Gina Glocksen

blog

What's the deal with the album?!
:: 2010.07.07

This is the same question I keep asking myself!

First of all, THANK YOU to all of you who are still waiting so patiently for my album to be ready.  I've been saying 'Its coming!' since last fall and here we are in July still with nothing to give you.

So here is the scoop.  The original plan was to release an 8 song album.  All of the songs were recorded and ready to go when we ran into a couple problems with the licensing of the songs. There were two songs in particular that we were having difficulty with and they just happened to be the only two songs that I wasn't a writer on. Long story short, I can't put them on my album (at least not at this point).  This was really a tough blow for me because they are both really great songs, but that's life.

I contemplated releasing a 6 song EP, but decided to go back to Nashville instead.  Sometimes what seems to be these things turn out to be a blessing in disguise.  My producer (Adam) and I spent a week in June planning to replace the 2 songs I had lost and ended up with 4 new songs! I can say with complete confidence that these are the best songs yet!  The final cherry on top is that now I can say that I wrote every song on my album (a fact I am very proud of).

So where are we now in this process?  I will be going back to Nashville in July to record these 4 new songs and we hope to have everything ready by . . . . well, let's just say as soon as possible (I've learned my lesson with promising release dates).

Thanks for sticking with me through this LONG process.  I promise you it will be worth the wait.

-Gina 

Ready to play again!
:: 2010.03.24

Hey Glockstars!!!

 

Just in case you didn't notice, the GGB took the month of March off because our drummer Kris and his wife Jody had a beautiful baby boy, Kyler Kristopher :)

Now that he's been in the world for a couple of weeks, we're getting back together and sounding better than ever!  We had a rehearsal last night and we focused ONLY on original songs of mine! Now that the album is done, I'm working on getting all of the songs posted on Rock The Glock (just little snippets though, I want to leave you all wanting more)  

As for what I'm doing now, well, other than rehearsing for our next show, I've started this workout program called "INSANITY".  It's pretty intense and all I can think about is when the record label agrees to sign me, I'll be not only vocally in shape, but physically too!!  Maybe I can swing on some silks like P!nk!   haha

A lot of people are asking if I still watch Idol.  YES I DO.  In fact, the newest thing I'm doing is writing a blog for www.bettyconfidential.com.  I write about my favorite moments and worst moments of the show!!  How is everyone liking this season?  WRITE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT SEASON 9 ON MY GUESTBOOK, WE'LL CHAT ABOUT IT!

 

Until next week, keep on following me on facebook and checking into www.rocktheglock.com for updates and news on what I'm doing!  Our next show is April 17th at The Lodge but the next time I'm singing is at my best friends wedding this Saturday.  Pictures and video to follow~~

 

ROCK ON!!!!!! 

 

What a LONG weekend!
:: 2010.03.02

I think I may have finally recovered from this weekend.  It was a long one!  Joe's on Friday night was so awesome as usual!  It was really great to see Then Again back on the stage (where they belong!)  I was a little scared that Joe was going to drop dead of a heart attack since he plays with both bands, but he rocked through the whole night like a champ!  I think it was about 6:00am when we finally got home (pretty typical for a Joe's night).  Thank you to everyone that was there (especially those of you who stayed to rock out with us till after 2am. . . UNBELIEVABLE!)

After some mcuh needed sleep, we headed out again to J.W. Holsteins in Tinely Park.  Can I just say that it is SO AWESOME to play in my home town.  I get to see so many people that I haven't seen in ages and you are all so wonderful!  It was an amazing night.  The bar was packed, the band was pumped, and the show was firggin' crazy!  Even my beautiful sister Shelly came up to sing with us.

After all that, you would think we would have gone home for some sleep. . . . umm, nope.  We decided to have an impromptu afterhours at my cousin Mikey's house (even though he was asleep).  Frozen pizzas, cheese dip, and bud light: a trio made in hell! 

The next morning we finally got some rest, right?  Yeah. . . no.  Not only was USA playing Canada for the Gold, it was the Buehn's birthday celebration (the Buehn is our sound man in case you were wondering).  What a game!  We were so close but damn Crosby had to screw it all up!  I finally got home around 9:30pm on Sunday night and I was so tired that I couldn't even stay awake for the season premier of Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job.  I do remember one scene about diarrhea, but that might have been a hallucination (but knowing that show, it wasn't).

Thanks to everyone that made it out to a show this weekend (and especially those of you that made it to both!)

We're looking forward to a great show this Friday night at Ballydoyle Aurora.  The whiskey will be flowing!  See you then.

XO-Gina 

Ballydoyle Aurora
:: 2010.02.19

Thanks to everyone that came out to see us at Ballydoyle in Aurora last night.  I know it was a last minute show, but we had a great time anyway.  Since it was kind of a laid-back crowd we started the night out with the acoustics and some bar stools.  I have to admit, it is hard for me to stay seated when we play, but it was a fun change of pace.  We even made some new friends and hopefully we'll see them again in 2 weeks on March 5th.

We have 3 shows in the next 2 weeks and then we have a month off so Gut can be with soon-to-arrive son #2! Next Friday we are back at JOE'S on Weed St. for what is sure to be a crazy night.  No rest for the wicked as we will rock J.W. Holsteins in Tinley Park the next night.  Then its back to Ballydoyle Aurora on Friday, March 5th.  I hope you can make it to 1 or ALL of these shows!

