Tomorrow We Can Drive Around This Town, And Let The Cops Chase Us Around...

(From Left To Right)
(Robin Wilson, Bill Leen,Philip Rhodes, Jesse Valenzuela(far right), and Doug Hopkins)

It's official... The Gin Blossoms are finally coming to Manila!

That said, I can't think of any better reason to kick off Radio Free Pop's Artist In Spotlight series that with nineties alt. veterans, the Gin Blossoms.

Personally, I hold the Gin Blossoms high on my list of favorite bands. Doug Hopkins, the band's former lead guitarist/primary songwriter has been incredibly influential on my own songwriting, so do expect a separate entry dedicated to Doug sometime soon.

The Gin Blossoms made their debut on Christmas night 1987, featuring the original line-up of Doug Hopkins and Richard Taylor on guitars, Bill Leen on bass, Chris McCann on bass, and Jesse Valenzuela on vocals. Not long after, Chris McCann and Richard Taylor were replaced, respectively, by Philip Rhodes and Robin Wilson, who would later take on Jesse's place and serve as the band's lead vocalist.

Doug Hopkins was already a legend in his own respect in the fledgling Arizona music scene that also spawned the likes of the Meat Puppets, Dead Hot Workshop, and the Refreshments.

One of the Gin Blossoms' early distinctions was their work ethic when it came to touring and preforming. They were true road warriors and would often play nine gigs in the span of a week. They were infamous for sidelining on Tuesday nights as the Del Montes. As legend has it, the name spurred from former drummer, Chris McCann, who would evade his probation meetings to preform with the band. Over time, the name stuck as the band graced themselves with a myth akin' to that of the Traveling Wilbury's assigned nicknames. As it followed, Robin was "Bif Del Monte, Jesse was "Pablo Del Monte", Doug was the legendary "Otis Del Monte", Bill was "Soup-bone Del Monte", and Philip was "Guido Del Monte".

With their increasing popularity, the band independently recorded their first album, Dusted in 1989. The album featured early versions of what would become the band's first hit singles, "Hey Jealousy" and "Found Out About You", as well as fan favorites such as "Lost Horizons" and "Keli Richards". What I love about Dusted is how raw the songs sound; if anything, the songs are incredibly fast. In an interview with Identitytheory.com, Wilson commented, "I can't listen to that record because it just sounds like we're The Chipmunks. We're just blasting through everything at a hundred sixty beats-a-minute. There's just no discipline, and we were undisciplined—we were a bunch of young, drunken rock-n-rollers."

Another thing that makes Dusted such a worthwhile album are the lost gems such as "Girls Can't Wait", "Slave Dealer's Daughter", "I Can Sleep", and "Fireworks". While hard to come by, the album can be purchased in the band's gigs and their website.

Not long after Dusted's release, the band secured a contract with A&M Records. The band made attempts at recording an album, before coming out with the EP Up & Crumbling. The Up & Crumbling recording sessions spawned a host of unreleased demos in the form of "Blue Eyes Bleeding", "Fallen For You", and "My Biggest Date".

After touring in support of Up & Crumbling, the band returned to the studio to record what would become New Miserable Experience. The band recruited producer John Hampton, known for his work with the likes of the Replacements and Alex Chilton (artists that had greatly influenced the band).

However, tragedy occurred during the recording sessions when pressure from A&M Records forced the band to fire Doug Hopkins, who's depression and drinking had taken a toll during recording. Following the album's completion, the band recruited friend, Scott Johnson, and returned to the road, in support of New Miserable Experience.

Not long after his departure with the band, Doug Hopkins formed the Chimeras with Mark and Lawrence Zubia. The band saw a style that meshed blues with the Gin Blossoms' signature sound. Many of Hopkins' later tunes such as "My Guardian Angel", "Long Last Lonely Mile", and "Southbound Train" were survived by the Chimeras, who, by 1997 changed their names to the Pistoleros, after signing with Hollywood Records.

"Hey Jealousy" was released as the album's first single. It got the distinction for being "the single that couldn't die", as the song held itself in the US Billboard charts for weeks until reaching 25 on the Billboard Top 100. The song spawned three music videos and was succeeded with "Found Out About You", "Alison Road", and "Until I Fall Away".

