2. “Ballerina Out Of Control” – The Ocean Blue: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

2. “Ballerina Out Of Control” – The Ocean Blue

(From the album Cerulean)

1991

The Ocean Blue were a band on the rise. Their debut album had sold well and spun off a couple of successful college radio singles. Perhaps as importantly the young band had the support of Sire Records and their famed president Seymout Stein, who believed that The Ocean Blue were rising stars that would help carry forward the sound of jangly alt rock made popular by The Smiths and R.E.M. Indeed, when The Ocean Blue’s second album Cerulean was released in February of 1991 the band scored another college radio/alt rock hit with the lush and chiming single “Ballerina Out Of Control”. The Ocean Blue were able to follow this success up with another minor success with the song “Mercury”. The Cerulean album, which was engineered and co-produced by future R.E.M. producer Pat McCarthy with the band (mostly drummer Rob Minnig who would helm much of the engineering and production duties in the future), doesn’t stray far from the sound of their debut other than to bathe everything in a sparkling, hazy wash. Doing so helps to create a tone similar to what The Sundays had created for their successful debut Reading, Writing & Arithmetic and its hit single “Here’s Where The Story Ends” a year earlier; namely a sound that mixes the sound of The Smiths with the dreamy, gauzelike production of Cocteau Twins. Cerulean did fine, although it didn’t quite match the success of the debut, but everything would change in the summer of 1991 as that would be when Nirvana would release Nevermind and everything about alternative rock – the sound, the look, the production style, and the commercial expectations – would change dramatically. By the time The Ocean Blue released their third album in 1993 the alternative music scene had shifted beyond recognition and their very 80’s indebted sound left them in a difficult situation, at least commercially.

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7. “Miss Disarray” – Gin Blossoms: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

7. “Miss Disarray” – Gin Blossoms

(From the album No Chocolate Cake)

2010

Gin Blossoms called it quits in 1997 and the various members went their separate ways to work on various projects. By 2002 however Gin Blossoms were back together and rehearsing in order to get back on the road and tour. However, the band’s old nemesis of alcoholism reared its ugly head again when drummer Phil Rhoades suffered an alcohol-related breakdown and entered rehab. Unwilling and/or unable to deal with this particular demon again after losing Doug Hopkins years earlier to his battle with alcohol, Rhoades was dismissed from the band. A series of drummers would play with the group moving forward before Gin Blossoms settled on Scott Hessell. Following their successful reunion tour the band began considering a return to the studio to work on a new album. Gin Blossoms took their time working on the new record but released Major Lodge Victory in 2006, a decade after their last album. Major Lodge Victory was not a commercial smash, but it did appeal to their core fans and gave the band a reason to hit the road again. These tours led to the live album Live In Concert in 2009.  2010 saw the release of their second post-reunion album, No Chocolate Cake, and the release of its lead single “Miss Disarray”. “Miss Disarray” found the sonic crossroad between the band’s slightly gloomy rock hits like “Found Out About You” and “Hey Jealousy” and their pretty, delicate ballads like “Til I Hear It From You” and met in the middle, giving the band a moderate hit. During this period Gin Blossoms would travel to Iraq to play a series of shows for the American troops stationed there before joining the 2012 Summerland Tour with others 90’s bands Everclear, Sugar Ray, Marcy Playground, and Lit. 2018 saw Gin Blossoms work with former R.E.M. producer Don Dixon and release the album Mixed Reality.

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6. “Not Only Numb” – Gin Blossoms: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

6. “Not Only Numb” – Gin Blossoms

(From the album Congratulations I’m Sorry)

1996

“Follow You Down” became another sizable hit for Gin Blossoms but the Congratulations I’m Sorry album didn’t have the staying power of New Miserable Experience. The second single, the almost grimy rocker “Day Job” didn’t quite crack the Top 20 on the alt rock or mainstream rock charts in the US and had no presence at all on either the American or British pop charts. Realizing the band had earned more recent success with ballads Gin Blossoms released the pretty “As Long As It Matters” as the third single. “As Long As It Matters” scraped into the bottom rungs of the American pop charts but didn’t do anything with their once core fan base in the alt rock world and so seemed to be another underperforming single (although it was nominated for a Grammy). Gin Blossoms tried again to score a hit by releasing a fourth single from Congratulations I’m Sorry. That fourth single was the bittersweet and midtempo “Not Only Numb”. In my opinion, “Not Only Numb” is the best song on Congratulations I’m Sorry and might have earned more airplay and success if it had been released as the second single instead of “Day Job”, especially since the band had already earned a hit with a rocker with the lead single “Follow You Down”. However, that didn’t happen and by the time the band released “Not Only Numb” the momentum for Congratulations I’m Sorry (and perhaps the band generally) had been lost and “Not Only Numb” is a very good song that is mostly only known to fans of the band. The band must have felt that they had run their course because in 1997 they decided to breakup and would stay apart for most of the next decade.