Where's my CD???  Great question!  It's done. . . but now we are weaving our way through all the legal red-tape.  It's my first time going through all this and since I'm doing it all on my own, I'm learning a lot as I go.  Sorry for the delay, but it is very close.  Trust me, you'll be the first to know.

Blog again soon!

 -G 

Let's try this again. . . VENUE CHANGE!
:: 2010.02.17

Sorry about all the changes, but you are finding out about this at the same time as we are.

Due to delays beyond our control, Ballydoyle Bloomingdale has had to push back their grand opening AGAIN!  Instead of just ax-ing the show, we decided to move it over to Ballydoyle in beautiful downtown Aurora.  We know we are playing there in just two weeks (Fri March 5th), but consider this our secret warm-up show.  We're really excited to have a Thursday night show because it means that we get to start our weekend a day early!

If you live a little further north, we apologize.  I promise we will play BallyBloomingdale SOON!

Hope to see you Thursday at Bally Aurora.

 -GGB

SHOW CHANGE!!!
:: 2010.02.08

Hey Glockstars!

IMPORTANT SCHEDULE CHANGE INFORMATION:

The Feb 12th show at Ballydoyle Bloomingdale has been moved to:
THURSDAY, FEB 18th.

The new Bally was not going to be quite ready for the 12th, so they asked us if we could move our show to the following Thursday night. 
We are honored to be the first band to play at the new Ballydoyle.  Come celebrate the Grand Opening with us!  SLAINTE!

 -GGB

THANK YOU JOE'S!!!
:: 2010.01.18

TO EVERYONE THAT ATTENDED GGB @ JOE'S ON WEED STREET.......

 

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!   Saturday nights show was one of/if not out best yet!  The turnout was amazing and the crowd was awesome and rowdy!!  (just how i like 'em)  I owe a HUGE thanks to my best friend Niner and my hubby Joe for arranging my 'special guests' into the set list!  Jordin Sparks, Melinda Doolittle and Chris Richardson all came and surprised me at my house the morning of the show and I literally fell to the floor in excitement and disbelief!!   They got me sooo amped for the show (more amped than i already was, of course)  It was pretty surreal when I was performing, looked down in a crowd and seeing them watching ME!!    

The whole night was perfect!! From the new songs in the set list, to the company all the way down to the drinks:)  SPEAKING OF NEW SONGS.....we played an original of mine, live for the first time.  The song is called, "Taking the Keys".  It's the perfect song for a girl who's tired of her drunk boyfriend.  (i know that story all too well)  Something else that was new was the merchandise!!  I HAVE TEE SHIRTS!!!   I'm working on getting them for purchase on the website, so stay tuned to see how you can get one if you're not in the Chi-town area!

 Our next show at Joe's is on February 26th.  But our next show in general is January 30th at The Lodge in Lisle!  I hope to see you all there!!!!

 

Love,

Gina 

 

MY ALBUM IS BEING MASTERED!!!!
:: 2010.01.08

The light at the end of the tunnel is finally in sight!

I feel like a broken record because I've been saying 'It's almost done' for about 4 months now, but it actually IS almost done now.

The mixing is pretty much complete and the album is scheduled to be mastered on Jan 13th.  The mastering process basically puts on the finishing touches and makes everything sound perfect and ready for the radio.  It should only take about 1 or 2 days to complete.  After the masters are finished they need to be sent out to the CD-making company to be produced so that I can finally get it into YOUR hands.  Hopefully the production turn-around won't be any more than a week or so. 

If everything goes smoothly, the album should be ready for YOU by the end of January.  Keep your fingers crossed!  As soon as it is ready I'll let you know how you can get your own copy.

It has been a long road (almost 2 years now), but I am SO proud of it and I really think you're gonna love it.

Hang in there!

 -G   

HOME TOWN CROWD ROCKS!!!
:: 2009.12.20

Last night was my hometown show for the Holiday tour and you guys did not disappoint!  The entire crew agreed that you were the best audience so far!  The 12 days of Christmas competition was my favorite part.  You guys are loud!
Thank you so much for your support.  There are a lot of people who are going to be sporting the brand new GLOCKWEAR!  It is such a trip to see people wearing shirts with my logo on them.  It was great to see so many of you after the show.  I wish I could have stayed and talked longer but we had a long bus trip to Newark, OH (which is basically right smack in the middle of the state).  We actually picked up two crazy fans that came on the bus with us.  Ok, maybe it was just Michael's wife Tiffany and my Joey, but they are both crazy (in a good way). 
We're here now and its starting to set in that this is the last show of the tour.  As happy and excited as I am to go home for the holidays, I am also sad to be leaving my new friends.  But the great thing about new friends is that you get to see each other again!  Now I have excuses to take trips to Memphis to play with Alexis and to Jasper, TX so I can hang with Michael.  David is coming to Chicago to come to my JOE'S show on Jan 16th!  He is such an amazing guy.

If you are anywhere close to Newark, OH, then I hope you can come out to see our final performance.  Talk to you soon.

-Gina

Bloggy Blog Blog!
:: 2009.12.17

Hey everyone,

It's been a while since my last blog (sorry!).  Only 3 more shows to go on the Holiday tour and then its back to toasty-warm Chicago.  (If you've been to Chicago this time of year then you know that is a joke.  It's FREEZING!)
Although I've been sick most of the time, this tour has been a lot of fun.  The best part is that I have grown so close with my fellow idols (Michael, Alexis, and David).  My hometown show is this Saturday at the Paramount Theater in Aurora, IL, which is only about 10 minutes from my house, so I am really excited about that.  I hope to see you there.