It was during this time that the band finally caught their big break. Sadly, it was overshadowed by Doug Hopkins' suicide.

The band continued to tour and remnants from this can be found on the promotional EP Shut Up & Smoke and the 2003 DVD release of Just South of Nowhere, which showcased unreleased favorites, "Everywhere", and "What?". To many, this proved that the band were still capable of writing amazing songs without the support of Doug Hopkins.

In 1995, the band contributed "Til I Hear It From You" to the soundtrack to Empire Records. The song reached number number nine on Billboard's Hot 100 and would further strengthen the band to their next release, Congratulations... I'm Sorry, which was released in the February of 1996. The album's lead single, "Follow You Down" would become the band's follow up success to "'Til I Hear It From You". The band continued to tour as "Day Job" and "As Long As It Matters" were released as singles later that year.

It was in the spring of 1997 when the band unexpectedly announced their break-up. Following the release of the compilation, Outside Looking In: The Best of The Gin Blossoms, the band reunited in late 1999 for a New Years Eve concert.

During the hiatus, the band went on to focus on different projects. Jesse Valenzuela released his solo-album, Tunes Young People Will Enjoy. Scott Johnson joined former Refreshments front-man, Roger Clyne in the Tempe-based, Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers. Robin Wilson kept busy by producing and forming the Gas Giants with Philip Rhodes, and one-time Gin Blossom, Dan Henzerling. The band went on to record 1999's From Beyond The Back Burner. Wilson would also go onto to form the Poppin' Wheelies, a fictional band for a proposed cartoon similar to that of the Archies and Josie And The Pussycats. An album based on the cartoon was released in September of 2001.

The band reunited in 2002, which prompted A&M Records to release a two-disc Deluxe Edition of New Miserable Experience (which is now unjustly out-of-print) and the DVD of Just South of Nowhere. The band continued touring and after the departure of Philip Rhodes, the band recorded their first album in ten years, Major Lodge Victory, which featured the single "Learning The Hard Way". This August will see the release of their sixth release, No Chocolate Cake, with "Miss Disarray" a song that's already become a fan favorite at shows, as the album's lead single.

For me, what show's the Gin Blossoms' strength is how they managed to remain relevant all this time. People still know this band, people continue to seek out this band among all amazing artists the 90's had to offer, and the reason for that is simply their music. It's inviting and friendly, yet, it evokes a lot of things within by the using the simple everyday poetry of life and relationships that we often take for granted. That's always been the beauty of the Gin Blossoms.

I remember the first time I really got into them. I was sixteen, and I'm twenty one now, and they were a band I remembered from my childhood, and I was lucky enough to have caught "Found Out About You" on MYX, that was the first time I heard the song too, and even before I went to the store to buy their album or even look them up online, the sound of that song struck a nerve inside me. It was almost as if I was experiencing deja-vu. I had this swirl of lost images and emotions coming up and that was strengthened even more, when I got their Best of cd, played it, and took the time to listen to these simplistically beautiful lyrics that we're just haunting.... And I guess you can say my love for this band grew from there.

There is a lot more than meets the ears when it comes to the Gin Blossoms. What would amaze anyone when it comes to this band is the bond shared among fans. As a major Gin Blossoms fan, its almost like a privilege, a little secret club that the rest of the world doesn't quite know about. And there's so much to be discovered there. Aside from fan experiences and stories, there's the wealth of unreleased music that we seem to circulate, and that's always been one of the greatest mysteries of the Gin Blossoms for me... Their unreleased work is a treasure cove just waiting to be discovered and enjoyed. There are so much amazing songs that never saw the light of day and through fans like myself and many others, we somehow get to keep many of these songs such as "Dream With You", "My Biggest Date", "Blue Eyes Bleeding", and "Everywhere" alive.

It's a wonderful privilege to call myself a fan of the Gin Blossoms and I just can't wait for their gig.

Radio Free Pop's Song for the day: The Church "Reptile"

Hunting Season

God, how I wish there were record stores like that in Manila. With clerks just like that too. I could be one of them. I know those places aren't making money, but I don't know, it's always been a dream of mine to play records for a living.

