Q&A with Gin Blossoms' Jesse Valenzuela

By Joshua Maloni

GM/Managing Editor

Grammy-nominated alt-rock band Gin Blossoms – the pride of the music scene in Tempe, Arizona – will headline an outdoor concert Sunday, Aug. 11, at Artpark in Lewiston. The triple-bill includes Toad the Wet Sprocket and Vertical Horizon.

Tickets are available online at www.artpark.net and at the Artpark box office, 450 S. Fourth St., Lewiston.

Guitarist/vocalist Jesse Valenzuela shared more in the edited Q&A that follows the band bio.

^{Toad The Wet Sprocket photo by Chris Orwig // courtesy of Milestone Publicity}

^{Gin Blossoms photo by Shervin Lainez // courtesy of Milestone Publicity}

Q: So, I'm guessing – based on how hot it has been in Buffalo over the past couple of weeks – that August is a good time to go on the road, based on where you guys live. Is that right?

Jesse Valenzuela: How's Buffalo doing right now?

Q: It's been hot. It's been wet. Fortunately, it has not been wet on concert nights; but it's been it's been hot. So, we enjoy that as much as we can – because, you know, we get the snow.

Jesse Valenzuela: What's your idea of hot? I don't think Buffalo, really, can fathom heat.

Q: It's Buffalo hot. You're absolutely right. It's been like. …

Jesse Valenzuela: 90?

Q: Like around 80.

Jesse Valenzuela: (Laughs). We're going to need to bring our sweaters.

Q: That's a fair point. Well, again, when you have snow so many months out of the year, 80 feels like it's 120.

Jesse Valenzuela: I've been in Buffalo in both counts, but the Summertime is fantastic. It’s just beautiful; it really is. Winter is beautiful, too.

We've been there a lot over the years and we've always had a nice time. And you know what? Our good pals in the Goo Goo Dolls are proud Buffalo guys.

Q: That's right. Yeah.

Jesse Valenzuela: So, they've always sent us the right pizza place. It's a great town. A lot of fun. I liked that (venue), too (Artpark). It’s out in those beautiful words.

Q: Yes, absolutely.

Jesse Valenzuela: And there's some train tracks by. It's gorgeous. It's like a resort.

Q: We're very spoiled at this particular venue, that's for sure.

Jesse Valenzuela: Yeah, we're really looking forward to it.

We're coming with some friends. We're going to have a nice night of music.

Q: You are coming with some friends.

With this particular tour, you're fresh into it – you've just done a couple of dates. How's everything going so far?

Jesse Valenzuela: It's going good. We went on the road. We've been on the road all of July, so the band’s really firing. We just picked up with the other bands a week or so ago, so we're still pretty fresh on the tour.

WATCH:

Q: I love a triple bill. We're super excited to have all of you guys out this way. What was it about this particular opportunity – what was it about these bands – that made it appealing to you guys?

Jesse Valenzuela: We’re really lucky to have Toad with us, because they definitely headline their own tours and make all this happen. So, for us to throw in together on a co-headlining bill is a big deal for us. They have an amazing show and they have a lot of hits, and we have a lot of history with him. So, to play for a couple of weeks together is a great thrill.

And then Vertical is a great band. I've known those guys since the ’90s. And I know Matt Scannell – we've been friends. Their show’s really rock ’n’ roll. It's a nice show; and we're thrilled to have them with us, too.

You don't always get to get to play with the guys you love. And when it happens, it's a real joy.

Q: You mentioned you’ve been on the road, playing through July, and that you're hitting on all cylinders. Tell me a little bit more about your live show and what we can expect.

Jesse Valenzuela: We’re going to deliver all the songs that you would expect. A few surprises. We just want people to be satisfied.

Q: You have many great songs – and, in looking at some of the interviews and some of the press pieces that have been put out over the years, the one thing that it always comes back to you, as far as what's made the band so successful for this amount of time, is the fact that you have put together great songs historically.

