Singer/songwriter Gina Cutillo got hooked on music at a very young age. Gina’s mother, a 1950’s Doo-Wop singer, taught her to sing as soon as Cutillo started forming words. “As a little girl I was always hanging out near the DJ and the bands at weddings and parties,” she recalls, “and I was extremely intrigued with the instruments.”

Today the guitar-playing chanteuse and her band have opened for everyone from My Chemical Romance to David Johansen of the New York Dolls. And Gina and guitarist Ron Labriola created the indie label Flesh and Blood Records that released the band’s second album, From Here to Desire, which Cutillo describes as “catchy pop rock that makes you want to jump, dance, sing and rock-out.”

Aside from her mom, the Centereach native’s eclectic influences range from Patsy Klein and Motown to Madonna and PJ Harvey. The 11-song From Here to Desire is filled with tracks about relationships, including a stellar cover of ‘Til Tuesday’s “Voices Carry.” The eighties cover has graced the New York airwaves and numerous online radio stations along with “The Blame” and “Walked Out on You.”

Cutillo’s music is definitely more pop-driven and accessible than that of artists like PJ Harvey. Rocker “So Alive” combines an Elvis Costello riff with Pat Benatar-sounding lyrics, while slower tunes like “Take Me Over” are reminiscent of Sarah McLachlan. And on the sexy “Mi Amor” Cutillo shows her Italian side. “I’m half Italian, a quarter Puerto Rican and a quarter Irish,” she notes, “I know—explosive!”

Prince must have sensed this explosive energy when he picked Gina out of the audience to dance to a medley of his hits in front of twenty thousand people at a Continental Arena. “I danced my butt off that night and at the end Prince high-fived me and his band asked me who I was,” she recounts. “It validated all of my thoughts on being a recording artist and a performer. One day Prince and I will meet again and I’ll get to show him my vocal skills.”

No stranger to big arenas herself, Cutillo has participated in a couple of recent Warped Tours, which usually feature punk and metal bands. When asked about future tours, the “Best Female Vocalist of Long Island” (Long Island Music Awards) sounds optimistic: “I can see us opening for Kelly Clarkson, the Foo Fighters, Lenny Kravitz and anyone that will have us.” For updates, go to www.ginacutillo.com.