March 9th: David Olney Tribute Show

Monday, March 9th @6:30PM - TONIGHT
Please join us for a FREE tribute to David Olney at Belcourt Theatre. Doors at 6/Show at 6:30PM.

"A Celebration of Life for David Olney, the widely acclaimed and wholly unique singer-songwriter, is set for Monday, March 9 at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville. Doors open at 6:00pm, and the event will begin at 6:30pm sharp. (Line will form outside of the Belcourt’s main entrance.)

The event for Olney is free and open to the public. Seating is very limited, however, and will be available on a first-come basis.

The celebration will include musical and spoken segments in recognition of Olney’s life as a husband, father, brother and friend, as well as the author and performer of brilliant works, including “Roses,” “1917,” “Deeper Well,” and hundreds of others.

A Nashville resident since 1973, Olney wrote songs that were recorded and performed by artists such as Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Del McCoury, Steve Young, and Steve Earle, and released 20-plus solo albums as well as touring extensively worldwide. To peers such as Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, and a whole generation of younger followers, Olney served as a model of inspiration, artistry, generosity, and good humor.

Olney died January 18 during a performance in Florida. News of Olney’s death left musicians and listeners across the globe despondent, but the Belcourt event will be about the triumph of a one-of-a-kind man who lived on his own terms yet displayed remarkable empathy and tenderness to others."
- Belcourt Theatre

Emotional Alchemy: Survival As The Craft

March News

15 Years Ago
Mercy Now

People ask me how I wrote "Mercy Now," and "what was my secret?" These questions bring to mind an interview with the great Canadian songwriter Ferron. When asked about her brilliant song "Testimony," she said: "What is the formula for writing a song like that? I don't know, almost die? Be very depressed and not know who you are or who your father is or where you're going or what the purpose of life is and why does everybody hate each other and why did they hurt me? If you put all that together and sit down somewhere and weep, you might write 'Testimony.' It's not a craft. Survival was the craft."

"Mercy Now" came to me as a prayer and as an act of desperation. I wrote it in a time when the world around me was collapsing into darkness. The song brought me catharsis, and then, unexpectedly, it brought something else. I found peace in my heart where there was once anger and fear.

Fifteen years ago, on February 15th, 2005, we released the record Mercy Now. The title track, "Mercy Now," was named "One Of the Saddest 40 Country Songs of All Time" by Rolling Stone Magazine in 2014, and continues to be my most streamed and requested song.

While I would argue "Mercy Now" is NOT a sad song, but rather, a real song that ends in hope, it's always an honor to make a Rolling Stone "Top 20 Of All Time" List.

"Mercy Now" has been covered by Kathy Mattea, Bobby Bare, Candi Staton, and Mike Farris, whose album "Shine For All The People" won a GRAMMY for Best Roots Gospel Album in 2015. In 2005, "Mercy Now" was on the Top 10 Lists for The New York Times, The LA Times, The Daily News and Billboard Magazine. In the same year, No Depression Magazine voted "Mercy Now" as the #6 Record of the Decade.

"An album overflowing with beauty, raw emotion and unflinching honesty which established Mary as one of today's pre-eminent songwriters and earned overwhelming critical acclaim." - marygauthier.com

Thank you for all of your support for this record!

MARY GAUTHIER ON TOUR

March 6: Ann Arbor, MI
Green Wood Coffee House*

March 13: Portland, OR
Doug Fir Lounge*

March 15th: Seattle, WA
The Triple Door*

March 20th: Midpines, CA
Yosemite Songwriting Retreat

March 24th: Fayetteville, AR
Roots HQ Listening Room

March 26th: Little Rock, AR
South on Main

March 27th: Tomball, TX
Main Street Crossing*

March 28th: Winnsboro, TX
Winnsboro Center for the Arts
The Bowery Stage*

March 29-30th: Tulsa, OK
Woody Guthrie Center*

*with Jaimee Harris

VIEW ALL 2020 TOUR DATES

2/15/20: "Mercy Now" 15-Year Anniversary

15 years ago today (February 15th, 2005) we released "Mercy Now." The title track, "Mercy Now,” was named "One of The Saddest 40 Country Songs of All Time" by Rolling Stone Magazine in 2014, and continues to be my most streamed and requested song.