ALBUM:
I know I sound like a broken record, but it is getting SO close!!!  Final mixing is taking a bit longer that we expected, but it is going to be worth the wait.  3 of the 8 songs are finished and they sound AMAZING!!!  Mixing should be done in a week and then the album gets mastered (which doesn't take long).  Still looking at a January release so hang in there!  What a great way to start off 2010 :)

MY BAND:
Although I'll be sad to leave my tour-mates, the best part about the tour finishing up is that I'll be rocking out with MY BAND again.  I can't even tell you how much I miss playing with them.  We have a whole bunch of shows booked for Jan, Feb, & March so check out the EVENTS section.  
 
T-SHIRTS:
I have T-SHIRTS!!!  I am so excited about this!  They totally ROCK and you'll be able to pick one up at any of our shows.  This first round of shirts are the basic black concert T (they kick ass!)  Let me know if there is a different style of shirt you would want.  What other kind of merch would you like to see?  Hats?  Underpants?  Night-vision goggles?  Just let me know and we will try to oblige!

Thats all for now.  Talk to you soon.

XO- Gina

The Holiday Tour has Begun!
:: 2009.12.02

Hi!

I'm in sunny Florida right now, but we just heard that there was a tornado warning, so as you can guess, its not very sunny!  The weather fits my mood.  It is just my luck that the day before our first show, I come down with a HORRIBLE COLD!  Needless to say it is not doing good things for my voice.  I actually had to cut one of my songs because it just won't come out.  I feel horrible, but I'll just try to get as much rest as I can over the next 2 days and hopefully things will be better for our show on the 4th in Oxford, Alabama.

Enough of my sob story!  On the positive note, it is SOOO GREAT to be performing with David, Alexis, and Michael.  They are all such awesome people and AMAZING singers.  Please come out and see the show if we come close to you.  It is such a fun show.

Ok, now I have to go drink more throat coat and try to get some rest.  Talk to you soon!

XO-

1st rehearsal for Xmas tour
:: 2009.11.16

HELLO ALL!!!

Well, I flew into LA for a week of rehearsals and who am I sitting next to on the flight?  Michael Sarver from Season 8.  What an awesome guy!  We shared our singles with each other and I have to tell you, he's one talented guy!

We got to the rehearsal studio around 2pm and walked into a room where I was immediately jumped on my none other than Mikalah Gordon.  (I love that girl)  It was a huge reunion with Chikezie Ezie, David Hernandez, Trenyce Gibbons, RJ Helton, Michael Sarver and myself.  I was waiting to see Alexia Grace because I was a big fan of hers, but I won't meet her until todays rehearsal.  

 I'm sure a lot of you are wondering why some of these idols aren't mentioned on my website and poster, but some of the shows were double booked and they are doing a separate x-mas tour.  SOOO just to be clear, my tour is Alexis Grace, Michael Sarver, David Hernandez and myself.  

 Day one is usually hard for us all to focus because although we all stem from the same root, we really don't know anything about each other!  I've never met Trenyce before, but we felt like we had so much in common just because of idol.  So, anyways, we all received our music and just did a little run through.  That was it for the first rehearsal.   

I'll definitely let you know how todays rehearsal goes, because I'll be meeting Alexis...YAY!!

Stay tuned for tonights blog!!!!!

Love,

-G 

THANK YOU LISLE!!!!
:: 2009.11.01

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.....

To all who attended GGB at The Lodge for Halloween!  It was a GREAT night and we all had so much fun!  Everyones energy and drunkenness made us sound so much better:)  Congratulations to Medusa for winning the $1,000.00 cash prize!  We hope we made fans out of all of you and hope you'll come back and see us again, this time I won't be so green and you'll be able to see more than my eyes and teeth!!!  

Don't forget our next show at Bally Doyle Aurora, November 20th!  

Again, thank you for choosing to spend your Halloween night with The Wizard of Oz crew!

Dorothy had it right when she said, "There's no place like home!"

ROCK

-G 

1 Week till Halloween!
:: 2009.10.25

Thank you to everyone that made it out to 115 Bourbon Street this past Thursday night.  It was a great night and we had such a blast hanging out with Hairbangers Ball!  Check out the video section to see us performing one of my favorite songs (the Story by Brandi Carlile).  

It was nice to only play for an hour, but I am really getting excited for our first FULL NIGHT this Saturday.  And in case you forgot, ITS HALLOWEEN!  This show is going to be so fun.  Do you have your costumes ready?  The band decided to do a theme costume and it is going to be awesome.  Let's just say I get to live out one of my dreams with my costume.  I want to tell you what it is, but you'll have to come to the show to find out.  

Remember, there is a contest with great prizes so don't even think about showing up without a costume!  

See you on Halloween!

-Gina 

My first show!
:: 2009.10.18

THANK YOU to everyone that came out to JOE'S last night to see my new band play our FIRST SHOW!  We had such a great time and I hope you guys enjoyed it.  If you didn't make it, don't worry we have plenty more shows coming up.  

You might not believe it, but I was SO nervous.  30+ songs is a lot of lyrics to remember!  Please go to the guestbook and let me know what you thought of the show.  Songs you loved, songs you didn't like so much, etc.  I appreciate the feedback.  

I think my biggest regret is that we didn't get to play any of my new ORIGINAL music, but I kind of want to wait until the album is ready before we unleash it on you.  I promise it will be worth the wait.  Maybe I'll give you a little taste at the Halloween show.  Trick or treat?  

