1979 Gina Drumming Up Business

Brief Gina Schock Bio

Gina Schock

Born: August 31, 1957 at 11:00 am in Dundalk , suburb of Baltimore Maryland. Her parents are John and June. She has one brother, John Jr. Gina went to Catholic High School in Baltimore. 

Baltimore is home of baseball player Babe Ruth and filmmaker John Waters. 

Gina started playing drums when she was 13. The first band she played with was a local Baltimore band called Scratch ‘n Sniff.  They would often play at the Marble Bar in downtown Baltimore.

The Marble Bar was sort of the CBGB's of Baltimore. It was located in the basement of the historic Congress Hotel. The Marble Bar was here from 1978 to 1985.

The Congress Hotel

Marble Bar site

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Congress was originally built as the Hotel Kernan in 1906 by James L. Kernan, a performing arts impresario. The hotel was once a prime destination for famous performers and artists including Will Rogers, the Marx Brothers, Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Al Jolson, W.C. Fields and Charlie Chaplin, to name a few. Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald were patrons of the theatre, staying at the luxurious rococo-style Hotel Kernan. The hotel was purchased on March 22 1938 by M.J. Firey, and was renamed The Congress Hotel. Henry Fonda was married in the mezzanine space and The Marble Bar hosted Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in dancing.

The Congress Hotel today

The Marble Bar was the last functioning space in the old hotel. It was a local institution for live punk band until the building became totally vacant in 1984. The Congress stills stands today as one of Baltimore's outstanding architectural achievements.

Perky & punky - Scratch 'N Sniff

Scratch n Sniff included bassist Danny "Danimal" Brown. 

Danimal was a Dundalk pal of Adolf Kowalski. Adolf Kowalski was the founder/frontman of the local band Thee Katatonix. Thee Kataonix was one of Baltimore's earliest and best known punk/new wave bands that played frequently at the Marble Bar. 

Thee Katatonix played for awhile as the backup band for local Baltimore resident Edith Massey'.  Edie, however, changed bands members constantly — possibly due to the fact she couldn't sing and had no rhythm.

Edith's birthday bash at the Marble Bar

Edith Massey in leather

From 1976 to 1977 Gina  played in an all female Baltimore band called Rhumboogie with vocalist Ann Collier. 

Then...in 1978, she was asked to play drums for Edith Massey's punk band called Edie and the Eggs. The Egg's did a short tour over America with performances in New York, San Francisco and West Los Angeles at the NuArt Theater. 

When in L.A., Gina was smitten with the LA music scene happening, and was determined to return and settle there.

Poster for the San Francisco show - Nov. 12, 1978

Gina recalls, - It was real dramatic. I went to New York to check things out there, but I didn’t like it. So, I went home and got my dad to build a camper for the back of his pickup truck. Then I threw all my stuff in the camper and called my friend Babs and said, “lets get the hell out of here.” And we did. We drove across country. I was looking for fame and fortune. (Hilburn, LA Times, 3/7/1982).

She said, her parents prayed and everyone else laughed.

It only took six months for Schock to connect with The Go-Go’s. “ I moved out here (LA) because I figured it was important to be in a recording center. Baltimore was just too far off the path if you wanted to get ahead int his business. And I wanted to get ahead.” (Hilburn, LA Times, 3/7/1982).

When Gina first saw the Go-Go’s (in early 1979) she didn’t think they could play very well, but thought they had a lot of potential and - where having so much fun. Gina recalls, The guy I was living with told me about them. He said they’d been together a short time and needed a good drummer. - So, I went to see them play at a party. They were horrible, but they were having a great time.(Hilburn, LA Times, 3/7/1982).

At the time the Go-Go’s had drummer Elissa Bello.

She met the girls at a party one night. 

Gina recalls, That’s how it started. They said to me "We're looking for a drummer”. Oddly enough…they were one of the first bands I'd seen when I first got to LA". So Gina invited them over to the house for a bar-b-que and to jam in her living room. Gina once put it -It was destiny - I think.

The girls were impressed with her abilities to hit the drums fast and hard. Gina was quickly recruited to be the drummer for the Go-Go's and Elissa Bello was out.

Gina's addition to the band marked a turning point. Once sloppy, fast and fun, the GoGo's began to tighten up. She was the drummer with a strong work ethic. They started to practice more regularly and play more often. They also started to write and play music with a more strong pop sensibility. Punk pundits called them sellouts - but they didn't care. they were having fun and doing it their way.

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