Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Gigi Love, Amtrak And The NPS Partnership

By Robert Cox


Amtrak can often be a great way to get from point a to point b, whether going on a short day trip or a long excursion. When on longer trips, travelers may encounter Gigi Love performing as part of a partnership between the National Park system and Amtrak. For, Love is a rails and trails troubadour which visits the National parks, then writes songs which are later performed on-board various long distance routes.

Singing onboard trains is only one aspect of the program. For, Gigi has now visited over two dozen National parks. While in the parks, Gigi absorbs the environment, learns the history of the park and area, then writes lyrics associated with the experience. In fact, Gigi now has an album out titled National Parks Centennial Songs in which, according to the Acoustic Outpost, singles off the album were chart toppers on a number of Folk stations in 2016 and 2017.

In the Summer and Fall of 2017, Gigi continued in the partnership with the parks and Amtrak. Once again, the young singer-songwriter graced a number of trains singing songs old and new. Although, during this journey, while still writing new songs, the artist also performed at a number of parks during each visit.

Love's songs are often honest, bluesy songs with a folk twist which describe the singer-songwriter's travels, dreams and vision quests. Most often, songs written and performed by the artist whether onboard a train or at a park, capture the attention of audiences by taking listeners on a musical journey. Born and raised in Texas, Gigi began singing at the age of 7, then by age 12 was performing in numerous Texas venues.

If the artist's name sounds familiar, it could be due to performing at the Olympic Closing Ceremonies held in Salt Lake or opening for the Dave Matthews Band at the Columbia River Gorge. Based largely on the singer songwriter's performance at the Winter Olympics, Freedom Zone picked up the artist, the same company which represents Mountain Dew. After which, Love toured areas of the country west of the Mississippi and Texas, thus gaining airplay on community and college radio stations around the United States.

The singer-songwriter has also debuted at the New England Regional Folk Alliance's Suzi Wollenberg Folk DJ Showcase. In addition, the artist has continued to open for well known artists since first appearing at the Olympics. One of a number of artists for which the singer has now opened for is that of Utah Phillips. After which, Love created a rendition of Utah's song "Going Away, " which can be heard on Pandora radio.

The singer-songwriter has also graced the stage of several folk festivals including Nedfest, Arise, Moab, Desert Rocks and Kate Wolf. In doing so, the artists has now shared the stage with the likes of Christine Lavin, Tim Reynolds and John Gorka. As such, Gigi will most likely be seeing even more radio airplay while being invited to other festivals in the future.

Ultimately, the singer-songwriter's mission is to promote the care, protection and preservation of the National Park system. For, while Love enjoys writing and performing, the artist also cares deeply for the earth and all living things, of which many would no longer be alive if not for the National Park system. As such, the mission is one that is clearly defined in lyrics written by the singer-songwriter.




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