I have to thank everyone at JOE'S BAR for being so great to us.  I LOVE JOE'S!!!  We are going to be back there in January and next time we will have the full night to rock the house.

I should have pictures and video from the show posted on the site in the next day or so so keep checking back.  

Don't forget, 115 BOURBON ST this Thursday!  See you there!!!

-Gina 

Day 3 in Nashville
:: 2009.10.12

Recording is finished and I am back in Chicago.  It's good to be home, but I am also a little sad to leave Nashville.  it is such an amazing city and it is so exciting to be there working on my album with some of the most talented musicians in the WORLD.  

Yesterday was great (just like days 1 and 2).  I got to sing lots of really cool background/harmony parts.  I am a harmony FREAK (even one of my tatoos is 'harmony') so that was really fun for me.  Its all the little parts that you might not even notice but they take the song to a whole different place.

So what's next?  Adam still has some recording and programming to do before he does the final mix. Once that is done the album has to be mastered (that will probably be done in NY).  After that it will be ready for YOU!!!  We are really hoping to have it ready by early November (Just in time for the Holiday shopping season!) You will be the first to know as soon as it is ready. I really think you are going to LOVE it!

I have to say thank you to a couple of really important people:

Thank you Chris Sligh for helping me get this ball rolling.  You kicked my butt when it needed kicking.  Thanks for helping me write some great songs and for introducing me to Adam.

THANK YOU ADAM SMITH!!!  You are such an amazing musician, writer, producer and all around great guy!  I don't know where I would be without you.

Now that recording is finished (for now) I have to start getting ready for my shows coming up this month!  Don't forget my FIRST SHOW with my new band is THIS SATURDAY at JOE'S Bar in Chicago.  

See You there!

-Gina 

Day 2 in Nashville
:: 2009.10.11

Its day 3 in Nashville!  I wanted to write  a quick blog about how day 2 went.  IT WAS AWESOME!  I recorded 5 new songs!  The first song of the day was called 'Shut Up and Kiss Me' and it is a very upbeat, fun, pop song.  Next was a very sweet love song called 'Letting You In'.  The last song of the morning is called 'Superhero' and I a really excited about this one.  It has such a cool feel to it and it totally belongs in a show like Heroes or in one of the upcoming superhero movies.  How cool would that be!

Lunch Time!  We wanted to try some of the local Nashville fare, so Adam suggested Nashville's famous spicy chicken.  I am a wuss so I went with the medium (which was really hot!) but Adam and Joe went with 'HOT HOT'.  They were trying to act tough but I could see the tears in their eyes as they were eating.

After lunch I recorded the new version of 'Taking the Keys'.  It is still pretty much the same song with some changes that make it even better than before.  It's hard to say, but I think we saved the best for last.  We finished with a song called 'I Need You' and the only way to describe it is that it KICKS ASS!!!  It is the heaviest song on the album and it ROCKS SO HARD!  I can't wait for you to hear them all.

The hard stuff is over and today is just background vocals and harmonies (which is one of my favorite things to sing) so I am really excited.  I will blog again tomorrow.  Thanks for checking in.

 -Gina

Day 1 in Nashville
:: 2009.10.10

Hi Everyone!

I'm in Nashville right now getting ready to start day 2 of recording.  Adam (my producer) and I had a late session last night and we got 2 songs finished.  One is called 'Hurt' and the other is called 'Barely'.  I can't decided which one I love more right now (which I guess is a good thing!)  They are both kind of sad songs but we finished the night by working on a song called 'Taking the Keys', which is more up beat and kind of angry (angry but fun).  You might have even heard this one before on my site, but we have re-written a couple of parts.  I'm heading back over to Adam's studio in about an hour and we will work of some of the more rocking stuff today.  It is so exciting to be getting so close to finishing this album and I can't wait to share it with you all!  I am trying to record some video footage of the sessions so you can see what goes on behind the scenes.  I will post the video on rocktheglock as soon as I get a chance.  I'll blog again tomorrow.  Thanks for checking in!

XO- Gina

NEW SHOW!!
:: 2009.09.22

WHAT'S GOIN' ON GLOCKSTARS???

 

Just wanted to thank everyone for continuing to come to the site and write on my guestbook!  i love hearing what you all have to say and what you're up to!

There's been some exciting things going on since my last blog.  The new band has been rehearsing our tails off for our FIRST SHOW on Saturday, October 17th at Joe's on Weed Street.  We go on right after the Indiana vs. Illinois football game, so approximately 9pm, and we're on for about an hour and a half.  This show is especially important to me because of the venue.  Joe's on Weed is pretty much the second home to Then Again (my husband's band).  I feel like I've gained a lot of confidence on that stage and I can't wait to show it off with my own band!  I hope everyone can make it....tell a friend or 5 so we can get the snowball effect going on!!  

We'll be playing songs that you love to sing along to, songs that you haven't heard in a long time, AND songs that you've never heard.  That's right, for the first time, i'll be singing my own music!

 

So come on out on the 17th and have a great time with me and my band!!! 

NEW VIDEOS POSTED!!!!
:: 2009.09.01

CHECK OUT MY NEW VIDEOS.  JUST CLICK ON "VIDEOS"!  YUP, I MADE IT THAT EASY FOR YOU:)  I ALSO ADDED NEW PHOTOS AS WELL!!!  ENJOY!