The most I can do on my end at the moment is to hunt.

It's been five years since I was first introduced to Juliana Hatfield, care of Evan Dando and the Lemonheads. I wasn't even looking for her, she was already there; lurking beneath a blend of power-pop so sweet that I swear I need an insulin shot every time I hear it, was Juliana.

Singing along with the the most irresistible whisper, she provided the back up vocals and bass to 1992's, It's A Shame About Ray. Her presence could still be heard in 1993's follow-up, Come On Feel The Lemonheads.

I remember flipping through the liner notes of The Best of The Lemonheads: The Atlantic Years, looking for a name. A name belonging to a voice that I just fell head over heels for. And that name was Juliana Hatfield.

One Google search later, I knew it. I felt it. I was in love. I had found a girl, a girl who plays the guitar, a managed who managed to find the balance between perfect pop and searing hard rock... WOW!

That was it! I needed her albums. Simply downloading them wasn't going to do it. I needed her albums, in my hands, standing in honor, alphabetically, with the rest of my cds.

Now, finding them was a problem. Everything she did between 1988-1995 was out of print. Even worse, whatever album she had still available was slowly becoming hard to find.

Had I lived elsewhere, this wouldn't have been a problem. I could have simply walked into a used record shop, browsed through what they had until I found her stuff. But being in Manila, at a time when Tower/Music One (at the time, the best record outlets in Manila) was on the verge of falling apart. I needed alternatives, and I needed them fast.

For a little over a year, I made my way through every garage sale and made frequent visits to the Evangelista St. in Pasay; the kind of place where, if you happen to be there at the right time, you can find virtually anything you're looking for. This Statement justified a year ago, when I magically stumbled across the Pistoleros' Hang On To Nothing, which at the time, was the last album I'd expect to find in Manila.

Now, someone out there (hopefully) is probably asking themselves, "Mike, why didn't you just check out eBay Philippines?". Well, I did. And turned up nothing... Well, that isn't true. I did find something. It was a 1993 vinyl pressing of "My Sister" with a "Spin The Bottle" B-Side that was distributed to local radio stations.

I was an idiot for passing that up... I don't even want to remember how much it cost, because it was a steal. I don't want to remember because I forgot the reason I had passed up on that glorious cover-less 7" promo single.

So, flash forward to February of 2006. Randomly, I search eBay, and oh, lord. I see it... Hell, it's not even it, I see... It's all of it!

Hey Babe, 1991
Forever Baby EP, 1991
I See You EP, 1991
The Juliana Hatfield Three: Become What You Are, 1993
The Juliana Hatfield Three: My Sister EP, 1993
The Juliana Hatfield Three: For The Birds EP, 1993
The Juliana Hatfield Three: Spin The Bottle EP, 1993
Only Everything, 1995

All those albums for a ridiculously low price of PHP250 a piece. That was It, this was the moment I have been waiting for. The chance to pay for a Juliana Hatfield album, and I was getting that chance in abundance.

This was it.

I called the seller up and told him, "Ok, I don't care where we meet tomorrow, I am going to buy all the Juliana Hatfield albums you have on you.".

Then he tells, "I'm sorry sir, these albums are already reserved.".

"How could they be reserved if you just put them up?", I ask him.

And then he tells me, "The buyer ordered them from me months ago and its only now that I finally received them.".

GOD DAMN IT!

That was it... Story of my life, really. There's always something I want that I can't have, no matter how hard I fight for it. And it just happened again. With those Juliana Hatfield albums. Damn it.

But, I remain optimistic. I'm at the end of my rope, but I still remain optimistic. And then, a couple weeks later, I find that someone's got Become What You Are up for PHP350.

Like hell I'm gonna pass this up!

So I call the buyer and thankfully, no one's reserving the album. It just came along with a shipment of used cd's that was sent to him. Perfect! Beautiful! This is great!

One phone call and twelve hours later, I'm at the nearest MRT station waiting for him. It was like a scene from a movie: the guy stepped off the train and walked over to the gate, and with a big smile, he took the cd from his backpack and handed it to me.

