Gigi Love, Amtrak And The NPS Partnership

By Robert Cox


Going on long distance excursions by train can often be a great experience. When on board a train with Gigi Love, a rails and trails troubadour, it can be even more so. For, the singer-songwriter visits parks, writes songs, then performs on a number of different Amtrak routes across the country.

Gigi's observation and experience in the parks is what gives the artist's songs a special meaning and message. For, it is during visits to the park in which Gigi pulls most inspiration for different songs. In fact, some of these songs now grace an album titled National Parks Centennial Songs.

The singer-songwriter once again visited a number of parks and wrote songs while on four different Amtrak excursions in the Summer and Fall of 2017. While visiting the parks, the artist once again wrote new material. Although, unlike past journeys, the singer-songwriter also performed at the National Parks as well as aboard different train routes across the country.

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.

Love has also performed at a number of folk festivals including Desert Rocks, Arise, Moab and Kate Wolf. Upon networking with other artists at these events, the singer songwriter has more recently appeared alongside Christine Lavin, John Gorka and Tim Reynolds. As such, the artist will most likely see more airplay and be invited to perform at more festivals in the future, folk or otherwise.

Love's ultimate mission is to preserve the valuable resources found inside the National parks and the National Park system. For, while the singer-songwriter loves to write and perform, the ultimate goal is to protect the parks. If interested in supporting this mission, booking Love, or discovering more about the partnership between Amtrak and the National Park Service, check out the artist website at www dot gigilove dot com.




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