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The Gina Glocksen Band:
Report and Photos by Mario Salazar.
For a lot of original artists and songwriters, getting their music heard and obtaining a fair (or at least minimum) amount of exposure is often easier said than done. For the purist, it's a hard road that more often-than-not, results in frustration and in some cases the break-up of bands & relationships as the constant "running-into-a-wall" aspect of it gets to be more than they anticipated. Others, simply end up making the choice of adding cover tunes to their setlist in order to just be able to get a booking and somehow squeeze their material in between cover songs. It's certainly not an easy task, so when I see a band that goes out of their way to do a really good job by either duplicating a hit song or somehow morphing it into their own, I often wonder if they are one of those type of artists working their way into people's minds and playlists in that constant struggle to be heard. I recently met one of such bands. Allow me to tell you about the Gina Glocksen Band.
The Gina Glocksen Band:
The band is led by Chicago-area vocalist Gina Glocksen. For those who may not be familiar with the name, Gina was one of the Top 10 finalists on the Fox Television show American Idol (6th season). When her tenure with the show ended, Gina, dubbed the 'Rocker Chick' by the producers, and the rest of the show's finalists, went on to tour the country where she worked hard at polishing her vocal and performance skills while trying to make a name for herself. Soon after the tour ended, she found herself again in front of the cameras, but this time as co-host for a behind-the-scenes talk show interviewing American Idol contestants. As she started working on ideas for her own album, Gina ended up in Nashville, TN where she worked with a number of credited songwriters in initiating the process of bringing her song ideas much closer to a reality. Back in Chicago now, her focus is on writing additional material, recording it and keeping her skills sharp by performing with her new band when the opportunity arises.
The band's current lineup features Glocksen on lead vocals, Kyle and Kerry Gansel on guitars, Joe Ruzicka on bass guitar and Kris Gutrich on drums. (Justin Zucker, a guest keyboard player, is brought in when performing original material and for special occasions.) I've known of the band for some time now, as I knew guitarist Kyle Gansel from a previous band but hadn't really been very interested in seeing them until recently when he mentioned they were doing original material. No offense to cover bands with that last statement, but as I've mentioned to many, unless a band is doing something different with the songs, succesfully putting their "fingerprint" on them, or simply doing a cover show that is so good and incredible I just can't say no, it's hard for me to get excited about bands playing the same songs in the same way while claiming they "rock like no one else". So in this particular scenario, coming to listen to new, fresh original music brought me in. I also figured that Gina's previous experience on both TV show and the tour had to have had an impact on her entertainment and performance skills so I went in with some fairly high expectations to this last-minute (for me) show.
The show was held at a new venue in the Bloomingdale area by the name of Ballydoyle's. It's a rather small, more intimate setting that I figured would allow me to really listen to the band and the songs. As I walked in, the band was already onstage and going thru a set of cover songs. Not exactly what I came to hear but as I heard the band playing these songs I suddenly realized that I hadn't moved much farther than the entrance. The way they played together, the sound, the vocals were so good I couldn't have cared less [at that moment] what they were singing. It was such a good first impression and before I knew they were done with that 1st set which seemed to have lasted only an instant.
We took care of introductions and chatted briefly during the short intermission before they were back on stage. During this set, the band played a number of Gina's original songs including 'This Breakup', 'Shut Up & Kiss Me', 'Hurt', 'Barely' and 'Help Yourself' among others. The band's original music is definitely rock and the style was diverse with some slow, soulful tracks like the aforementioned 'This Breakup' which had a beautiful melody brought to life by Gina's powerful, yet pristine vocals. Others were on the more mainstream side of pop rock with radio-friendly choruses and catchy melodies. As the night progressed, more
We took care of introductions and chatted briefly during the short intermission before they were back on stage. During this set, the band played a number of Gina's original songs including 'This Breakup', 'Shut Up & Kiss Me', 'Hurt', 'Barely' and 'Help Yourself' among others. The band's original music is definitely rock and the style was diverse with some slow, soulful tracks like the aforementioned 'This Breakup' which had a beautiful melody brought to life by Gina's powerful, yet pristine vocals. Others were on the more mainstream side of pop rock with radio-friendly choruses and catchy melodies. As the night progressed, more
JOE
KRIS
Not just another girl-fronted cover band!
The Gina Glocksen Band.
The band live on stage in Bloomingdale, IL. (August 2010)
cover and dance-type songs filled their setlist. The band really shined on their individual and collective performances throughout the night. They're musically tight and very well put together. I particularly enjoyed their versatility and ability to take songs that I've heard many times before and re-arrange them with a fresh, new sound/outlook. They did an acoustic version of a popular 90's grunge tune that I really liked and enjoyed. For the record, I do not like anything grunge so that was cool.
Overall, it was a pretty good show and a decent night. The staff at the club was very nice, the band was personable and cool to everyone and I think it's safe to say the crowd had a pretty good time. This is definitely a band to keep on your sights as they're not only good performers and entertainers, but are great people as well and I'd definitely recommend them as another great Chicago entertainment option.
My rating for The Gina Glocksen Band after this experience (out of 5):
For additional information on the band, their upcoming album, showdates and other news, visit them online at www.rocktheglock.com
I now leave you with some photos from the show. Enjoy and see you next time.
Overall, it was a pretty good show and a decent night. The staff at the club was very nice, the band was personable and cool to everyone and I think it's safe to say the crowd had a pretty good time. This is definitely a band to keep on your sights as they're not only good performers and entertainers, but are great people as well and I'd definitely recommend them as another great Chicago entertainment option.
My rating for The Gina Glocksen Band after this experience (out of 5):
For additional information on the band, their upcoming album, showdates and other news, visit them online at www.rocktheglock.com
I now leave you with some photos from the show. Enjoy and see you next time.
KERRY
KYLE
