By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
May 24, 1993
Which came first for the Gin Blossoms? The hit single “Hey Jealousy,” or the record company’s campaign to change the group’s image with a new video, new promo photos and a new album cover?
The hit single, oddly enough.
“I don’t think it was so much our sterling looks that offended the record company as they didn’t like the artwork,” guitarist Jesse Valenzuela said, laughing. “They didn’t think it looked like a big-selling record. I don’t understand marketing guys. The only thing was that it was nice to get confidence from the label. Them putting all that money into us made us able to tour nonstop for 11 months.” The Gin Blossoms will play a free show tonight at the Hard Rock Cafe.
But by the time A&M decided to re-promote the band from Tempe, Ariz., “Hey Jealousy” already was racing up the charts and the first video for it – a straight-ahead segment of the band performing – was getting steady airplay on MTV.
“Oh, so you mean why fix something if it’s not broken?” said Valenzuela, 30. “Who knows? It wasn’t that big a deal. No one was that happy with the artwork for the album (`New Miserable Experience’), not even us, but by the time the record came out, I was so used to it that it didn’t really matter to me.”
Cleaning up the band visually had less to do with the band’s success than the band’s nonstop roadwork. After touring with Del Amitri, Toad the Wet Sprocket and the Neville Brothers, the group is back on the road on its own headlining tour. Spurred by vocalist Robin Wilson’s distinctive vibrato and chiming guitars, the Gin Blossoms create straightforward pop that some critics have likened to a mixture of R.E.M., the Replacements and Tom Petty.
During the short stopover in Chicago, Valenzuela said their pals Lost Luggage – a Chicago-based band – will take the Blossoms to see the Cubs play the Giants. He loves Chicago, but he’ll be rooting for the Giants. Why?
It could be because the Giants have spring training in Scottsdale, near to Tempe, and the Cubs are further away, in Mesa. (The Cubs trained in Scottsdale until 1978.)
“We went to a ballgame (in Chicago) and the Cubs lost, and one of the guys from Lost Luggage (drummer Andy Poland) said, `It’s a good thing they lost so you got the real Cubs experience.’ ”
The Blossoms’ tour ends June 3 – almost a year after they hit the road promoting “New Miserable Experience.” What’s Valenzuela going to do?
“Everyone’s going to take a vacation, but `Jesse’s dream scenario’ is to spend some time in Chicago making some music with the guys in Lost Luggage,” he said. “Then I get back with the Gin Blossoms in the fall and we work on new stuff. That’d be ideal.”