"Mercy Now" has been covered by Kathy Mattea, Bobby Bare, Candi Staton, and Mike Farris, whose album "Shine for All the People" won a GRAMMY for Best Roots Gospel Album in 2015.

In 2005, "Mercy Now" was on the top 10 lists for The New York Times, LA Times, The Daily News and Billboard Magazine. In the same year, No Depression Magazine voted "Mercy Now" as the #6 Record of the Decade.

Thank you for all of your support for this record! "Mercy Now" is available to stream at marygauthier.com/music or for purchase at marygauthier.com/store.

"An album overflowing with beauty, raw emotion and unflinching honesty which established Mary as one of today’s pre-eminent songwriters and earned overwhelming critical acclaim." - www.marygauthier.com

Riding With Willie

Paul English, Willie Nelson's longtime drummer, has died. I had the pleasure of traveling with him for a few weeks in 2005, and here's an essay I wrote about the experience.

Riding With Willie (April, 2005)

Last night I slept on a bus parked in a gravel lot outside a large music venue in Ireland. I’m on a three-bus tour, in the UK and Ireland, opening shows for Willie Nelson. This tour includes a smoking bus, a non-smoking bus, and Willie’s bus, carrying Willie, his sister Bobbie, daughter Lana, and personal assistant David Anderson.

I’m on the non-smoking bus with my guitar player Thomm Jutz, Willie’s harmonica player Mickey Raphael, his bass player Bee Spears, and some of Willie’s non-smoking crew. The busses park diagonally side by side in the lot, two or three feet apart.

When we boarded after the show late last night, Willie’s guitar Trigger was lying on the couch in the front lounge. Thomm and I stared at it in silent awe. The most famous guitar on Earth was laying there unguarded, no case. Tunin’ Tom Hawkins, Willie’s guitar tech, walked up from the back of the bus smiling. “Trigger’s riding with us tonight. I gotta change the strings.” Tom picked up Trigger and handed it to me, “Wanna hold it?” I reached for it, held it in my hands for a moment, got scared, and put it down. Terrifying.
No way I was going to strum that instrument. I went back to staring at it.

Trigger’s neck is deeply sunken in in between each fret, (especially the first five). Waves of wood rise and fall where Willie’s fingers had gripped it for the last fifty+ years. The wear wasn't just directly under the strings, where most guitarists create little dugouts from constant play. Trigger’s frets were worn down all the way across the neck; a sign of how far Willie bends those La Bella black nylon strings.

I looked closely at the famous fist sized hole in the body below the high E string, and then peered inside the sound hole. A network of small internal wooden braces held the body together. Dozens of signatures were scratched into the front and back of the instrument: Roger Miller, Johnny Cash, members of Willie’s band, Kris Kristofferson, and several others, all fading into the old wood, the majority spreading into unreadable blurs.
Thomm Jutz, my guitar player, asked Tunin’ Tom if he could play it and got a yes. Thomm picked it up and strummed it. The cord sounded dissonant. He plucked a few riffs, same thing. The tones were off. Deep waves in the neck had made it impossible to play it in tune. Willie Nelson is probably the only person on Earth who can make Trigger sing. When Willie dies, Trigger is most likely headed to the Smithsonian. Future generations will see this iconic instrument in perpetuity - the maker of timeless American music loved by millions the world over.

The next day, I sat down next to Paul English in the catering area as he read the newspaper. Paul is Willie’s drummer of 39 years. The only drummer who has been with a band longer than Paul English is Charlie Watts, with The Rolling Stones. I sat down at his table on purpose, but Paul barely looked up a from under his tinted glasses and black cowboy hat. I could tell he just wanted to read the paper, but I somehow found the courage to talk to him. I managed to get a few stories out of him, and listened in amazement.
Paul told me that when they bought Trigger, they had to pay for it over time, $25 a month, for years. The purchase was a calculated risk, they had no idea if they'd ever be able to fully pay it off.

Then he talked about some shows they’d played in the ‘60’s, on a package show with 11 other acts, including Charley Pride and Kitty Wells. Paul said Charley Pride was the headliner, a HUGE country star at the time and could single handedly sell out the Houston Astrodome. But in Louisiana, they wouldn’t rent him a room at The Holiday Inn. Paul said he and Willie snuck Charley in through the back door of that hotel with a jacket over his head, and he shared a hotel room with Willie.

