The members of Gin Blossoms have transitioned to their current status as a beloved nostalgia act better than most artists. As students of rock history, they know that they were incredibly lucky to get one song in the Billboard pop charts, let alone the four Top 40 hits they landed during the ’90s. They also know that the likelihood of getting back to those heights anytime in the near future would be next to impossible. Instead, the quintet is embracing the continued interest in their past work and making new music as the spirit moves them. (Their most recent album Mixed Reality was released last year.)
What separates them from the flailing moves of some of their contemporaries is that their most popular songs—”Til I Hear It From You,” which got to #11 on the Billboard charts in 1995 and “Follow You Down,” which was a #9 hit the year later—aren’t tied to a ’90s aesthetic. This was a power pop band that could have emerged alongside Big Star and The Knack some 15 years before its formation. Sure, they had tunes on the soundtracks for Wayne’s World 2 and Empire Records but the reason Gin Blossoms still get played on the radio today is that, melodically and spiritually, their work had a melodicism and drive that unashamedly sought out and impressively achieved timelessness.
As well, Gin Blossoms has maintained their remarkable work ethic since reuniting in 2001 following a break up four years earlier. The group has toured steadily since, both to support new albums and to pay heed to their past successes. They are more than happy to play every song off of their 1992 album New Miserable Experience as long as there are people who still want to hear them.
With Gin Blossoms returning to the area this weekend to perform at ilani Cowlitz Ballroom in Ridgefield, we caught up with founding guitarist Jesse Valenzuela to talk about keeping the band afloat after more than three decades together and whether he still gets something out of playing the group’s hits after all this time.
PORTLAND MERCURY: With you living in Los Angeles and the rest of the Gin Blossoms scattered around the country, is it difficult to keep momentum going or find time to rehearse?
No, no. We haven’t lived near each other for over 30 years. Most bands at our professional level rarely live near each other. Everyone moves and pursues their own lives. I think that people don’t realize that we’re on the road two-thirds of the year. We play 125 shows a year. At a certain level, if someone wants to play a song we haven’t played in a while or that we’ve never played, we just send the other guys a message. Everybody listens to it and then we get together in the dressing room or during soundcheck and everyone plays it. We don’t really do too many big rehearsals anymore because we play so much.
It must be nice, too, to have things open enough where you can work on other musical projects?
If there’s a tour, we take it and there’s other pursuits that seem to bring interest. So if you want to play music with somebody else, it’s not a big deal.
Is it important for the band to keep making new music, like your most recent album Mixed Reality?
No one seems that interested in new music. It’s been three years since we made that record. I think we just do it. I don’t think we have that much thought about it. When there’s some new songs that have been kicking around just because it’s fun to do. We haven’t sold any records in a long, long time. Haven’t sold any new records. You know the artist Nick Lowe? I went to see him and he said, “The saddest words in the English language are: ‘I have a new record.’” The point being it gets difficult in our career or anyone of our vintage. People really want to hear the songs that they remember. We choose to really respect that. But haven’t said all of that, there is an interest in the band to make some new music, so we try. It’s all we’ve ever done so it makes sense to keep doing it.
What about the music that you listen to or the artists that inspired you growing up? Do you seek out any of their new music?
Not really. A lot of them have become friends so I invariably hear a lot of music in the process of a friend making a record. It’s always nice to hear what people are up to. I like that. If it’s made its way into my life then I’ll probably keep listening to it for the rest of my days. I just don’t seek that much new music anymore. My son plays some stuff that I find interesting but I don’t see myself running to the record store to seek it out.
When it comes to performing a song like “Hey Jealousy” or “Til I Hear It From You,” songs that you’ve played hundreds, if not thousands of times before, do you still get some kind of charge out of it or are there nights when you feel yourself going into autopilot mode?
I do get something out of it. These seven big songs that we’ve created, they’ve paid my way. They’ve put our kids through school and allowed us to stay independent and able to pursue an artistic lifestyle. They deserve all the respect they can get.
What are you working on outside of the Gin Blossoms?
I have a new record that I’m working on and I’m in negotiations to start working on this TV show that starts in the fall. We’ve been so busy that it’s been hard to ruminate on anything. I have a record kind of done and hopefully will release it next year. I’m playing in Nashville Sept 7 at the Bluebird Cafe. I try to stay busy. Honestly I wouldn’t mind just getting home and sitting down for a while.
It has to feel good to be able to be a working musician like that and still be in this band and enjoying yourself after all this time.
It does feel good. I think we’ve been really lucky and fortunate. There has been some talk about playing less shows so we can pursue other things and maybe enjoy time with our families. It’s been a couple of years of really, really grinding. There’s still another 56 shows left this year.
Gin Blossoms perform Sun Aug 25, 7pm, ilani Cowlitz Ballroom, 1 Cowlitz Way, Ridgefield, $39-$59, w/Collective Soul