendency to overwrite where I'll write six verses and only use two, but I just think I take a different approach. I try to be overprepared."

Both the lyrics and tones of Bluhm's six most recent songs on "The Soft Adventure" reflect his simple life that mostly consists of surfing, camping and writing songs, along with his passion and appreciation for California's natural beauty. The 10 remaining songs originally put on "Colts" document a more darker side of his life with references to what he describes an indoor lifestyle.

"I've sort of been adjoined at playing the role of band leader and it's actually very new to me, and not always the most comfortable role to play if you're not used to it," explained Bluhm. "But it's been cool and the music comes out in ways based more on my satisfaction because I'm directing it more. As far as actually writing the songs, it's still the same because that process deals mainly with my technique. At the songwriting level I'm not really thinking about what format these songs are going to be played in, but rather I'm just thinking about the craft of songwriting, so the creative process is still pretty much the same."