Bonus interview with Jesse Valenzuela of Gin Blossoms

photo: Shervin Lainez

Here is more from my interview with guitarist/singer/songwriter Jesse Valenzuela that didn't make it into the main article (also on this blog). We talked by phone while he was in transit from a gig in Arizona the night before...

Q: Last May, the band did a Memorial Day Weekend concert on the U.S.S. Midway in San Diego. How was that experience?
A: It was a great honor to play; very nice.

Q: Even played on a ship before?
A: Certainly not.

Q: What can you tell me about what the working atmosphere of recording the latest album "Mixed Reality" was like in North Carolina?
A: We recorded that record so long ago, it’s hard to remember. It sat in the can for a year. Then it was six months to get it placed [on a record label] and it came out last summer. It was a great experience. I love Don Dixon. He’s a wonderful musician and producer. He’s a real smart man. We’ve worked together in the past. It was terrific to spend a week with him and Mitch Easter.

Q: Had you been a fan of Don and Mitch's work together and apart with REM and The Smithereens?
A: Sure, I know all of Don’s work. He produced a record I worked on about five or six years ago. I played in a band with him for awhile too. 

Q: The songs you and Danny contributed to the latest Gin Blossoms album are among the strongest on the new album. "Angels Fly" has an indelible melody. Then there’s the vivid imagery on "Fortunate Street." Was the latter inspired by an actual place?

A: [Laughs] I think there is one in London, but that wasn’t necessarily about it. We were trying to write a song with only two chords. Then we had to put in a third one. 

Q: Your songwriting partnership with Danny goes back at least 20 years to his album "Spin This." Then you did the duo album a few years ago. What do you enjoy most about collaborating with him?

A: In 1997, Danny was on Elektra and we wrote the single for his record. It was actually a big hit in Japan and the Northern countries of Europe, which is kind of a kick. I heard it recently at a grocery store. Danny’s a good friend of mine. He’s just a lovely man. Our families get together and he’s been a close friend for years and years.

Q: Did the Gin Blossoms ever tour with The Rembrandts back in the day?

A: No. We have in the last 15 years. 

Q: You just did a 25^th Anniversary tour for "New Miserable Experience." While going back and relearning some songs you’d never done live, did you end up discover anything new?

A: No, we play all those songs all the time.

Q: Really? Songs like "29" and "Cajun Song," you’d still play regularly?

A: I’ll be honest with you: I wish we played "Cajun Song" more. I think I’m the only one who likes it. 

Q: Are you proud that the core band lineup is still intact after all these years?

A: [Laughs] That is a good thing; isn’t it? Scotty’s been there for 30 years. I don’t know if it’s a big issue anymore. I had this talk recently with a friend. Maybe it’s the body of work and the songs that are more important than anything. The Gin Blossoms never had a big big profile. It was always more about the songs. 

Q: You worked with Stevie Nicks, who's nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist this year. I really enjoyed the songs you played on which are included on Nicks' box set "Enchanted," like that great Dorsey Burnette cover, "It’s Late" and then the "Twisted" demo for the movie soundtrack.

A: I love old music like that and I love the Burnette Brothers. There aren’t too many rooms I go into where if I sing an old Burnette Brothers song, that they’ll know it exactly. I started singing it and she did the whole song. That’s how that came to be. Since Tom Petty passed last year, when I hear those songs they made together, it’s really something special. I love the [songs] we made together. They're special [too]. 

Q: Have you got the new Tom Petty box set?

A: No. But he did an old Charlie Rich song, "Lonely Weekend," that I’ve done for years. His version is the one I really love the best. It’s a brilliant arrangement.

Q: How’s is your solo EP coming along?

A: Great. I have four or five songs. I don’t think the world wants anymore than that right now. I've been singing a few of them live. I think it’s working.

Q: Is it true that Rhett Miller and Judy Collins might be on it?

A: I wrote with Rhett for the new record. A very pretty song I’ve recorded. And Judy too; so we’ll see what happens.

Q: I remember you co-wrote a song with Judy in the ‘90s for her "Anthology."

A: Yeah, we did. She’s been really supportive and is a wonderful person. She told me I need to put out more records.

Q: When you’re home in L.A., how often do you drop in do perform at your girlfriend's health food market and eatery, Urban Radish?

A: [Laughs] I think I’m becoming known for this. It’s become kind of a big deal in my life. I love it. Come on by. It’s really fun! Honestly, it’s reinvigorated my interest in playing more. Sometimes you get tired. Now I like playing again. It is fun and the food’s terrific too.

Gin Blossoms perform at SBD Fest in San Bernardino, Calif. on Saturday, then headline Dec. 29 at The Canyon in Agoura Hills and Dec. 30 at The Rose in Pasadena.