THE GIN BLOSSOMS, SHOWING NO SIGNS OF SLOWING DOWN

It is hard to believe that the Gin Blossoms have reached the status of becoming rock and roll veterans. While enduring the many highs and lows of being a hit rock band, The Gin Blossoms created a signature sound that is still as fresh and vibrant today as it was when they burst onto the music scene more than two decades ago. Having released an impressive catalog of studio albums, compilations and concert DVD’s , the Gin Blossoms are still very much alive and doing what they do best “Writing great pop songs that are timeless.”

Based out of Tempe, Arizona the Gin Blossoms were first conceived in 1987. After a series of personnel changes the bands line-up was solidified by the time of their independent self released debut “Dusted” in 1989. Catching on with the club scene as well as college radio major labels took notice finding the Gin Blossoms signing with A & M Records in 1990. The following year the band released their impressive debut “Up & Crumbling”. Everything was now in place to take the Gin Blossoms to success on a national level. Nineteen ninety-three was the breakthrough year the band had been waiting for. Their first hit single “Hey Jealousy” followed by their follow-up “Found Out About You” filled the airwaves with their respective videos receiving heavy rotation on MTV helping to catapult record sales of over one million copies sold. While all seemed in place with the Gin Blossoms founding member and principle song writer Doug Hopkins tragically took his life in December of 1993. With concern that the Gin Blossoms would be unable to rebound from such a deep personal loss and fill the songwriting void left by Hopkins, they quickly regrouped pulling themselves together and embarking on a rebirth. Two years later the Gin Blossoms contributed the single “Till I Hear It from You”, co-written with Marshall Crenshaw, as a part of the soundtrack of the film “Empire Records”. While the song was never officially released as a single it became a big hit for the band. After nearly a decade of non-stop touring and recording the Gin Blossoms released their final studio album “Congratulations….I’m Sorry”, which did chart for a number of months and was followed by a successful tour. Ten years after their inception the Gin Blossoms called it quits in 1997 with band members choosing to pursue individual efforts. The break-up proved to be temporary when on New Year’s Eve2001 they once again graced the concert together. “Our other bands broke up”, recalls lead singer Robin Wilson. “We looked at each other and said ‘Let’s give this another try. It was nothing too complicated we just found a way to start playing together again. It made a lot of sense at the time. Nobody was fighting it and it just fell together.” The following summer they did a summer tour releasing a live DVD. The Gin Blossoms were indeed back and showing no signs of slowing down. Over the next four years two new releases came out “Dusted” (2002) and their most recent studio effort “Major Lodge Victory” (2006). “Our 2006 album did well”, recalls Wilson, “We were on an independent label and we only had so much reach. We were unable to re-establish America’s awareness of our existence, which was disappointing. We are hoping with our next record to make some headway in that direction. We have a great batch of new material that I am really excited about.” While the days of signing a major record contract for most bands has come and gone, the Gin Blossoms are using their independent status and the internet presence to build and maintain a solid fan base. “You don’t need a record company to get you into record stores because record stores don’t exist today”, says Wilson. “That was a big part of the resources spent at major labels, it was the retail division and now it doesn’t exist anymore. Selling CD’s isn’t something record companies are making money off of. A band like us that is already established we have 30,000 myspace friends, we can easily make our records and sell them directly to those 30,000 people without anyone’s assistance. That makes it entirely possible for us to continue to do this. With another summer concert season upon us the Gin Blossoms are busier than ever playing clubs, theatres, casinos and music festivals to rave reviews while preparing a new release, their first in two years, due later this year. “We are working on new material”, says Wilson. “We are always writing. We just began, a few months ago, to present new songs to each other and start to demo them. It’s a slow process when you’re always playing. I would hope by the end of the year we have got it recorded.” While it is obvious that the Gin Blossoms are still a viable act with lots of mileage left, they are most appreciative of their history and the blessing of having their own piece of a cluttered music industry as Wilson recalls. “The first time you’re on MTV or the first time you play a stadium, those types of things only happen once. Signing a record contract on the hood of a car, great singular moments that you don’t get to ever have twice. We’re lucky we got to do all that. Now we’re grown up veterans. We have families and we’re still doing it playing rock and roll music. We are very lucky to still be doing, what we are doing.”

On May 11, 2008 the Gin Blossoms, featuring Robin Wilson on vocals, Bill Lee on bass, Scotty Johnson Jesse Valenzuela on guitar and Scott Kusmirek on drums, played two sold out shows at the Sellersville Theatre in Sellersville, PA. In honor of Mothers Day several band members sported suits and white patent leather shoes. Front man Robin Wilson commented during the show “That he must have not gotten the memo on the stage attire for tonight’s show.” The Gin Blossoms flawlessly banged out a 75 minute set of all their classics as well as some lesser known songs. Highlights included “Found out About You”, “Alison Road”, “Hey Jealousy” and “Until I Fall Away”. The Gin Blossoms will continue to tour into the fall with a new release expected by years end. Based on tonight’s performance and the crowds reception, look for the Gin Blossoms to return to Sellersville in the near future. For more info on the Gin Blossoms go to www.ginblossoms.net or www.myspace.com/ginblossoms To see up and coming shows at the Sellersville Theatre go www.st94.com

Posted by
Rob Nagy