Like fellow musical giants Nat King Cole, Quincy Jones, Billie Holiday and so many others, Charley Pride was subject to discrimination out on the road when segregation was the law of the land.
“Willie loved Charley, was one of his early champions. He had Charley’s back.” Paul said that tour was the backstory behind Willie’s song about him, Me and Paul.

"On a package show in Buffalo
With us and Kitty Wells and Charlie Pride
The show was long and we're just sitting there
And we'd come to play and not just for the ride
Well, we drank a lot of whiskey
So I don't know if we went on that night at all
But I don't think they even missed us
I guess Buffalo ain't geared for me and Paul"

******
The tour busses pulled out of the parking lot before sunrise, headed for the ferry to cross the Irish Sea to Liverpool. I woke up after three hours sleep when my bunk shook from highway motion. Sleeping on a moving bus is a skill I do not have. I opened my curtain and looked out the window. It was dark.

The show last night was like the two before, seven thousand reverently quiet, devoted Willie Nelson fans listening to every word as I played my 45-minute opening set. Thomm Jutz and a few members of Willie’s band, Billy English, Bee Spears, and Mickey Raphael joined me on stage. It felt like a dream, surreal, yet somehow weirdly destined, a déjà vu, familiar, but otherworldly.

I stood on the side of the stage listening to Willie's set, night after night. I knew every word of Willie's songs, every note. I’d listened to his records since I was a child. His music is literally a part of my being.
The bus turned off the highway, entered the ferry line, and the tour bus rolled into the belly of the boat and parked. Due to safety concerns, everyone is required to get up and out. The band and crew were waking up and putting on their jeans when I saw Willie leave his bus and head for the early morning breakfast line, alone. His daughter Lana soon followed behind him, with Bobbie Nelson on her arm. My eyes were burning as I got off the bus and onto the ferry, but I was in a good mood, on a natural high from playing in front of the three biggest audiences of my career.

I felt like I was living in a movie. I got into the breakfast line behind Willie. He ordered the Full English. So did I. He motioned to me to sit next to him to eat. He had me laughing and feeling comfortable, straight away. He sang me a couple verses of a song he’d just cut for iTunes -
”Cowboys are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other”

“And I believe to my soul that inside every man there's the feminine
And inside every lady there's a deep manly voice loud and clear
Well, a cowboy may brag about things that he's done with his women
But the ones who brag loudest are the ones that are most likely queer”

The last verse was killer, something about “don’t fuck with the lady living inside the cowboys head.” There was a very drunk Irish guy staggering around the dining room while we were waiting in line. His clothes were rumpled, dirty, shirt un-tucked, shoes un-tied. His belt was loose and hanging. I heard someone in the kitchen say he’d been riding the ferry back and forth from Dublin to Liverpool all night, unable to find the exit when the boat docked. The crew found it funny and let him stumble around from deck to deck, trapped on the ferry as it went back and forth from Ireland to England.

As Willie talked, the drunk tottered towards us, rubbing his eyes like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, that the man sitting at the table in the dining area was actually Willie Nelson. He approached us with a wobble, and as he got closer, he burst into tears. He said, “Fucking bloody hell, its Willie Fucking Nelson, is it? Is it?” Willie looked up at him from his chair. Through his tears, the drunk asked Willie to go home with him, so his wife would believe that he’d really met him. I looked back at Mickey sitting at the next table behind us as if to ask should we do something to help? Mickey shook his head no. “Willie can hand handle this shit.”

Willie dug through his pockets for something to write on, pulled out a matchbook from his jacket, signed it, handed it to the drunk, and pleasantly dismissed him. The guy shoved the signed matchbook into his pocket in a crumpled mess, and walked away. Ended up in the corner of the dining room, on the floor, asleep. When he wakes up, at some point, he probably won’t have any idea how Willie Nelson’s autograph landed in his pocket.
.
Willie finished his breakfast. As he got up from the table he said, “Mary, I sure do like your songs. I’m glad to have you with us.” He paused. “You know, an artist’s first taste of success is a bitter thing, and you’ll want to spit it out on everyone”. He smiled, “Probably best not to.”

