Gin Blossoms, a somewhat-guilty-but-not-really pleasure for me in the 90's, is playing the House of Blues in West Hollywood, CA on February 19. You should also know that they have a new record available called "Major Lodge Victory," off of which the single "Let's Play Too" is featured in the Owen Wilson-starring comedy "Drillbit Taylor."
1992's "New Miserable Experience" was the public's introduction to this Arizona band, and although they had a reputation of being just a little cheesy and bland, this was one of the first records that I consciously thought was truly sad. Though the music was brightly lit, with infectious hooks, the overall tone of the album was rather melancholy, and kind of ushered me into a lifelong love of sad-core music. My belief in the band's essential sadness was intensified by the knowledge that Doug Hopkins, the Gin Blossom's original primary songwriter, committed suicide in 1993.
This band probably wriggled its way into my purview because they played the kind of jangly pop-rock that I still love to this day. They were like R.E.M. Jr., or just a placeholder until you discovered Buffalo Tom, The Tragically Hip, Polaris/Miracle Legion, and Camper Van Beethoven (not to mention Camper's 90's incarnation, Cracker).
Here are some videos of my fave tracks off New Miserable Experience. They're mostly live performances since Universal Music Group has disabled embedding of their clips on YouTube. Beware: the crowds sing every word and are very loud. Enjoy:
Gin Blossoms - Found Out About You (Live, Quad Cities Summerfest)
Gin Blossoms - Hey Jealousy (Live 2007, Mt. Clements, MI)
Gin Blossoms - Until I Fall Away (Live 2006, Springfield, OH)
Gin Blossoms - Allison Road
I have to point out how great frontman Robin Wilson's voice sounds in the live recordings. He looks different, but sounds almost exactly the same as his old recordings. Wonderful.
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