Throughout the music industry there are very gracious people that really want to help struggling musicians out. They are there to help push them along, do favors, and expect nothing in return other than a thank you. They are very helpful people and truly are fans of music and they need to be around it all the time. It’s just in their blood, heart, and soul!
We are not talking about groupie’s who drop their panties at the first sight of a bass player. We are talking about adult professionals within the music industry. These people will bend over backwards to help a local band that they believe in. Help in any way they can. They will support the local musicians until the day they die. Such passion for music can be found within Gina Planell, a.k.a. Sweet G.
Recently Sweet G was interviewed by Buzz and she shared quite a bit. She did sing “background vocals on a few tracks back in the day. I don’t even want to go there. I have played drums, bass, and guitar; not very well, but I can get by. I rage with ‘Smoke on the Water’.” She wears so many hats beyond that, including being a mother and wife, but one of the heaviest roles in music is with the Dirty Dan Radio Show.
“I produce the show. Make sure everyone is on the same page by way of interview subjects.” Sweet G also pursues newsworthy acts to use within the show. “I feel that my prior experience gives me an edge in this arena. I am very creative and generally come up with insane bits at the drop of a hat.”
Her list of accolades is quite amazing! Sweet G has worked for A&M records for a brief time and with Moon June as an administrator. “Worked at Guitar Center as a guitar accessories clerk for a few summers. Everything has always been tied into music in one way or another. In my early days, I had a penchant for photography. We had to do everything by hand. There was no digital anything. You had to wait for your pictures to be developed and you had to manually create flyers and mailing lists. No do-over’s! That was my job.”
As she developed her creative skills she got to join some bigger acts during recording sessions. “I made it a point to know every single facet of this industry so that I could accelerate this love of my life, from advertising to booking to interviewing and understanding a musician’s mind. I was hoping to somehow make tons of money at it, but if you know anything about this industry, anything you do are labors of love. I continue to look for new acts to extend my support to. My love for local music reaches far into my soul. It’s not something to turn on and off. It just exists.”
This is no run of the mill fly by night promoter. Sweet G is the real deal! Along with being a great photographer and writer (Chicagorocks.com and The Rocker) she has helped to promote some very large local gatherings that were outstanding. She has helped charities; Breaking the Silence (Autism benefit) and Toys for Tots. These types of events are right up her alley as she is just a caring helpful person.
For the last five years Sweet G has helped to organize Woodsbash and Winterbash, which is one of the coolest parties ever. In the middle of Schiller Woods, bands play to a crowd of partiers that loved every minute of it. Her role in these events was huge for the last years and her help will be missed as she will no longer be assisting. Without her touch of class and Jell-o shots, this party will not be the same and for the first time in years the party did not go on.
She spent a short time as a DJ for 88.3 and Sweet G loved it. She has worked with Entertainment-1 booking bands alongside Terry McGovern and Kris Valentine. “Entertainment 1 is bringing some serious main stream music this year. That’s all I’m going to say about that.”
Sweet G was asked if she hung out at places like the Thirsty Whale. “Absolutely! Since the late 70’s. I was a very young attendee. I don’t think you can say underage here. Then, there was Haymakers, The Nickel Bag, The Rusty Nail, Night Gallery, Beginnings… I could go on. It was a great time for music and friends. I feel very lucky to have reconnected over the years to those people and memories. That time period was detrimental to my present state of insanity.”
She was asked who she has met over the years. “I have been privileged to meet a lot of great people. John Entwistle, Danny Seraphine, Steven Tyler, Dee Snyder, Dave Meniketti, Carmine Appice, Blackie Lawless, Yngwie Malmsteen, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Leste, Viv Campbell, Neil Schon, Carlos Santana, Dirty Dan Buck” and the list goes on from there.
Sweet G tells a story of a Halloween at the Aragon Ballroom with Lemmy. “I was fortunate enough to get first row and ultimately me with a bunch of musician friends, were asked backstage. Our costumes were a hit.” She wore a feathered mask and “Lemmy liked it. He told me to ‘Take it off!’ Inspiring a crowd rant. I was scared, so I took it off. He looked at me and said, ‘Put it back on,’” she recalls it laughing.