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5. “Follow You Down” – Gin Blossoms: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

5. “Follow You Down” – Gin Blossoms

(From the album Congratulations I’m Sorry)

1996

“Follow You Down” was released as the lead single from Congratulations I’m Sorry, the  Gin Blossom’s follow-up to their breakthrough album New Miserable Experience. The album was titled in reference to what people would often say to them when meeting them during this period: “Congratulations” for their success and “I’m sorry” for the death of friend and bandmate Doug Hopkins. With Congratulations I’m Sorry the band still had a fair amount to prove but many of those worries were finally put to rest with the lead single and biggest hit “Follow You Down”. Primarily written by rhythm guitarist Jesse Valenzuela, “Follow You Down” is very similar in sound and style to the two big hits written by Doug Hopkins – “Hey Jealousy” and “Found Out About You” – and showed that Gin Blossoms could still write hit songs in that style and not just ballads. Indeed, if there was a complaint from critics it was that “Follow You Down” sounded almost too much like their previous work, but the listening public didn’t care and turned “Follow You Down” into another major hit for the band. “Follow You Down” would be the only major hit from Congratulations I’m Sorry though and it almost didn’t make it on the album. The recording of Congratulations I’m Sorry was basically finished but guitarist Jesse Valenzuela had a few chords he couldn’t get out of his head. He kept working on them back in his hotel room and finally worked them into a rough version of “Follow You Down”. Sure it was good, he quickly recorded a demo and sent it to a friend at the record label who agreed it was a hit. So, the rest of the group was brought back into the studio to help flesh out the song and it was recorded, becoming the lead single and a sizable hit.

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4. “Til I Hear It From You” – Gin Blossoms: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

4. “Til I Hear It From You” – Gin Blossoms

(From the movie soundtrack Empire Records)

1995

Gin Blossom’s New Miserable Experience had long legs and the band spent a lengthy time promoting and touring it. After that Gin Blossoms took some time off to mourn their friend and former bandmate and process his loss and their new stardom. However, it didn’t escape the press, the record label, or even the band themselves that their two big hits were both written by Doug Hopkins and that he would not be coming back to write them anymore. On one hand this didn’t seem overly problematic since both rhythm guitarist Jesse Valenzuela and singer Robin Wilson were proven songwriters that had written songs for their albums. Indeed, one of the singles from New Miserable Experience had been the lovely ballad “Until I Fall Away”, which had been penned by Valenzuela and Wilson together, and it had been a bigger hit on the pop chart than either “Hey Jealousy” or “Found Out About You”. On the other hand though “Until I Fall Away” had found most of its success as a ballad on the pop charts and didn’t do nearly as well on the US alternative charts, the US rock charts, or in the UK, the audiences that were the core fan base of the group. So, the Gin Blossoms still had something to prove if they wanted to be more than a short-lived success. Some of the question of whether the Gin Blossoms could find success without Hopkins was put to rest with the success of their single “Til I Hear It From You”, which was released as the lead single to promote the soundtrack to the movie Empire Records. A very early version of the song was written by Jesse Valenzuela and 80’s college rocker Marshall Crenshaw when Valenzuela sought Crenshaw out at Austin’s South By Southwest Festival in 1995. The two men retreated to a hotel room and worked out a rough version of the song. Singer Robin Guthrie later added lyrics and the song was released, becoming another huge hit for the band, ultimately hitting #5 on the US alt charts and #9 on the pop charts. It also cracked the UK Top 40 and was a massive hit in several other markets including Canada and Iceland. The success of “Til I Hear It From You” proved that Gin Blossoms could still have big hits without Hopkins, but it didn’t remove all the questions since it too was a ballad and had a co-writer from outside the band. 

