California Native, Gina Villalobos (born May 26, 1970) is an American rock, folk pop and alt country Singer and Songwriter. Villalobos became one of the most acclaimed new artists in the alternative country community with her breakthrough album, 2005’s Rock N Roll Pony when legendary BBC disc Jockey Bob Harris called it “a contender for album of the year”
===Early Life===
Born in Lake Sherwood, A patch of countryside within wildfire distance of Malibu. Her father, Reynaldo Villalobos was a respected cinematographer and mother was a passionate music fan who shared her love of music with her daughter. Villalobos showed that same passion and was playing guitar by age 10.
===Career===
===Early Years===
By her early 20’s Villalobos was fronting her first band, Liquid Sunshine and playing publicly up and down the state of California. Liquid Sunhsine was as an acoustic folk trio. In 1991 Villalobos and Liquid Sunshine recorded their first album in Santa Barbara CA, Titled: “Sweet Commitment”. A collection of acoustic folk songs written by Villalobos. Villalobos and Liquid Sunshine Followed up with “Barbary Lane” and the self titled, “Liquid Sunshine” EP in 1996. Liquid Sunshine dissolved in 1996.
In 1997 Villalobos formed and fronted her second band called, The Mades. The Mades released two CDs of Villalobos’ songs. The band dissolved in 2001. After that, weary from band politics, she launched herself as a solo artist.
===The Solo Years===
Villalobos released her first solo album, Beg from Me in 2002, in which she allowed herself to come to the forefront for the very first time. Villalobos supported the album with plenty of appearances in nightclubs across the US. In 2003 She began work on her follow up album, “Rock N Roll Pony”
===Rock N Roll Pony===
In October 2003 Villalobos was halfway through sessions for Rock ‘N’ Roll Pony, the album that would alert the world to her arrival, when she sustained serious injury to her right eye in an accident. Everything in her life was put on hold for months to come, as she underwent four major surgeries before being told, on Christmas Day, that she would remain forever totally blind in that eye. The effects of this development were profound, enduring, and disturbing. She would suffer side effects for years to come. Villalobos used this experience and pored her creative energies into her music as a way of facing and challenging her own inner demons.
Villalobos completed Rock N Roll Pony in early 2004. It gained a US release that summer and a much-deserved wider release in the UK, Europe and Australia in February 2005 when she signed a deal with Laughing Outlaw Records. The disc became a major critical success in both the United States and Great Britain; after receiving excellent reviews in national US magazines like No Depression, Harp and Acoustic Guitar Magazine and legendary BBC disc Jockey Bob Harris called it “a contender for album of the year”
===Life On The Road===
With the album’s critical success, though, another set of shadows descended on Villalobos. Living on the road month after month, performing far from home, in places she’d never dreamed she would ever see, she began to feel cut off from the world. Depth perception issues, tunnel vision, retinal flashes, and other consequences of this event forced Villalobos to suffer disorientation and nausea for nearly two years. Performing before adoring audiences, doing interviews, going back alone to another generic hotel room: Her routine only exacerbated her isolation and deepened its emotional toll.
It also pointed Villalobos toward a new perspective, from which she began to write the songs that would fill Miles Away.
===Miles Away===
On Miles Away Villalobos takes us deeper into darkness, where all she can ask of God is to “leave me some drugs” and a place to die (“Somewhere to Lay Down”). She exposes a kind of loneliness that ovations and rave reviews cannot dissolve. It might be almost too much to bear if it weren’t for the power of her music. Even when it seems that she’s scraped her voice raw, Villalobos coaxes something gentle from its ravaged heart (“Hard Enough”) or rockets toward unexpected peaks of pitch and power (“Don’t Defeat Me”). And all at once it seems that any heartache can be borne, if only it can be set to a song.
Villalobos unveiled Miles Away in the UK on May 8th 2006 to the same, if not more enthusiastic, critical plaudits, and support from BBC radio 2 her acclaimed predecessor, Rock N Roll Pony received. This along with a 6 week US national tour supporting the band World Party set the stage for the the US release, April 3rd 2007, on Face West Records, which was widely anticipated in the Americana/Alt Country circles in which Villalobos first gained attention.
===Recent Work===
Villalobos is currently Living in Los Angeles CA, working on her 4th Solo album, due out in early 2009. Villalobos flexes her arranging and production muscle on her current project , and coaxes her collection of songs it a bit more outside the “Alt Country” sound that established Villalobos in 2005
===Discography===
===Studio Albums===
Beg From Me (2002)
Rock N Roll Pony (2005)
Miles Away (2007)
===Live Albums===
Live at KXLU Radio
===Compilation Appearances ===
Sin City Volume 9 Sampler
===Guest Appearances===
2007 - Ted Russell Kamp “Can’t Go Back”
2007 - Ted Russell Kamp “Close your eyes, Maria”
2006 - Redlands Palomino Company “She is Yours”
2005 - Angie Heaton “Drive”
