Please note: this site is intended to be archival and not a source of current news. Please see the official website and message board for current information.

It’s official!

Yep, it’s true... the Gin Blossoms have reunited! The band has been touring and a new CD is also in the works.

Shows, shows, and more shows

The Blossoms are out and about on tour. Visit Pollstar.com to see the current list of dates, and sign up for their notification service to be kept abreast of new additions.

Robin’s blog

Visit Robin Wilson’s blog at the gaming site 1up.com.

About the reunion

The Blossoms broke up in the spring of 1997, and all of the band members moved on to do their own things. Vocalist Robin Wilson and drummer Phillip Rhodes launched the Gas Giants. Bassist Bill Leen retired from music to run a rare books store. Guitarist Jesse Valenzuela fronted a short-lived outfit called the Low Watts, released a solo album, and kept busy writing and producing. Robin ventured into producing as well, at his own Mayberry Studios in Tempe.

But the Gas Giants announced an "indefinite hiatus" in June 2001. On Dec. 4, 2001, it was announced that Scott had decided to leave his current band, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, to rejoin the Gin Blossoms. The band regrouped and began playing together again in earnest (having done a couple of one-off shows in the interim) in 2002.

Drummer Phillip Rhodes did not rejoin the band initially. Phil Leavitt of Dada (remember "Dizz Knee Land"?) originally took Phillip’s place in the lineup, then Gary Smith (of The Pistoleros, another great Tempe band) stepped in, and finally Scott Kusmirek. But Phillip has finally reclaimed his seat behind the drums and is currently touring with the band

More Arizona music

Think the Gin Blossoms are the only great band to come out of Arizona? Think again.

The Arizona music scene is absolutely teeming with great bands in a variety of genres. Although this is by no means a comprehensive list, these are some of our favorites. Turn off the radio and turn yourself on to some of these lesser-known groups. (For clips from these and other local bands, visit the Arizona Republic MP3 site.)

Jimmy Eat World—Buy anything you can find by this band. Now. We mean it. You can thank us later.

Another Arizona band, Reuben’s Accomplice, toured with Jimmy Eat World in summer 2001. Their CD, "Blame the Scenery," was released in Sept. 2001.

Gloritone have a new album, "Fainter Farther Still," out on local imprint Hayden’s Ferry Records.

Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers have earned a healthy local and national following, and have been touring nationally in support of their new CD, "¡Americano!" You can buy their CDs from their website.

The Pistoleros released their major-label debut, "Hang On To Nothing," (featuring one song penned by former Blossom Doug Hopkins) on Hollywood Records in 1997. They were later dropped from the label, but self-released a CD in 2000 that has earned some major-label attention. Jesse Valenzuela is working with the band on their upcoming CD, and Gary Smith, their drummer, toured with the Blossoms in 2002.

Dead Hot Workshop, a local staple, enjoyed a much-hyped reunion at the end of 2000, and still play around town ocasionally. You can hear their music and order CDs on their official website.

These are just a few of the local bands worth mentioning. For more information on Phoenix-area music, visit the New Times (their articles are archived back several years -- do a search to turn up information on a particular band) or The Arizona Republic’s MP3 site. Also, see the Other Links page on this site.

Updated 8/27/05