Gin Blossoms’ Guitarist Jesse Valenzuela Talks Business, Reveals Upcoming Album

Jesse Valenzuela, the former front man turned lead guitarist of the Gin Blossoms, recently offered industry insight during an interview with Bob FM’s Ryan Skaith. The Gin Blossoms performed a summer tour kickoff show June 11 at the Ozarks Amphitheater.

The Gin Blossoms experienced huge success with their hit “Til I Hear It From You” when it was included in the movie Empire Records in 1995. That song made it to number nine on the Billboard charts.

“I had written it and it was one of those great circumstances where there was a movie available and they happened to like the song,” Valenzuela said. “It was the right place at the right time. We were lucky that from the time we recorded the song to it being in the movie was only weeks. It was a special situation and doesn’t too often happen that way.”

Over the years, the Gin Blossoms’ sound has been described by listeners as “southwestern” or “Mill Avenue” style. Valenzuela agrees with the labeling.

“I’ve heard that before and we used to play all of the clubs on Mill Avenue,” Valenzuela said. “It’s right by Arizona State University. I’ve heard it described by a pal who is a record producer. He said, ‘It’s just sort of folk music really fast, isn’t it?’ I said, ‘Yes, I think so.’ We were trying to make the kids dance.”

A new album is in the works by the band and is scheduled to be recorded this fall.

“We’ve booked studio time in October to make a record,” Valenzuela said. “I imagine we’ll be done some time in November. Then we’ve got to, you know, beat the bushes to find someone to release it. It’ll be out probably springtime or summer.”

Valenzuela has a solo record, “Tunes Young People Will Enjoy,” that is currently available. He expressed his passion for making music.

“At this stage of the game, I release music because I enjoy writing and making records,” Valenzuela said. “And, I write for film and television. I try to stay busy. It’s kind of a mainstay for a lot of different artists who pursue it.”

Valenzuela explained the process that artists and agents have to go through to get songs on television or films.

“For a lot of people, they’ll have a whole package of material that they’ll send to an agent and invariably they get the okay from the artist to use it when they want,” Valenzuela said.

The recent Gin Blossoms concert at the Ozarks Amphitheater was described by Valenzuela as a, “soft kickoff” for their summer concert tour. For future concert dates and locations, visit www.ticketmaster.com.