As the night went on she actually was backstage; talking with Lemmy for quite a while and was able to interview him in a way. “We talked more and he kept signing autographs using my back as a writing board at times. He was one of the absolute nicest, coolest guys I had ever met.”
“As I was leaving, Lemmy insisted that I stay because ‘I reminded him of his wife.’ Touched, I decided to hang around a while longer and grill him a bit more about touring. It was exciting to talk to such a legend and in this very short period of time, I felt like he was a friend of sorts. I was watching VH1 and there was Motorhead. I saw Lemmy talking about his life and how he never married! I was hysterical. He’s was a great guy, one of my very favorites.”
Her response about drugs; “I think that’s a personal decision as long as it doesn’t damage another. It’s definitely not as bad as it used to be. There were some extremely elaborate drug parties back then. There was no pressure to use like everyone says and people who did heroin or had it were usually beaten up or thrown out of parties. Now, heroin is almost on the casual use list which is frightening. I think some underestimate the power of heroin. It’s a killer. It needs to be stopped.”
She was asked who is her favorites in local music. “Back in the day, I was enamored with TRILLION. Bloodstream Parade, Paradoxx, Dirty Dan Buck, Cool Rockin’ Daddies, VEILSIDE. I have favorite individual musicians here in Chicago. I feel lucky to go out and see them all perform; hear them sing and play. It’s a great time for local music. Chicago has some serious talent. Way Serious! I’m thinking a lot of people take them all for granted.”
Her devotion to music is continued to be explained. “I support people who ask for my help. Whether that be, writing, photography, producing, booking or even artistic contributions. I think everyone wants to be helpful and feel good knowing that they’ve made some kind of difference. In the 80s, I was one of a few people locally that photographed and created promo packages. We used them to get bands booked in clubs. That included 8 x 10 glossies. I worked very hard and loved every minute of it. Now, it’s a serious hobby. It kind of stays in your blood.”
“I left the music scene for about eight years or so, after my boy was born. Those were the RADAKKA years, dammit. So, I’m anxious to see if the original members will ever come together and do it again. I have that regret of not experiencing them. I wonder what’s taking them so damn long!”
When asked if she was a groupie her response was; “I’m not sure. Back in the day, groupie, was a bad thing. I don’t know what it means now. I never screwed anyone to get anywhere. My goal always was to find out as much about music and absorb all there was to learn to become a credible source of assistance. I was hungry for the knowledge. I never stop learning and understanding. I don’t think groupies do that. I do have to say that I’m not excited about the exploitation of women and sex-crap in this industry. For such a long, long time women have been looked upon as sex toys. I thought most certainly we were coming out of that cave.”
“Not many women have been given the courtesy of being considered intelligent enough or having something viable to offer other than T&A, until just recently. It bothers me. I feel that kind of stuff keeps us from accelerating intellectually as women. It’s a personal opinion. I believe women who are happy, are sexy. Women who are educated, are sexy. I’ve written about it, most everyone knows my point of view on it. I wish a few women locally would find a way to make people see their sexy minds instead of their cockpits. Just a personal thought.”
“First, I am now owner/President of RAW-M which is the Regional Alliance of Women in Music. We have a Chicago chapter and moving on to Philadelphia. There are currently 62 members in Chicago. It's a group of women in music supporting each other. Creating charity rock shows and contributing as a whole to this music movement. Strength in numbers. Also, am currently considering creating my radio show which should air during the Summer months and run for a year as a demo.”
It is quite apparent that Sweet G isn’t a fan of the sex sells campaign within music. It is also quite apparent that she is not just another pretty face either. This young lady has looks, but has the brain to match. You can compare her to whoever you want, but there will always only be one Sweet G.
It is something to see people truly helping others within this musical field. Gina “Sweet G” Planell is one of those rare finds that really wants to help. Her love and passion for music is flowing through her veins like a powerful drug. Her class cannot be duplicated or imitated. She is a true humanitarian to the music industry because deep down within her soul, music is her life. Sweet G is someone you should know.