I thought of all the nights I'd played to more or less empty rooms. The nights I spent asking for a place to sleep from the stage at the end of the show. The myriad of rejections, humiliations and slights I’d experienced from the music business and people didn’t see any money in me.
I nodded. “Yea, yea. I hear you. Probably best not to.”
*****
At the party in the hotel bar in London after the last show of the tour,
I asked Willie, “Why do people love sad songs so much?”
I knew I may never have the chance to ask him that again, and his answer was important to me.
He said, “Well, I think they understand that if heartache, sorrows and troubles can happen to old Willie, they can happen to anyone. Everyone goes thru pain in this life, no matter who they are. Sad songs provide confirmation. It makes folks feel less alone knowing that I go thru the same struggles that they do.”
“Yea, yea.” I said. “That’s exactly it.
Sad songs make us feel less alone.

February Newsletter: Happy Anniversary!

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February News

Happy 2nd Anniversary:
Rifles & Rosary Beads

On January 26th we celebrated the two-year anniversary of Rifles & Rosary Beads, my GRAMMY-Nominated album co-written with combat Veterans and their spouses.

Thank you again to the Veterans and co-writers for your courage in sharing your stories, and to all of you for your support around this record. We have been posting the songs and videos on my Facebook page, and appreciate your heartfelt comments.  The Veterans' stories continue to reach people around the world, and the universal truths represented in these songs are resonating with men and women who have served or who are affected by those who serve.

STREAM RIFLES & ROSARY BEADS

David Olney
1948-2020


The world lost a great artist on January 18th. We songwriters lost a dear friend. David Olney was a man with genius and wide-reaching vision. He was the master of perspective. Point of view in his songs was forever original and brilliant. Unparalleled Mastery.

He wrote from the viewpoint of the Iceberg in "Titanic." From the point of view of the huckster ripping people off on the hill next to Jesus in  "Jerusalem Tomorrow." From the viewpoint of the dummy, talking to the ventriloquist, in "Who's The Dummy Now?"

I cannot pick a favorite Olney song, but I do come back to this one over and over, written from the viewpoint of a French prostitute, in "1917."

Godspeed, David. I love you.

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Mary Gauthier with David Olney

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Writing Your Truth

When someone stands against the wall patiently waiting to be the last person at an album signing, they usually have something to tell me. Maybe a song I wrote brought them solace or gave voice to emotions they thought no one else understood. Perhaps the song surrounded their sorrow, held it like holy communion, offering it back, transformed. Perhaps the song helped release old tears or drained shame from a long-held secret. Maybe it let them know they were not alone.

They approach me relieved, grateful one other person (me, the songwriter) understands how they feel. These moments can be emotional, intimate, and sometimes sacred. I bear witness, I affirm what I'm told, nod my head, maybe put a hand on their shoulder. I listen. And I understand. I do. Songs (my own, and others') have carried me when I needed carrying. They're my life rafts when the storms of life howl. Songs (my own, and others') help me make sense of what happened and how I feel about it. Songs turn emotional chaos into story. Stories bring order. Stories comfort. I'm most driven to write (and listen) to songs when life has thrown me to the ground and I'm hurt, longing for something or someone. Music is my medicine.

I've played in dozens of countries and heard thousands of stories. No matter a person's nationality, age, race, gender, sexuality, religion (or lack of religion), emotions are the same everywhere. People are hurting. People are traumatized, afraid. People are lonely, yearning for meaningful connection. People need hope, we need to believe in something. People need love. Love is hard, much harder than expected.

I'm a troubadour. Troubadouring is an approach, not a genre. Troubadours are self-perceived outsiders who write songs about underdogs, unnoticed or marginalized folks and struggles not often heard in mainstream music. Wandering minstrels, we compose and perform songs to tell truths, not just to entertain. We sing about real life. When people ask me what kind of songs I write, I tell 'em I write real ones. 