I know there's no magic formula to it. But, if you were talking to young musicians or talking to up-and-coming groups, what would you suggest, as far as the key to resonating with audiences or the key to creating songs that are going to be enduring – not just for a year, but for 10, 20, 30 years and beyond?

Jesse Valenzuela: It's really hard work; and there's a huge level of luck involved, too.

But, to speak to the work effort, it's something you have to enjoy doing. Songwriting, it just takes the time. There's a lot of editing involved. A lot of hours alone.

I have been lucky to be able to teach a little bit at UCLA in California and ASU in Phoenix, and looking at young songwriters, I just told them that I think that there's just a big commitment to making it your life. And when you do that, you won't have a problem with the amount of hours it takes to get good at something. You just commit to it and keep moving forward. And it's probably a good idea to believe in yourself. And it requires a lot of confidence to keep moving forward.

Q: At Artpark, they book artists from every genre. We're really fortunate, like I mentioned. When you come up here next week, you're sort of in a string of shows where the artists really came to prominence in the ’90s. In our market over the past couple of years, we've really had a resurgence of acts that came to prominence in the ’90s, whether it be solo shows or double-bills, triple-bills, what have you. To me, that decade was sort of unusual in all the different things that hit. What do you think makes the ’90s so unique and, when people look back on that decade, what makes that decade and your contributions to it so special?

Jesse Valenzuela: I don't know if it is unique, because every generation has just fantastic music. We're just part of this, you know? Because I can think of some really fantastic ’80s and ’70s and ’60s music, and the 2000s. But, I mean, I appreciate your kindness – that means a lot. That's really special.

I think that we got lucky to be involved with the ’90s music. I mean, that’s the time we came up. We started in the ’80s. We were a band in ’87-88. So, I think we were a little out of step with a lot of ’90s music, because we weren't very aggressive sounding. A lot of what is huge ’90s music is different than what we play. But saying that, we didn't we didn't really fit in with the Seattle sound, and some of the other sounds like that.

Q: What was it like traversing that musical landscape back then, as opposed to what it is today? I mean, back then, like you said, at the end of the ’80s, into the ’90s, you were getting into a lot of different genres, the music industry was changing a lot, videos – everything was changing. Now, today, obviously, things are completely different with record sales, music videos, touring. It seems like there might be some similarities there, as far as complexities of what bands have to deal with.

What can you tell you about what it was like trying to make it in the ’90s versus what it's like trying to be successful today?

Jesse Valenzuela: I will say this: In some ways it’s definitely harder today, because they don't have the avenues and the machinery that we did. Today there's not record companies handing out to record deals quite as easily as they did back in the ’90s. I'd say that kids are really much more DIY and they make it on their own, and go out and tour on their own without tour support, without record labels.

I think that the kids today, the ones that are out there doing it, have a lot of heart and a lot of guts and I’m happy for them. I think they're brave. There's no radio setup like there was in the old days.

But I don't know. We got lucky, getting signed to A&M Records, and received tour support to go out and get in a van and go across the country a bunch of times.

Q: I know you are a busy man. I appreciate you taking time to chat. We’re looking forward to seeing you in the near future.

Jesse Valenzuela: So, the weather’s going to be great? We’re going to be 80 degrees?

Q: As best as I can tell. So, like you said, you’re going to have to pack a sweater – maybe some long johns.

Jesse Valenzuela: (Laughs)

Q: We’ll take away the fans we’ve had for every other band and we’ll put some heaters up there for you guys.

Jesse Valenzuela: You know, you’re not off.

I think that's going to be great. We're looking forward to it. Like I said, we've always really enjoyed Buffalo, and we've played all over the city. We’ve played the college and we played that canal party, and the concert halls, and this is our second time at Artpark, so we're really looking forward to it.

Gin Blossoms are online at https://www.ginblossoms.net/.

Gin Blossoms. From left: Scott Johnson, Scott Hessel, Robin Wilson, Bill Leen and Jesse Valenzuela. (Photo by David "Doc" Abbott / @davidabbottphoto // courtesy of Milestone Publicity)