 

-GINA 

The Ball is Rolling . . .FAST!
:: 2009.08.25

What’s up everyone! Where do I start?! New music, New band, NEW EVERYTHING!

Recording is going SOOO AWESOME!! Drums and bass are done and guitars get recorded next week. Then its my turn to do my thing. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. It feels so great to finally be singing songs that I wrote. It is looking good that recording and mastering will be done in October, so there will be some new music for you VERY SOON. Hang in there glockstars!

When I’m not in Nashville recording, I’m here in Chicago rehearsing with my new band. Like I told you all last time; it’s Kyle and Kerry on guitars, Joey on bass, and now we just added the final piece of the pie: Kris Gutrich (or Gut, as he is better known) is holding down the beat on drums. He is the most AMAZING drummer (and a pretty sweet dude on top of that). We had our first practice last week and everything just fell into place instantly. It is so great to have a ROCKING band again! Now that the band is complete, we have started to book shows for the upcoming months. Here’s what you can look forward to so far:

-Thursday, Oct 22 @ 115 Bourbon Street
-Friday, Nov 20 @ Bally Doyle Aurora
-BLACK Wednesday, Nov 25 @ J.W. Holstein's (Biggest Bar Night of the Year!)

Check the EVENTS section on rocktheglock.com for details.  More dates to be added soon, so keep checking back!

XO~Gina

IDOLS OVER, MORE RECORDING AND NEW PROJECT!!!
:: 2009.05.22

Well, another VERY successful year of American idol has just ended.  It was a pretty awesome show once the top 5 were settled in!  Other that Season 6, I think it was a really great season and group of people!  Although I know a lot of you are upset about Adam not winning, chin up!!  I feel that he would've ended up being an "idol puppet" and wouldn't be able to be himself.  He's already set in his ways as an AMAZING artist!  He'll be just fine.  I'm really happy for Kris!  He won me over with his rendition of "Falling Slowly" from the movie "Once".  (GO RENT THAT MOVIE)  He's going to be the next John Mayer and I'm really proud of him!!

 

As for recording, I'll be gone all next week putting finishing touches on my new song, "Shut Up & Kiss Me".  This one is turning out to be my favorite one so far!  It's got a bit of Kelly Clarkson seasoning on it:)  My producer Adam has really helped me find me niche and I'm so glad that I have the chance to collaborate.  He's just amazing!

 

You remember that cancer benefit that I sang at a few weeks ago?  Well the band that I sang with has really taken a liking to me!  I'm going to start an acoustic project with them and play locally. Many people have commented on my "softer side" ever since the Spring Break tour that i just did. There was some great feedback, so I'll bring that to you and venues around the Chicago land area! Very intimate, just me, Kyle Gansel (guitar+vocals) and Kerry Gansel (guitar+vocals). Three part harmonies=heaven to me!  I hope you'll come out and see us this summer/fall. I'll add some dates after my vacation to Wisconsin for Memorial Day!  

 

Time to spend time with the hubby!!  HAVE A SAFE WEEKEND!!

 

-Gina 

More recording
:: 2009.02.20

Hello all,

I just got back from Nashville last night and again, a successful trip!  I went for four days.  The first two days were with Chris Sligh.  We put some finishing touches on vocals from songs previously written and now all they need is production!  My second two days were with the producer who helped me write "List of Regrets".  We wrote a pretty sweet song called "Only a Bruise".  It's very Imogean Heap meets, well....ME!  We started a new song yesterday and came up with a pretty rocking chorus, so I'm excited and anxious to go back and finish that one. It's called, "Shut Up".  Thats all that i have for now.  OH WAIT....I have to invitation for you all.

My husband's band has three more shows that they'll be playing and I'll be singing about three songs with with.  If you're interested, visit www.thenagain.org

ROCK ON,

Gina 

THANK YOU DREX ON KISS 103.5
:: 2009.01.29

Hey everyone!!

 

I just wanted to share a little story with you. Yesterday morning  I'm driving to my sisters house, and whenever i'm in my car in the morning, I listen to Drex's morning show.  I called in to talk about a certain topic, and told him it was Gina from Idol.  He asked me what I've been up to lately and i told him to check out www.rocktheglock.com.  The next thing I know, my song "List of Regrets" is being played on my favorite radio station!  Have you ever seen the movie "Selena", when she hears her song on the radio for the first time?  I FLIPPED OUT and had to pull over so I could scream and enjoy!  It was the most amazing feeling. 

 Thank you to all of my fans from Chicago who got to hear it and have written on my guestbook!  Keep calling 312-591-1035 and request "List of Regrets"!!!!

 

LOVE YOU ALL.

Gina 

Congratulations Chris Sligh!!
:: 2009.01.20

Hey Glockstars,

 

I just wanted to take a minute and congratulate my fellow idol finalist Chris Sligh.  Chris and song writer Clint Lagerburg took a chance and wrote a song for Rascal Flatts.  After months of waiting to hear if they were going to record it, they finally got word that they LOVED it and it has already been recorded!  Please check it out on YouTube, it's called "Here Comes Goodbye".

 

The coolest thing about this, is that Chris introduced me to Clint about two months ago, and we all wrote a song in about three hours.  It's a ballad called, "Barely".  It's a beautiful break-up song, (if there is such a thing) and now that Chris and Clint have a Rascal Flatts song under their belt, this may help me out a little more!!  

I'll be going back to work with Sligh the 2nd week of February, so keep checking in to www.rocktheglock.com to see what's new and exciting! 