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3. “Found Out About You” – Gin Blossoms: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

3. “Found Out About You” – Gin Blossoms

(From the album New Miserable Experience)

1992

The Gin Blossoms had a somewhat unexpected hit with “Hey Jealousy” and were suddenly a hot new band on the rise. “Hey Jealousy” however had been written by guitarist Doug Hopkins who had been battling a crippling and worsening alcohol addiction that had resulted in the record label firing him from his band just as the finished recording New Miserable Experience. Hopkins then sank further into alcoholism and depression and committed suicide just as “Hey Jealousy” was coming off its commercial peak. Just a short time prior to Hopkins’ death a follow-up single was released from New Miserable Experience and it was “Found Out About You”, another song written by Hopkins. “Found Out About You”, a slightly darker but just as catchy earworm of a song, went on to become another big hit for the Gin Blossoms, roughly equalling the success of “Hey Jealousy”. Hopkins was already gone though and would never see that another song he wrote become a massive hit. This also put the band in the weird spot of having another big hit with a song written by someone who had been forced from the group which played a direct role in his decision to commit suicide. Of course, the other members of the band were conflicted by this (remember though that “Found Out About You” was released prior to his death). The situation was only made worse by the fact that the media only wanted to ask about this unusual and difficult turn of events and so they couldn’t escape the tragedy, drama, or loss of their friend. 

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2. “Hey Jealousy” – Gin Blossoms: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

2. “Hey Jealousy” – Gin Blossoms

(From the album New Miserable Experience)

1992

The Gin Blossoms were signed to A&M Records on the strength of their growing fan base and their independent debut album. However, upon signing with the label the songwriters in the band were hit with a serious case of writer’s block and what was meant to be their debut album wound up being just an EP. The band returned to the studio not long after to try again and this time they were able to finish their major label debut New Miserable Experience, which was released in 1992. Whether or not the band really escaped the writer’s block that had plagued their first attempt is debatable as six songs, a full half of the album, were songs that were already released either on their independent label debut Dusted or on the Up And Crumbling EP (and five of the album’s six singles were from this group). Many of these songs were rerecorded is slightly shinier, less raw versions, all of which makes the success of New Miserable Experience even more unusual in the wake of Nirvana. That said, Gin Blossoms did feature a sound that carefully walked the line between 80’s college rock and 90’s grunge and alt and so appealed to a wide swath of listeners. That success was slow to come though. New Miserable Experience was released to little fanfare and with little promotion from A&M. Indeed, the record’s first two singles – “Lost Horizons” and “Mrs. Rita” – both found little success. However, almost a year after the album’s release a third single was released and that song, “Hey Jealousy”, rode the wave of alt rock success into the Top 25 in America and Britain and turned the Gin Blossoms into a sudden success. That success was already being tainted however by the fact that the writer of the song, guitarist Doug Hopkins, was battling crippling alcoholism and had been forced out of the band by the record label at the end of the recording sessions, long before “Hey Jealousy” became a hit. Initially the rest of the band considered the move to be temporary and new guitarist Scott Johnson was hired only as a touring guitarist to replace Hopkins on the tour to promote the album while he sought help. However, both Hopkins alcoholism and his attitude got worse after being forced out and he became estranged from his former bandmates as well. This situation was only exacerbated by the eventual success of “Hey Jealousy”. On one level Hopkins was pleased that the song was a success but it pained him that he was not in the band enjoying the fruits of that success, a situation made worse by the fact that he had signed over much of his songwriting royalties at the time of his exit because of his desperate financial situation). It was also difficult because the song, which had become inescapable, was directly about his relationship with an ex-girlfriend and featured lyrics he had penned about him showing up at her house and begging to stay the night because he was drunk and had nowhere else to go, only to ultimately admit that he knows he has already lost her and that she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Feeling abandoned, struggling with his demons, and unable to escape the song that was a constant reminder of his failings, Doug Hopkins committed suicide in December of 1993, just as “Hey Jealousy” was coming down from its commercial peak. 

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1. “Allison Road” – Gin Blossoms: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

1. “Allison Road” – Gin Blossoms

(From the EP Up And Crumbling; later included on the album New Miserable Experience)