SONGWRITER WORKSHOPS

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MARY GAUTHIER ON TOUR

January 30th - February 1st: Nashville, TN
Finding Your Writer's Voice
Performing Songwriter Workshop
SOLD OUT

February 1st: Nashville, TN
Mercy Lounge
"Come Together"
An Australian Bushfire Fundraiser

February 13th: Nashville, TN
The Bluebird Cafe*
SOLD OUT

February 21st: Fort Worth, TX
The Post at River East*

February 22nd: Lewisville, TX
MCL Grand Songwriting Workshop

February 23rd: Lewisville, TX
Medical City Lewisville Grand Theater

*with Jaimee Harris

VIEW ALL 2020 TOUR DATES

2/1: "Come Together," An Australian Bushfire Appeal

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"Come Together: An Australian Bushfire Appeal"
Coming up this Saturday, February 1st at Mercy Lounge in Nashville, TN. Please join us for a great cause! Tickets are available now at tinyurl.com/w8qfwvu.

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Our good friend and total legend Aaron Lee Tasjan is donating a day in the studio to raise funds as part of our Australian Bushfire Appeal and we are now running a SILENT AUCTION, SO! Place your bid, send it to rbhq@rubybootsmusic.com By 5pm Feb 1 and we will include your bid on the night of the show, even if you are unable to be there! Thank you @Aaronleetasjan and @magnetic_sound_studio, WE LOVE YOU!

PRESS:

American Songwriter
”Australian Natives Coordinate Fundraiser in Nashville Benefiting Their Homeland”

CLICK HERE TO READ

Rolling Stone
”Ruby Boots, Nicole Atkins to Perform at Australian Bushfire Benefit in Nashville”

CLICK HERE TO READ

30A Songwriters Festival

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We are looking forward to returning to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida for the 11th Annual 30A Songwriters Festival this weekend! I’ll be performing Friday at Fish Out of Water for the AmericanaFest Showcase with Gretchen Peters and Jaimee Harris at 6PM, Saturday at Bud & Alley’s for the 11AM “Hair of the Dog Hoot” with Jeff Black, Gretchen Peters and Kim Richey, and Sunday evening at 723 Whiskey Bravo with Will Kimbrough.

Please visit 30asongwritersfest.com for the full lineup and more details!
We hope to see you there!

January Newsletter: Happy New Year!

January News

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday! I wanted to say thank you again for all of your support in 2019. What a year!

Jaimee, Michele and I loved seeing so many of you on the road this past year, and especially loved hearing the stories from Veterans and their families as we continued to tour in support of Rifles & Rosary Beads, my recent album co-written with combat Veterans and their spouses.

We performed over 100 shows in 2019, and stayed over 300 nights in hotel rooms. We played my first SOLD OUT tour in the UK & Ireland, performed at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival for the first time, attended the GRAMMYs in Los Angeles, and had the honor of performing at The John F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts' Millenium Stage in Washington D.C on Veterans Day.

While we were on the road, you continued to support us with sold out shows, a record number of album sales and over 4 million streams on Spotify! Thank you!

In 2019, Rifles & Rosary Beads was nominated for a GRAMMY Award, named Best Album of the Year at the International Folk Music Awards, and I was named International Artist of the Year at the UK Americana Awards in London.

2020 will see me working on my book for St. Martin's Press, doing quite a few tour dates on the West Coast, and plotting my next musical move. It's a grand adventure, and I am forever grateful for your interest in, and support of my work. Onward!

STREAM RIFLES & ROSARY BEADS

Rifles and rosary beads
You hold on to what you need
Vicodin morphine dreams
Rifles and rosary beads

Yellow smoke orange haze
Blowing into my eyes
Whistling sunset bombs
I couldn't trust the sky

Rifles and rosary beads
You hold on to what you need
Vicodin morphine dreams
Rifles and rosary beads

White knuckles wrapped around
Blackness that has no sounds
Bombed out schools and homes
Kids in the street alone

- "Rifles & Rosary Beads,"
Mary Gauthier & Joe Costello

Mary Gauthier At Folk Alliance International
January 23rd - 25th, 2020


We are excited to return to Folk Alliance International! This year the conference takes place in New Orleans, LA from January 22nd - 26th.

Please find my 2020 Folk Alliance Schedule posted above and visit the link below for more details.

We hope to see you in New Orleans!

VISIT FOLK ALLIANCE SCHEDULE

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MARY GAUTHIER ON TOUR

January 4th: Austin, TX
Rawhide Trail
SOLD OUT*

January 17-19th: South Walton, FL
30A Songwriters Festival

January 23-25th: New Orleans, LA
Folk Alliance International*

January 30th - February 1st: Nashville, TN
Finding Your Writer's Voice
With Mary Gauthier
Performing Songwriter Workshop

*with Jaimee Harris

VIEW ALL 2020 TOUR DATES

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Purchase Rifles & Rosary Beads on CD or Vinyl

"You'll be hard-pressed to hear a more powerfully moving work than
Rifles & Rosary Beads - this year, or any other."