 

XO~Gina 

My List of Regrets
:: 2009.01.08

No, not literally a list of my regrets. . . it's my NEW SONG!  I am so excited about this one.  I think you are really going to be blown away and maybe even a little bit surprised by it.  It started out as a goofy little keyboard lick, but my AMAZING producer (Adam) turned it into a heart-pounding mesh of rock and techno.  Can I give you one bit of advice?  Turn it up because you have to listen to this one LOUD!

I'm planning on releasing 'List of Regrets' as my FIRST SINGLE on itunes within the month.  If you haven't signed up on my email list, please do so I can send you word when it is available.  If you like the song please spread the love and tell your friends to check it out.  That's all for now.  Hope you LOVE IT!

Love, Gina

 

I Got Hitched!
:: 2009.01.01

I got married!!! 

It has been a lot of planning and waiting, but the day finally came and Joe and I tied the knot yesterday here in Naperville, IL.  It was such an amazing day and I can't wait to post some pictures and hopefully some video too. 

It all started at my house early in the morning with all my girls there to get ready and help me stay calm.  Haley and Jordin flew in to be bride's maids and I am so grateful that they came all the way from Texas and Arizona to share this special day with me.  I love you two so much!  I guess you could say I had a pretty big bridal party because besides Haley and Jordin I also had my 2 sisters (Jen & Shelly), my cousin (Julia), my old boss (Dr. Malone) and my best friends (Gina & Julie).  After getting ready we were picked up by a huge TOUR BUS because a limo just wouldn't do.  I guess it was fitting considering I spent 3 months living on a tour bus.  Now it was on to the ceremony.

Joe's Uncle performed the ceremony that started out with the 'Ma-widge' monologue from the Princess Bride (if you don't know what I'm talking about then you need to see that movie).  It was hilarious!  The string quartet from Neuqua Valley High School (where Joe Teaches) played the ceremony music and I walked down the isle to a beautiful version of U2's 'With or Without You'.  They also played 'Fix You' by Coldplay while we lit the unity candle.  It was very surreal.

After the ceremony we got back on the tour bus and headed over to the reception where the party really started.  The hall looked amazing (decorated in RED and BLACK of course!)  Jordin sang the most beautiful rendition of 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand' as Joe and I had our first dance.  I think everyone in the place was crying.  Since we are not a very traditional couple, we requested that instead of clinking glasses, if someone wanted Joe and I to kiss, the whole table had to stand up and sing a love song.  Wouldn't you know that the head table was first as they all stood up on their chairs and sang 'You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling' (which didn't really make sense), but it was fun anyway.  After dinner Joe's band (Then Again) rocked the house and I got up to sing a couple tunes. Even Jordin and Sharlotte (background singer from Idol) came up and belted it out with me.  After Joe's band was done the DJ took over and surprised us all by playing my new single 'List of Regrets'.  It was so awesome because the dance floor was packed and everyone was dancing to my song but they didn't even know it was me.  When the DJ announced that it was my song the whole place went crazy!  We were only supposed to have the hall until 1:00am but the party was still going full throttle so we decided to extend it till 1:30 and people still didn't want to leave at that point. 

Joe and I put a LOT of blood, sweet, and tears into planning the perfect wedding to celebrate our life together and I can honestly say that we did it!  It was an amazing day that I will never forget.

Now its back to the studio.  I'm working on great stuff right now and I'll have some more for you to listen to very soon.  I'll write again soon.

Love, Gina (Ruzicka) Glocksen

NEW SONG!!!
:: 2008.11.21

Tired of waiting?  Well the wait is finally OVER!  You can hear my first new song 'Taking the Keys' in the music section.  I hope to have it available on itunes very soon.  This is just the first of many GREAT songs I coming your way.  I hope to have my second song 'When Did You Go' ready in the next week or so.  I have to thank Chris Sligh for kicking my ass into gear and helping me get this done.  I love you Chris!  Keep checking back for more songs.  

Love,

 -Gina 

RECORDING!
:: 2008.10.14

Hi everyone!

This month has all been about recording.  I just returned from LA where I am continuing to work on my original material with my producer.  The songs are really starting to come together and I can't wait for you to hear them.  I am in Nashville this week writing with my dear friend and fellow idol: Chris Sligh.  He is an AMAZING song writer and is helping me write MORE material for my album.  Don't fret glockstars. . .I promise I will have some music for you very soon. 

You might have heard that Lakisha recently got married (it was in PEOPLE magazine).  I was there are it was such a beautiful night.  Lakisha looked amazing and I got to hang out with Haley, Melinda, and Sanjaya as well.  It just gets me even more excited for my wedding this New Years Eve.  Between recording, performing and planning my wedding, I am pretty busy right now, but I promise to keep you informed with everything that is going on.   Talk to you soon!

Love, Gina

SOX GAME
:: 2008.09.15

I just wanted to say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who was able to tune into the White Sox game on ESPN.  Although, they didn't show me singing the anthem OR God Bless America, it was still an amazing experience!  What a rush!  it was a great night on all ends, Sox won, and I had the chance to sing twice throughout the game.  

 

Keep coming to the site for more exciting news!  There's going to be much more exciting news very soon! 

just a thursday blog
:: 2008.09.04

WHATS GOING ON GLOCKSTARS???

 

Just a little update now that I'm back from Afghanistan and on a normal schedule again.  

