Platinum selling, Grammy-nominated Gin Blossoms

The music that the Gin Blossoms released on A&M records between 1991 and 1996 stands with the best rock if its era, merging rousing melodic songcraft and dark, sometimes uncomfortable lyrical truths. The hard-won success of the Tempe Arizona-bred combos four-million selling 1992 breakthrough album New Miserable Experience made them honest-to-goodness pop stars. But the Gin Blossoms were more than that: indeed, their best work maintains a timeless resonance, independent of the personal tragedies and career travails that once threatened to overshadow their music.

When the Blossoms – front man Robin Wilson, singer/guitarist Jesse Valenzuela, guitarist Scott Johnson and bassist Bill Leen – resumed touring in 2002 with new drummer Scott Kusmirek following a four-year hiatus, they discovered just how loyal fans were, as they turned out by the thousands to sing along with the hits and discover new material.

The Hartford Courants Kenneth Partridge said of an October performance, "From the opening chords of Lost Horizons,it was clear how under-appreciated the bands legacy is, past superstardom notwithstanding. As Robin Wilson sang, he closed his eyes and projected the same intense yearning that made the Blossoms sound so difficult to categorize: too polished to be Pearl Jam, too rugged and honest to be Hootie and the Blowfish. Now that they've poked out of the Arizona desert once more, the Blossoms are a welcome reminder of a time when emoting didnt mean emo, western shirts didnt mean alt country and pop-rock didnt mean Matchbox 20".

The Blossoms hits include "Hey Jealousy", "Found Out About You", "As Long As It Matters", "Follow You Down", "Til I Hear It From You", "Until I Fall Away", and "Allison Road".