The Dan has always been ahead of their time; it will be interesting to see if the marketplace has caught up to them, yet.
Robin Wilson is a great singer, case closed, and Henzerling's inventive guitar playing adds a lot of sparks to what could be seen as the third Gin Blossoms record.
Anyone who ever saw Rhodes play knows he was the glue that held the Gin Blossoms together on stage, and Henzerling's gurgling guitar break on "Quitter" (an acoustic version of which is available on the band's website as an MP3, by the way) is just one gem in his bag of tricks.
Wilsons remark seems flippant, but in reality he is doing everything he can to make every aspect of this project just right from worrying over the slightest background noises to consulting on the cover art, in this case commissioned from noted comic-book artist Geoff Darrow.
The obsession with detail is understandable; after all, the album, tentatively and appropriately titled From Beyond The Backburner and scheduled for release later this summer, is the fruition of a 10-year dream for Wilson and bandmates G. Brian Scott and DanHenzerling.
Dan and Brian and I used to work at Tower Records in Tempe [Arizona], and we always talked about putting a band together, says Wilson.
BlueBeat.com - Artist Page: Gin Blossoms(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-14)
Alternative power popsters Gin Blossoms were formed in 1987 in Tempe, AZ, by longtime friends Bill Leen (bass) and Doug Hopkins (guitar), with an initial lineup also featuring vocalist Jesse Valenzuela, guitarist Richard Taylor, and drummerChris McCann.
The following year saw several personnel shifts as the band struggled to solidify -- McCann was replaced by DanHenzerling and, shortly thereafter, Phillip Rhodes, while Taylor was fired and replaced by guitarist Robin Wilson.
Wilson and Valenzuela subsequently switched roles, and the band recorded a self-released album, Dusted, in 1989.
beta.bluebeat.com /artists/1158 (324 words)
phoenixnewtimes.com | Music | In 'n' Out | 2001-06-21(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-14)
Giants guitarist DanHenzerling says he's planning on starting his own group, though no word yet on what direction the project will take.
Henzerling may also be making an appearance with his long-running alt-country outfit the Grievous Angels.
Grievous -- dormant since '99 -- will be making a small comeback of sorts as the band is set to play a pair of weddings in the fall, including that of front man Russ Sepulveda.
Surprisingly, the band reunited in 2002, touring, releasing a DVD, and promising a fourth album.
Members during the band's early years included guitarist and songwriter Doug Hopkins, bassist Bill Leen, vocalist Jesse Valenzuela, guitarist Richard Taylor, drummerChris McCann, McCann's replacement DanHenzerling, and Taylor's replacement Robin Wilson.
By the early 1990s, the lineup had changed to Leen on bass, Hopkins on guitar, Valenzuela on guitar, Wilson on vocals, and Phillip Rhodes on drums.
The 1988 vintage Blossoms then included Robin Wilson on rhythm guitar and vocals, and DanHenzerling on drums.
Dan had previously worked with Robin, but he didnt stay longPhillip Rhodes, fresh from the Navy, replaced him on drums later that year.
Robin Wilson and Phillip Rhodes teamed with former Blossom DanHenzerling to form the Pharoahs, which then became the Pharoahs 2000 and then the Gas Giants.
The Gas Giants feature Blossoms alumni Robin Wilson (lead vocals and a mean tambourine), Philip Rhodes (one of today's most under-appreciated rock drummers), and guitarist DanHenzerling, who never recorded with the Blossoms but played drums in one early band lineup.
The Gas Giants are clearly fighting hard not to be perceived as "Gin Blossoms, Part II," and you have to respect that.
The opening "Now The Change" goes about setting the tone very purposefully, repeatedly hammering a beefy, memorable riff home under a lyric whose title says it all - this is a whole new ball game; kindly check your expectations at the door.
The split must have been severe enough to land the four former members in two separate bands, both back in Tempe, Ariz: Scott Johnson and Jesse Valenzuela formed The Low Watts, while Wilson and drummerPhillip Rhodes (and former Gin BlossomDanHenzerling and bassist Brian Griffith) formed Pharoahs 2000.
So far, the Pharoahs 2000 seem to have won in the race for imprimatur, signing with A&M Records in November 1997, less than a year after their debut, and producing the new record with producer John Hampton, who produced both of the Gin Blossoms' previous albums.
Wilson and lead guitarist Henzerling are way too cool to show much emotion, let alone glee, in this momentary departure from angst rock.
Lost Horizons - A Tribute To Doug Hopkins(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-14)
Come 1988, Chris left the band, and Richard was fired, to be replaced with Doug's skating friend, Robin Wilson on guitar, and DanHenzerling on drums.
Dan's stint in the Blossoms didn't last long, and was replaced by Phillip Rhodes.
Discovering that Robin was a better singer than guitarist, and Valenzuela a better guitarist than singer, they switch roles, settling on this line up, that stuck for years.
on Phoenix Citysearch(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-14)
Today, Norman's band Ghetto Cowgirl continues that same sound on their self-produced and released CD "Excuses For Losers," recorded in Tempe's Mayberry Studios.