Thanks you everyone who read my blogs about the trip!  You're responses were amazing and made keep writing about it.  I couldn't have chosen better people to go with.  I've grown so much closer with Justin, Brandon and Nadia and I even stay in touch with a few soldiers!  

Joe's and my wedding plans are almost to an end!  (Thats very exciting)  Just four more months and I'll be Mrs. Ruzicka! Don't worry, I'll be keeping my last name for performing purposes!

As for music, I'm going back to the studio in October!  I've got a few more songs so I wanted to make sure that they were perfect before they were recorded!

Thank you all for continuing to support me.  Spread the love, tell all of your friends about the site.  i'm trying to get it a little more interactive!  If anyone has any ideas, email the contact on the site!!

 

Thats all for now, until next week,

-Gina 

Afghanistan Blog #2
:: 2008.08.08
HELLLOOOO!!!!!

So this is blog #2 and I am so happy to write to you today!

This morning, Justin, Brandon and I went for breakfast at the D-Fac.
(dining facility) We had to be at the military airport at 7:00am for
our 9:00 flight on the Blackhawk.  We waited for two hours while
soldiers were trying to scare us about the helicopter ride!  They sure
do have some great sense of humor out here!  We had to put on some
gear before we entered the chopper, a 20 pound bullet proof vest and a
helmet. I was told that since I don't like to fly, I should sit in the back and NOT by the door. We were on our way to two F.O.B's (forward
operating bases).  The first one was called Maralis Frasier (im not
sure of the spelling).
 We took off and I swear to God, it was the most amazing experience!
I would rather fly in a helicopter than a domestic place any day.  We
landed at about 9:15am.  We were taken on a tour of the base.  It was
mostly a French driven base, only about 20 American soldiers were
there (cute ones at that!)  We also met with some marines and took
pictures with their flag.  After awhile of talking to them, they asked
if we wanted to shoot in the firing range.  Hmm....let me think...HELL
YES!   So Justin got to drive the hummer to the range, and I opted to
put on all of the gear and walk my sweaty butt there!  I mean, we're
here to experience what the troops do, so why not do what they do and
wear what they wear??  We got to the range, and since I already had
the gear on, I was first.  The first one was the machine gun that was
on top of the hummer!  This was the first time I've ever pulled a
trigger.  The adrenaline that was running through my veins at this
point is just too much to handle, as I was screaming "THIS IS FOR
GRIMES!" (my friend in the military) I couldn't stop firing and I didn't
want to get my hand off of that trigger!  When I was done with that
gun, I went to the 250 bravo.  I was standing, holding this gun, and I
swear, enlisting went through my head!

The next F.O.B was Methr Lam.  I really liked this base!  The soldiers
were so happy to see us and we hung out with them for the rest of the
day.  These two female soldiers (who were the only two females in the
mechanical unit) took me away and showed me around.  Probably to some
places that I wasn't supposed to see, so I won't talk about it, but it
was absolutely amazing.  After that Angela and Angelique took me to a little Afghani shop and bought me a beautiful scarf as a souvenir.  
 
It was time to go, so
we got on the Blackhawk and went home, only this time, I sat in the
front where the windows were open and I sat right next to it!  I'm
really hoping that this trip has cured my fear of flying.  I had a
little too much sun today and I got pretty nauseous, so when we got
back to Bogram I went right to bed for about 2 hours, then I got to
ichat with Joey for about an hour.

Tomorrow is the same deal, wake up at the crack of dawn and go to
two new F.O.B'S.  I'll let you know all about it tomorrow!

miss you and love you,
Gina

Afghanistan Blog #1
:: 2008.08.07
Hey Everyone,

I'm sorry it's taken so long to get back to you but this is the first time I've been able to get internet access! Imagine that, couldn't get it on the army base in Qatar, but in Bagram, Afghanistan, FULL strength. 

So, let me start from the beginning (a very fine place to start).
Brandon, Justin, Nadia and I met in Dulles, Washington where our flight to Qatar was taking off.  There, we met out tour manager Joe.  Who we now have many names for.  (i.e. joe kris, Lt. Dan, and now finding out more about him, Lt. chocolate pants.)  I was fortunate enough to be able to sit in between Brandon and Justin.  I'm absolutley NOT a fan of flying and they helped me out alot.  Especially Brandon who has introduced me to Xanex :)  The flight was 12 hours long but it felt a lot shorter than that.  We arrived in Qatar where we were greeted by Sgt. Chris and Lt. Bill.  These men have been driving us to and from wherever we wanted to go, and have been SO amazing.

There's an eight hour difference from home to here, so we are eight hours ahead.  We arrived in Qatar at 6:30 and went to Chili's to eat and get to know our tour mangagers.  After that, we went to the army base which we stayed at for two nights.  It's an R&R base, so the soldiers are only there for four days unless that is where they are stationed.  Nadia and I got settled into our rooms as did Justin and Brandon.  We were taken to a place called the Top Off which is the place to go to socialize. It looks like a warehouse from the outside. They have restaurants, pool, darts, karaoke, and of course beer and wine.  Soldiers are ony allowed three beers a day though. (I knew there was a reason why I didn't join the army!)  Nadia went to bed early and Justin, Brandon and I hung out with the soldiers. 

