For Gabrielle Pietrangelo, her hometown of Tucson and the surrounding desert mean everything to her.
“There’s something so special about the natural world around here, the Sonoran Desert, how it's so diverse and beautiful, the big saguaros and all the different animals and plants,” she said.
“There’s something about the community, too. It’s a very creative place. It’s a safe please, too, to develop your creativity. There’s a very special arts community here and a natural world.”
She captured all of this in her debut album, “Back to the Heart,” which is a blend of Americana and folk with five songs dedicated to Tucson.
Winner of the 2023 John Lennon Summer Songwriting Contest, Pietrangelo has performed with various artists and has arranged and collaborated with others, including Howe Gelb, Brian Lopez, Calexico, Amos Lee, Mamma Coal and Sergio Mendoza y la Orkesta.
She is a consistent draw at events and venues at Centennial Hall, the Tucson Folk Festival, The Rialto Theater and Club Congress among others. She even has a mural in Downtown Tucson. She’ll return to the Tucson Folk Festival as part of the Stefan George Memorial Songwriting Competition from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 4, at the Jácome Plaza Stage. Other opportunities to see her abound. Visit tucsonfolkfest.org/songwriting-competition.
“‘Back to the Heart’ refers to coming full circle — like solo expression and work,” said Pietrangelo, who performed with the Silver Thread Trio.
“It also implies a feeling or understanding of my place I’m from, and the things I’ve learned up to this point. I had a really hard relationship experience that led to me releasing a solo EP and that was my first offering, ‘On My Way Back Home.’ That came out right before the pandemic in 2020.”
Pietrangelo said writing is therapeutic. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she looked inward.
“I had a lot of time alone,” she said. “I learned a lot about myself and, where you have the capacity to change for the better, and where you don’t have any control.
“There’s a certain humbleness. I would say, at this point, that I feel there’s so much I can’t control. I hope this album has a healing quality, and a celebratory quality.
“We should celebrate where we can and grieve what we can’t change.”
She said she’s proud of the organic engineering and production processes of “Back to the Heart.”
“Everything is based on a live guitar and vocal take, which is quite rare,” she explained. “Often, people lay down the bass and drums first with a click track, and then they start layering other elements. We recorded a live take, and then we started adding layers on top of that. I’m really proud because almost every vocal take was the original. I think, as you get older, you realize how much the place you’re from and where you live affect your soul and creative voice. This record pays homage to both this place and the Southwest region as a whole.”
Tucson Folk Festival’s Stefan George Memorial Songwriting Competition
WHEN: 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 4
WHERE: Jácome Plaza Stage, 101 N. Stone Avenue, Tucson
COST: Visit website for details
INFO: tucsonfolkfest.org/songwriting-competition