-LA TIMES

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12/1: LIVE STREAM Mountain Stage Radio Show

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December News

Please tune in with us LIVE today, December 1st, at 7pm ET/6pm CT for the 36th Anniversary Mountain Stage Radio Show in Charleston, West Virginia.

Tonight's show is SOLD OUT, and also features Tyler Childers, Miss Tess & The Talkbacks, and more.

"Mountain Stage is about to celebrate 36 years of live performance radio, and to show our gratitude to the many people who support the show year-round, you'll be able to join the celebration from wherever you are." - wvpublic.org

STREAM MOUNTAIN STAGE RADIO SHOW

"Christmas In Paradise"

Davey stole a Christmas tree
From K-Mart last night
Red ribbons and silver bells,
angels dressed in white

He tied it to the bridge rail
So passing cars could see
He danced a little dance up there,
Looked down and smiled at me

My bed is a lawn chair
Cushions keep it soft
I sleep in the open air,
Under the Southern Cross

Next to the golf course
By the Hyatt Hotel
Davey is a friend of mine
And we get along pretty well

Christmas in paradise
Under the Cow Key Bridge
Where the warm breeze blows so nice
And the landlord forgives

- "Christmas In Paradise,"
Mary Gauthier & Crit Harmon
Live at Me & Thee Coffeehouse, 10/16/15
From the Album "Filth & Fire"

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Black Friday Sale Through 12/2
20% OFF at marygauthier.com


Happy Holidays!
Please enjoy 20% off of your entire purchase at www.marygauthier.com through Monday, December 2nd.

Handwritten lyrics and CD Bundles make great gifts for the Holidays!

Use Discount Code THANKS at checkout.
Thank you!

USE DISCOUNT CODE "THANKS"

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MARY GAUTHIER ON TOUR

December 1st: Charleston, WV
36th Anniversary Mountain Stage Radio Show
SOLD OUT
Stream LIVE at 7PM ET

December 5th: Asheville, NC
Isis Music Hall*

December 6th: Charlotte, NC
Neighborhood Theatre*

December 7th: Chattahoochee, GA
Chatt Hills Music*

December 13th: Grand Rapids, MI
The Listening Room at Studio C*

December 14th: Evanston, IL
SPACE*

*with Jaimee Harris

VIEW ALL TOUR DATES

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Purchase Rifles & Rosary Beads on CD or Vinyl

"You'll be hard-pressed to hear a more powerfully moving work than
Rifles & Rosary Beads - this year, or any other."


-LA TIMES

Black Friday Sale: 20% Off Online Store

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Please enjoy 20% off of everything in my online store!
This special offer runs from 11/28-12/2.

USE DISCOUNT CODE "THANKS" AT CHECKOUT

Happy Holidays!

If you are doing your holiday shopping this weekend, please consider the gift of Handwritten Lyrics for the song of your choice or a CD Bundle from our online store. Everything in the online store is 20% off from 11/28-12/2.

We also have my GRAMMY-Nominated Album Rifles & Rosary Beads available on CD and Vinyl in my store below. To receive 20% off on Rifles & Rosary Beads, use discount code "THANKS" at checkout.

We are wishing you all the best for a wonderful Thanksgiving and Holiday season.

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Thank you for your support

If you have someone on your list that might enjoy something from my little world, it would be my great pleasure to ship that out to you soon.

My 8-CD Bundle is a great gift for the Mary Gauthier fan in your life.

As always, I appreciate your support and encouragement, and I wish you love and mercy during this Holiday Season!

~ Mary

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November Newsletter: Bullet Holes In The Sky

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November News

Our UK & Ireland Tour Kicks Off Tonight in Letterkenny!
We will play eight shows, including the Fitzroy Church in Belfast, Whelan's in Dublin, London's Union Chapel, Pleasance Theatre in Edinburgh and more.