The next morning, we had a meet and greet with everyone during lunch.  It was so fun to see everyone and hear their stories.  I even met a man from Naperville who was pretty excited to see me!  When the meet and greet was over, Brandon, Justin and I went shopping and walked around a bit just to soak things in.  We went to downtown Qatar, which honestly, is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen.  We went to see the Dark Knight  (third time for me) and then went back to the Top Off to perform for the troops. I lost it when we sang the national anthem and everyone stood up and was singing it louder than we were on the big stage with mics!  We stayed outside with the troops until about 2:30am and our ride picked us up to go to the airport at 3:30am, so we didn't get to sleep at all. 

After we were picked up, we got to the military airport where we were taken to Bagram in a C-130 aircraft.  What a frickin awesome experince. No seats, just cargo nets to place your ass in for 4 1/2 hours.  Once again, thank you Brandon!

Sleeping arrangements are good here in Bagram, it's like camp.  Nadia and I are sharing a nice bunker, pretty dusty, but didn't expect anything different, it's a desert.   I would prefer the base in Qatar for sleeping, but I have feeling the experience in Afghanistan will be much more worth takling about! 

So now, the good emails will come.  We're going to be taken by Black Hawk to two different bases a day, so I know I'll have some good stories for you!  So while you're all home, complaining about the 90 degree weather, think of the troops out here.  It's 120 degrees with 75% humidity.  I have to change my clothes every two hours!


Until tomorrow,
Gina


San Francisco
:: 2008.07.16
Hey everyone!  

Well, it's been a wonderful time here in San Fran!  (although it's not over yet!) 
The first week was pretty awesome, im not gonna lie!  I got to perform with Anwar Robinson and Jon Peter Lewis.  These are two men that I've never heard their music before and now i'm a huge fan of both!  Jon Peter Lewis impressed me so much!  His album comes out July 22nd!  Make sure you buy it!  

Anyways, the turn out has been good!! I've had some wonderful fans come and take the time to drive all the way from LA and Modesto to come and see me!  Thank you for everything Amanda, Heather, Denise and Joe.

My favorite part about the show is that i am able to perform my new original entitled, "Just Me".  You can check it out on youtube!  My cousin Krissy posted an 8 minute video of me singing it and then also singing my new favorite song to sing, "Gravity" by Sara Barellis.   Some other songs I sing are Livin' on a Prayer, At Last, I'll Stand By You, Smile and Killing Me Softly. 


I actually got to feel like how it would be if i were Ryan Seacrest for a day. (well, not really)  I was asked to host and judge the auditions for singers to sing the National Anthem for the 49ers season!  It was really cool to NOT be on the receving side for once!  I witnessed A LOT of talent and I was honored to be a part of that process on Pier 39!


Last night started the new line up!  Mikailah Gordon, Ricky Smith and myself!  It's a blast.  Very commical group if i do say so myself!  This week, they are holding idol auditions in San Fran and two beautiful young girls who will be auditioning came to our show!  GOOD LUCK GEORGIA AND FAITH!

I'll posts again when this week has ended to let you all know how it went.  Then it's back to Chicago for Joey and i.  Gotta love a nice road trip to Chicago!  

SEE YOU ALL AT THE CUBS GAME!!!!
Thank you Detroit!
:: 2008.06.30
Thank you SO much to everyone who showed up for my appearance at the Stars and Stripes festival!  It was so much fun and sooo very hot!  

It was a successful day for all of us!  Anthony Federov, Justin Guarini and I had so much fun performing for all of you and meeting and greeting!   ( i think i may still have writers cramp!)

If by chance you couldn't make it, Alana Brown is an angel and posted my WHOLE performance on youtube.com.  The songs were "Desire"-U2,  " Livin' On a Prayer"-Jovi and "Call Me When You're Sober"-Evanescense.  

Thank you to Geoff Repo a.k.a."The Tank" and Joe Ruzicka a.k.a "my fiance" for coming with me and being my band!  It's always wonderful performing with the both of you.  I love you guys!

Until next time......
May the G-Force be with you,
-Gina
MY FIRST BLOG!
:: 2008.06.26

HI EVERYONE! Welcome to my new website. What do you think? I am so happy with the way everything turned out. I wanted a website that reflected my personality and I think its safe to say we did it. I'll be bloging as often as I can to let you all know whats going on. Please check out the guestbook and say hi to me and everyone else in there. It's empty right now, but I'm hoping it will fill up soon. Do me a HUGE favor and spread the word about the website being ready.

Tell everyone about ROCKTHEGLOCK.COM!!!

I know what some of you are thinking. . . where is your original music? I promise you it is coming soon! I am currently working on several songs in the studio right now and the recording process is going great. Unfortunately I didn't have major record labels beating down my door so I've had to do this on my own, but it will be worth the wait. There's a ballad, some pop, and of course some ROCK! I'll let you know as soon as they are ready. In addition to recording I've been really busy out here in LA. Co-hosting American Idol Extra was SO much fun and although TV is great, performing live is my biggest passion and I've been getting to do that a lot as well. I've been all over the place (Detroit, Chicago, LA, New York) and now I get to go to Afganistan in August. WHAT!?! AFGHANISTAN? I know, I know. . .it sounds a little scary but I am so pumped. It will be me, Justin Guarini, Brandon Rogers, and Nadia Turner visiting our nation's REAL IDOLS for 10 days. Before I ship off to the middle east I get to enjoy 2 weeks performing in the city by the bay. I'm really excited to go to San Francisco and sing with Michael Orland again (pianist from American Idol). Check out the EVENTS page for all the shows and appearances I'll be making. I met so many great friends on tour last year and I hope I get to see all of you again soon.

I gotta run, but I'll blog again soon!

Love, Gina