Gin Blossoms

Gin Blossoms moved beyond the college rock scene and onto mainstream radio in 1993, as “Hey Jealousy” and “Found Out About You” both entered the Billboard Top 40. In contrast to the grunge surge that followed Nirvana’s rise, the band conjured an earlier sound rooted in the ringing guitar style of 1980s acts such as R.E.M. Their 1992 major-label debut, New Miserable Experience, captured that jangly spirit while incorporating louder guitars suited to the alternative-rock climate of the decade. Mid-1990s success brought several hits, cresting in 1996 when “Follow You Down” reached the Billboard Top 10 and its B-side, “Til I Hear It from You,” climbed to number 11; yet persistent internal strife, intensified by guitarist Doug Hopkins’s departure and his suicide later that year, ultimately fractured the group. They disbanded in 1997, remained inactive for five years, then reunited for fresh recordings and live dates. Since that return, Gin Blossoms have continued as a working band, issuing albums at intervals and maintaining a touring schedule that draws fans nostalgic for their 1990s singles.

Doug Hopkins established Gin Blossoms in Tempe, Arizona, in 1987 alongside bassist Bill Leen, vocalist and guitarist Jesse Valenzuela, guitarist Richard Taylor, and drummer Chris McCann. The lineup shifted repeatedly during the first year: McCann gave way to Dan Henzerling, who was soon succeeded by Phillip Rhodes, while Taylor was dismissed in favor of rhythm guitarist Robin Wilson, who also took lead vocals. Wilson and Valenzuela later exchanged guitar roles, and the band became a steady presence on the Arizona club circuit. They self-financed the independent album Dusted in 1989, an effort that prompted A&M to offer a contract the next year.

Adapting to the major-label environment proved difficult. In 1991 the band attempted a full-length record but produced only the EP Up and Crumbling. After that release they moved to Ardent Studios in Memphis to work with producer John Hampton, yet those sessions were undermined by Hopkins’s deepening depression and struggles with alcohol. A&M eventually required the group to remove Hopkins or lose their deal. The band parted ways with Hopkins, brought in Scott Johnson on guitar—first as a temporary member, then permanently in 1994—and completed the album that became New Miserable Experience.

Issued in August 1992, New Miserable Experience took time to build traction. Steady promotion by the band and label finally placed the record on the Billboard 200 in May 1993, with the Hopkins-penned “Hey Jealousy” arriving on the Hot 100 that July. The single climbed to number 25 on the Hot 100 and number four on the Album Rock chart, lifting the album along with it. While Gin Blossoms enjoyed their initial success, Hopkins’s condition deteriorated, ending with his suicide on December 5, 1993. The group pressed ahead as “Found Out About You,” released as a single in October 1993, advanced on the charts. It matched the previous single’s Hot 100 peak at 25 and became their first track to register on the Modern Rock chart, where it reached number one. New Miserable Experience remained on the charts through 1994, supported by follow-up singles “Until I Fall Away” and “Alison Road,” which peaked at 21 and 24 on the Hot 100, respectively. The album earned double-platinum certification in August 1994 and quadruple-platinum status in May 1996.

While preparing their next album, the band stayed visible through “Til I Hear It from You,” their contribution to the Empire Records soundtrack. Written by Valenzuela, Wilson, and Marshall Crenshaw, the song became a substantial radio success, reaching number four on Album Rock and number five on Modern Rock, though it was not issued as an official single until paired as a double A-side with “Follow You Down,” the lead track from the second album, Congratulations I’m Sorry. Again produced by John Hampton, Congratulations I’m Sorry entered the Billboard 200 at number 10 upon its February 1996 release, aided by “Follow You Down,” which gave Gin Blossoms their first Top 10 Hot 100 single. The album received gold certification in April 1996 and platinum status in June 1997, yet subsequent singles faltered: “Day Job” stalled at 21 on Modern Rock and 29 on Mainstream Rock, while “As Long as It Matters” peaked at number 75 on the Hot 100.

The modest chart performance of Congratulations I’m Sorry ended the band’s momentum, and they split in early 1997. Wilson and Rhodes formed the Gas Giants, while Johnson joined Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers. Wilson continued with the Gas Giants until the group announced an indefinite hiatus in June 2001. A Gin Blossoms reunion was confirmed that December; the reactivated lineup, featuring Phil Leavitt of Dada on drums, performed a New Year’s Eve show. The reunion solidified, and the band toured steadily in the early 2000s, cycling through drummers—Gary Smith replaced Leavitt, then Scott Kusmirek took the role in 2002—while Rhodes briefly returned in 2005 before departing again.

Major Lodge Victory, the band’s fourth album, surfaced on Hybrid Records in 2006, ten years after Congratulations I’m Sorry, and debuted at number 159 on the Billboard 200. In 2008 John Richardson succeeded Kusmirek on drums; Kusmirek appeared on the 2009 live set Live in Concert, issued by Cleopatra. Another studio album, No Chocolate Cake, arrived on 429 Records in 2010 and entered the charts at number 73. Richardson exited afterward and was replaced by Scott Hessel, who joined in time for the 2012 Summerland package tour.

Gin Blossoms maintained an active touring schedule through the 2010s and entered the studio in 2016 to record with producers Don Dixon and Mitch Easter, the team responsible for R.E.M.’s earliest work. The resulting Mixed Reality was released in June 2018.