The album features guest performances by Tim Rovnak, Gas Giants guitarist DanHenzerling, Dead Hot Workshop drummer Curtis Grippe and more.
Nominated for best local unsigned band for their historical relevance to the scene and their rock band talents.
And like all the best Bloodshot bands, the individual Angels have a number of irons in the fire (including guitarist DanHenzerling's band The Pharaohs, with a couple of ex-Gin Blossoms), although none of them are as hot as pedal steel player Jon Rauhouse.
In addition to working regularly with another band called Sleepwalker (who just released a truly amazing new disc, The Man in the Moon on Hayden's Ferry Records), Rauhouse contributed some of his patented blistering pedal steel licks to the major label bow of The Old 97s.
Whitehead (aka Russell Sepulveda) and bassist Mickey Ferrell were in an Alternative band called Lawn Boy, while Henzerling was playing drums in a seminal version of the Gin Blossoms.
phoenixnewtimes.com | Music | 'Toonsmiths | 2000-11-23(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-14)
The fictional band's drummer bears a striking resemblance to Henzerling, right down to the goatee and wire-rim glasses, while the lithe, boyish-looking singer is something of a cross between Wilson and Keene.
The band's guitar slinger, "Otis," with his lanky frame, long bangs, prominent nose and gold-top Les Paul (the "magic guitar" in question), is a spot-on caricature of late Gin Blossoms founder Doug Hopkins.
"They're named for people I care for -- Otis is named for Doug, Tommy is for Tommy Keene, Danny is for DanHenzerling," he continues.
What no one knew was that at that time that the band was quietly calling it quits.
Lead singer Robin Wilson and drummerPhillip Rhodes got together with DanHenzerling (pre-New Miserable Experience Gin Blossoms member) and formed the Gas Giants.
Currently on an undefined “hiatus,” the band released one album, From Beyond the Back Burner, on Atomic Pop in January of 2000.
Co-producer DanHenzerling provides some James Burtonesque guitar licks, particularly on "Hell Gets a Broken Soul."
Henzerling also has lead vocal duties on covers of Tom Waits' "Cold Cold Ground" and Hank Williams' "Long Gone Lonesome Blues." Bassist Mickey Ferrell and drummer Jesus H. Navarro lend solid rhythm.
Though comparisons to Gram Parsons remain inevitable, Tempe, Arizona's Grevious Angels have used the inspiration of such icons as Parsons and Hank Williams, combined with the influence of punk rock, to create their own unique sound.
mtv.com - News - The Pharaohs Reincarnated From Gin Blossoms(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-14)
The band had a low-key unveiling opening for the Refreshments at a club called Gibson's.
The Pharaohs include Gin BlossomsdrummerPhillip Rhodes as well as a one-time Gin Blossom, DanHenzerling (who went on to join Grievous Angels) on guitar along with Brian Griffith (from Dead Hot Workshop) on bass, both old friends of Wilson's.
Wilson has confirmed to the media, friends and fans that the Gin Blossoms are no more.
[No title](Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-14)
Wilson was in fine voice and new tunes such as "Now the Change," "Tonight Won't Let Me Wander" and the current single "Quitter," all while preserving the hooks and harmonies of the Blossoms while adding a new, harder edge and more complicated song structures.
SUPERHUMAN: The Online Resource For Real-Life Superheroes(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-14)
Even though Wilson thought of The Poppin' Wheelies concept on his own, the overall work on the project was very much a collaborative effort.
On the album, he is joined by fellow ex-Gas Giants members, DanHenzerling (lead guitar/bass), Phillip Rhodes (drums), Mickey Ferrell (bass) and fellow Gin Blossoms/ex-Peacemaker Scott Johnson (guitar).
His wife, Gena, wrote the pilot script to the proposed animated series.
He also does the best impersonation of Nan we've ever heard.
Among the finest moments we’ve ever witnessed involved times when guitarist Dandy DanHenzerling and pedal steel player Jon Rauhouse (the hunched over, mad genius of the steel who has gone on to record with Neko Case, Kelly Hogan, Sally Timms, and Calexico) played in perfect sync, creating one of the most rapturous dins ever.
As the Inbreds, they can also whip out some of the best back porch bluegrass you'll ever hear.
The VH1 Shop - Music(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-14)
Disenchanted with that city's music scene, they relocated to the desert sands of Tempe, Arizona in 1991 and decided to start a honky-tonk band, not realizing that many would-be punkers would be turning to country in the imminent alt-country explosion of the early to mid-'90s.
(In fact, Earle C. Whitehead & the Grievous Angels turned up in the first issue of No Depression magazine.) Spurring on the group's rocked-up twang is guitarist DanHenzerling and pedal steel player Jon Rauhouse (who went on to record with the Old 97s, Neko Case, Kelly Hogan, Sally Timms and Calexico).
The group released the album Angels & Inbreds in 1995.