Composer/multi-instrumentalist/performer Carla Patullo looks to make more GRAMMY history with “So She Howls”

By Valerie Milano

Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 2/4/24 – One day in the not-too-distant future, America’s favorite test of knowledge “Jeopardy” will have a category “THE GRAMMYS,” and one of the answers will be “She was the first openly gay woman to be nominated in the category, Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album.”

And an excited music expert will ring in and offer the answer: “Who is Carla Patullo?

“Ding! Ding! Ding! Right you are, Miss or Mister Contestant!” will be the response from host Ken Jennings or Mayim Bialik, or some other whiz kid who is trying to accomplish the impossible task of following the late Alex Trebek as the show’s host.

And if all goes well tomorrow night at the Crypto.com Arena, Patullo, who was nominated for her album “So She Howls,” will become the first openly gay woman to WIN the coveted GRAMMY in her category, thus cementing her legacy as a multi-talented composer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, as well as the answer to a “Jeopardy” question.

The nomination certainly is a triumph, but the honors have been piling up for years for Patullo, who is a four-time Hollywood Music in Media Award Nominee. Among her accomplishments as a Disney+ composer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and performer, composing and performing, Patullo is a prolific songwriter and has written more than 100 songs with placements on film and TV shows.

Patullo’s work related to animation pioneer Lotte Reiniger was celebrated in 2023 as two of her film scores were presented at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Museum. She has scored more than 30 films, including “Maxine,” a recently released Disney+ film starring Margaret Cho.

And if that weren’t enough, she also fronted the Brooklyn-formed rock act White Widow, served as musical director for the legendary comedian Sandra Bernhard, and has shared the stage with Liza Minnelli, Rufus Wainwright, Justin Vivian Bond and many more.

Bernhard, who is never at a loss for colorful descriptives, said of Patullo: “Carla is so fucking raw and groovy that it scares the shit out of me.” High praise, indeed, from one of the scariest actors and comedians ever.

But the title Patullo, who will celebrate her 53rd trip around the Sun in October, the honor she most certainly cherishes above all others is that of Cancer Survivor.

“So She Howls” was written amidst Patullo’s three-year battle with breast cancer, so the fact she is here to enjoy the accolades is a miracle in and of itself. Patullo sat down with “The Hollywood Times” recently to talk about her album, the GRAMMY nomination, and the long road back from death’s doorstep as she fought to recover from cancer.

She started off addressing another of her passions, the fight for recognition and equal treatment LGBTQ+ people, and what a win for her might mean to the larger community.

“I think our voices need to be heard, and I think navigating our careers, even in the entertainment business as we know, it’s very hard to get to that point where people just accept you, or give you the space,” Patullo said in the exclusive interview. “I think even as women, we’re up against that. I feel really honored to be a gay woman in this industry where often people will judge me for my appearance, and not always the music. So, I think it is very sweet to be heard and seen, and I hope that encourages other people within the community to keep pushing for their voices to be heard, because they need to be heard.”

On the subject of her battle with breast cancer, Patullo credits her recovery to the therapeutic, creative process. And in a coincidence of monumental proportions, Sunday, February 4^th is not only the date of the GRAMMY Awards ceremonies, but it is World Cancer Day. A serendipitous event that is not lost on Patullo.

“It’s really amazing, you know?” she said.” When I was going through my healing and my treatment, I met so many people along the way. People who helped me, strangers, people I had just met who would help me, or give me the encouragement. It’s kind of the other side of something so horrible. You get to see humanity and acts of kindness that people do.

“This project will always be special for me because it came out of this dark period, and I’ve been excited to share the part of overcoming this illness. But I take with me the voices of the women I’ve met on this journey, in particular the women who took the medicine 30 years ago. I was really lucky to have the medicine I needed to, really, kick cancer’s butt for me, and that is due to these women who do these courageous trials. So those voices are with me on this album. And I want to be a voice for in the future who lives through it.”

Here is the interview with Patullo:

“So She Howls” features an entrancing combination of howling vocals, orchestral swells, and electronic pulses. As it evolves from hauntingly beautiful sonic environments into uplifting anthems of recovery and resilience, the album follows Patullo’s determined journey to courage, healing, and ultimately, adventure.

Patullo is joined on the album by GRAMMY-nominated vocal ensemble Tonality, and vocalists Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, and David Bowie, members of the Scorchio Quartet, and GRAMMY Award-winning performer/composer Lili Haydn of Opium Moon.

Patullo’s fellow nominees for Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album include Kirsten Agresta-Copely for “Aquamarine;” Omar Akram for “Moments of Beauty;” Ólafur Arnalds for “Some Kind of Peace (Piano Reworks);” and, David Darling and Hans Christian for “Ocean Dreaming Ocean.”

The 2024 GRAMMYs, officially known as the 66th GRAMMY Awards, will air live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on the CBS Television Network and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

FYC for So She Howls by Carla Patullo — Carla Patullo