1991

Gin Blossoms formed in their hometown of Phoenix, Arizona in the late 1980’s, taking their name from the red skin condition people get in their cheeks and nose when they drink too much. After a few early line-up changes the band’s line-up settled in with Robin Wilson on vocals, Doug Hopkins on lead guitars, Bill Lean on bass, Jesse Valenzuela or rhythm guitars and backing vocals, and Phillip Rhodes on drums. Gin Blossoms became one of the most successful local bands in the Phoenix music scene and began to tour further from home, building themselves a larger audience. The group was successful enough to independently release a full-length debut album titled Dusted in December 1989. Not long after Gin Blossoms signed with A&M Records and began work on their major label debut. However, the band hit a serious creative block while working on the new album. The band struggled to write new material and was unhappy of much of the work they had done. So, to take the pressure off and, perhaps, buy a little more time to get their creative spark back the group and A&M agreed they would just release an EP. That EP, titled Up & Crumbling, was released in October 1991, right as the musical landscape was changing to favor alternative rock (which was good for a band that had a similar sound to R.E.M., Toad The Wet Sprocket, and later period Replacements). Up & Crumbling contained two songs that had been included on the independently released Dusted and three new tracks (two of which would later be included on their A&M debut New Miserable Experience). One of the best of the bunch was Robin Wilson’s “Allison Road”. “Allison Road” is a jangly, melodic rocker that was strong enough to make the cut and also be included later on New Miserable Experience, where it would ultimately be released as the sixth single from that record.

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7. “California Cruising (Bumpin’ In My Trunk)” – The Offspring: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

7. “Cruising California (Bumpin’ In My Trunk)” – The Offspring

(From the album Days Go By)

2012

By the time The Offspring released their 2012 album Days Go By the alt rock scene they had come from was largely gone and they had become respected elder statesmen in the genre. This might have been a difficult transition for a band that rarely took themselves or their songs too seriously and increasingly had become a party band more than angry punks. However, Days Go By finds The Offspring writing songs that draw on all the various eras of their career while also carefully pushing the boundaries of their sound into some newer corners. The lead single and title track “Days Go By” feels a lot like a lost Foo Fighters song and is pretty good. Opening track “The Future Is Now” would sound fine on the radio alongside the emo bands that were all the rage in 2008 and “Turning Into You” has echoes of the post-grunge crunch of Nickelback (which isn’t as bad as it would sound like it should be). On “Hurting As One” The Offspring even sound a lot like themselves at their Smash era prime. However, it is the second single “Cruising California (Bumpin’ In My Trunk)” that feels most like the band that The Offspring have become. “Cruising California” is, in truth, a pop song with a good beat that only hints at their punk past (although it never sounds like anyone other than The Offspring) and could have just as equally been recorded by Gwen Stefani, Smash Mouth, Snoop Dogg, or any other artist that embodies the warm, summer vibes of southern Califonia. Days Go By has something for fans of all eras and sounds of the band (and maybe even some new ones) but, for good or bad, it’s the party pop of “Cruising California” that seems to be who The Offspring has become. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the song is fun and very catchy but it’s also a long way from the work of a band that started out emulating Bad Religion and Social Distortion. Days Go By would be the band’s final album for nine years, not releasing another until 2021’s Let The Bad Times Roll. Another album titled Supercharged has been announced for late 2024.

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6. “Original Prankster” – The Offspring: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

6. “Original Prankster” – The Offspring

(From the album Conspiracy Of One)

2000

The year 2000 was still relatively early in the development of the internet, especially as it related to the music industry, and the original intent of The Offspring was to release their entire 2000 album Conspriacy Of One for streaming online through their website to show the band’s support for peer-to-peer file sharing of music. However, only the lead single “Original Prankster” would be released through their site as Sony, the parent company of Columbia Records, threatened legal action. Thus, Conspriacy Of One was released as a physical album (although the other songs were leaked to fan sites). “Original Prankster”, which continues in the general trend of “Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)” was another success for the group, although it didn’t have the larger cultural impact of earlier songs like “Come Out & Play” or even “Pretty Fly”. Following the promotional cycle for Conspriacy Of One the band released the song “Defy You” on the soundtrack for the film Orange County before taking a much needed break. During the time off the band fired longtime drummer Ron Welty for reasons that have not elaborated on. 2003 saw The Offspring return and release the album Splinter, which saw moderate success with the lead single “Hit That”. In a funny moment that helped to promote the album The Offspring announced that the title of the record would be Chinese Democrazy (You Snooze, You Lose), in reference to the long-stalled Guns ‘N Roses album that Axl Rose was still working on. Predictably, Rose filed a cease and desist order before realizing that The Offspring’s announcement was released on April 1st and was only a April Fools Day joke to promote Splinter (and poke a little fun at Rose). Splinter was followed by a Greatest Hits record, which would be their only release for five years. In 2008 The Offspring released Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace, their first new material since Splinter five years earlier and had another hit with “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid”. On the same day that Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace was released Epitaph Records also released reissues of both Ignition and Smash. The band would spend 2009 on tour with a variety of acts.

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