I wanted to cry. I really did.

After long last and after all that searching, I finally had, in my hands, in my possession, a Juliana Hatfield cd. I hand him the money as fast as I can and I just inspected the album. It was mint! Hardly any scratches on the cd, the bar code wasn't burned off, and the insert booklet was perfect.

Once I had some time to breathe, we got to talking about bands, about albums, and then he also mentioned that he had noticed the greedy seller who had put up her albums a week before. I mentioned to him that I was looking for her albums with the Blake Babies, her old band, and basically every solo record she released between 1991-1995. And with a giant grin across his face, he said, "I can get them for you!".

I looked back and said, "Holy shit, no way!".

"Just give me a couple months, man. And you'll have them.".

"Deal!".

That summer, he sent me:
The Blake Babies: Sunburn, 1990
Hey Babe, 1991
The Juliana Hatfield Three: Become What You Are, 1993
The Blake Babies: Innocence & Experience, 1993
Only Everything, 1995.

Each for a higher price of around PHP850, each. And you know what? They were all freakin' worth it!

Then, a couple months later, he calls me up and tells me he's got the 2000 UK-reissue of 1998's Bed, with the songs from the 1997 EP, Please Do Not Disturb. He sold it to me at PHP600. A few months later, I save up enough to order Crushing Love, her album with side-band, Some Girls, and for my birthday, my sister got me Juliana's 2001 best of album, Gold Stars.
(Michelle, I love you!)

Pictured above,
My Juliana Hatfield collection

And now, here I am. Five years older and hardly any wiser. It's been a long time since I've put myself on the hunt for albums, due to the fact that collecting albums, as a hobby, is freakin' expensive and I can find almost anything I want with a good Google search.

However, as of this afternoon, one artist has come to my attention. Someone who's music is worthy of a long and relentless search. And that artist, is Mary Lou Lord.



Now, Mary Lou Lord came to my attention months ago when I first heard her in the Saturday Morning Cartoon's Greatest Hits compilation, which complied some of the best names in 90's alternative and 80's punk and indie into one awesome album that paid tribute to the songs that accompanied cherished programs like The Flintstones, Speed Racer, The Banana Splits, and Scooby Doo. I had gotten the album initially for Liz Phair's cover of the Banana Splits' theme song, Juliana Hatfield and Tanya Donelly's take on "Josie And The Pussycats", and Matthew Sweet's rendition of "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?".

There were two songs on that compilation that really caught my attention. First was the Murmur's take on the theme song to H.R. Puffnstuff's theme, and the second was Mary Lou Lord accompanied by Semisonic, doing the Archies' beloved, "Sugar Sugar".

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I'm a sucker for a really good pop song, and "Sugar Sugar" is no exception. It's fun, its light, its catchy, and well, just plain sugary!

Mary Lou Lord gave that song a 90's twist, while retaining the song's strong flavor of late-60's bubblegum pop!

Mary Lou Lord shares many of the same characteristics that drew me to Juliana Hatfield: she's from Massachusetts, she's a cutie that plays the guitar, who has, in her own sense, found the boundaries between perfect pop and distorted rock. However, unlike Juliana who often shifts back and fourth between the extremes of pop and rock, Mary Lou Lord found her spot between, mostly keeping to, from what little I've listened to, this sublime and earnest sense of folk pop, with a little distortion thrown in.

I'm hooked! I want to hear more of Mary Lou Lord and I want to own her albums. I've already been taken by "Jingle Jangle Morning" and her cassette release, Real, which features what has to be the earliest cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Actually, her cover wonderfully stands on its own. It's original and bright, but its still got a subtle sense of teen angst surrounding it. Brilliant, really.

And with that, I return to the great hunt for music. I don't know how long it'll take me or how much it'll cost me before I come across any of her albums. But, I've always found a thrill in finding music. It's a great journey, really... In fact, its more than that, it's an adventure in itself. It is a story worth telling. It us searching for these wonderful works of art created by amazingly talented people that unlike any other form, has the ability to touch us in way that words and pictures can't even describe.

Thank you, Mary Lou! I'm excited about finding music again.