On Veteran's Day, November 11th, I will return to the US, and I am honored to be performing in Washington, DC at the Kennedy Center. Jaimee and I will be playing beside the "Portraits of Courage" Exhibit at the Reach, next to George W. Bush's watercolors of Veterans, in the Kennedy Center's new arts space.

My November tour concludes with a series of shows in the south, including Baton Rouge on November 21st, two shows with Allison Moorer in Houston on November 22nd, and two shows with Three Women & The Truth, in Nashville and Atlanta.

Find a full list of tour dates on my website at
www.marygauthier.com/tour. As always, we hope to see you soon!

UPCOMING TOUR DATES

It's the eleventh of November
Down in Nashville, Tennessee
Free breakfast at the Waffle House
If I show 'em my ID

A parade up on the riverfront,
You can hear the trumpets play
Hands on hearts, the color guard
Kicks it off on Veteran's Day

- "Bullet Holes In The Sky,"
Mary Gauthier & Jamie Trent 
Rifles & Rosary Beads

WATCH BULLET HOLES IN THE SKY VIDEO

Photo credit: John Partipilo

Photo credit: John Partipilo

Songwriting With Soldiers Concert
Now Streaming on PBS


Our "Songwriting With Soldiers" Concert is now streaming on PBS through the month of November. The 1-hour Special premiered nationally on PBS last week, on October 25th. Thanks to everyone who tuned in!

"SongwritingWith:Soliders is a unique, fiercely dedicated collaborative of professional artists and returning veterans who salve the wounds of war through music's power to heal and bring diverse people together.

Illuminating the SW:S process, 'Songwriting With Soldiers' features songs of combat, suicide, resilience, fear, the pride of soldiering, and turmoil of transitioning out, works of war and remembrance that are powerful, transformative and demanding. This beautifully shot show offers viewers well-crafted windows into the lives of those we ask to fight our wars." - pbs.org

STREAM ON PBS

 On November 11th, I will be performing in Washington, DC at the "Portraits of Courage" Exhibit at the Reach, the Kennedy Center's new arts space.

"Portraits of Courage," painted by former president George W. Bush, is a collection of 66 oil paintings of military veterans, and "emerged from Bush's ongoing work with veterans through the Military Service Initiative, an organization that helps members of the military transition back into civilian life." - dcist.com

LEARN MORE

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MARY GAUTHIER ON TOUR

November 1st: Letterkenny, Ireland
Letterkenny Regional Cultural Centre

November 2nd: Belfast, UK
Fitzroy Presbyterian Church

November 3rd: Dublin, Ireland
Whelan's

November 5th: London, UK
Union Chapel: London Roots Festival

November 6th: Bristol, UK
Hen & Chicken

November 7th: Birmingham, UK
Kitchen Garden Cafe

November 8th: Hebden Bridge, UK
Trades Club: SOLD OUT

November 9th: Edinburgh, UK
Pleasance Theatre

November 11th: Washington, DC
The John F. Kennedy Center
for the Performing Arts
Millenium Stage

November 14th: Nashville, TN
The Porch Presents:
"Books, Bars & Guitars: Difficult Women"
Analog at The Hutton Hotel

November 15th: Albany, NY
SongwritingWith:Soldiers Retreat

November 21st: Baton Rouge, LA
Zeeland Street Market

November 22nd: Houston, TX
McGonigel's Mucky Duck
With Allison Moorer

November 23rd: Jackson, MS
Duling Hall

November 24th: Silverhill, AL
The Frog Pond at Blue Moon Farm

November 29th: Nashville, TN
City Winery Nashville
Three Women & The Truth

November 30th: Atlanta, GA
City Winery Atlanta
Three Women & The Truth

VIEW ALL TOUR DATES

ON SALE NOW: Rifles & Rosary Beads

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ON SALE NOW:
"Rifles & Rosary Beads" CDs are on sale HERE today for $10.
Digital albums are on sale HERE at iTunes for $5.99.

Co-written with U.S. veterans and their families, the eleven deeply personal songs on this album reveal the untold stories, and powerful struggles that these veterans and their spouses deal with abroad and after returning home.

"You’ll be hard-pressed to hear a more powerfully moving work than Rifles & Rosary Beads this year — or any other.”
- LA Times

A portion of every sale goes to SongwritingWith:Soldiers.
The sale runs from 10/25-10/31/19.

The PBS SongwritingWith:Soldiers Special
National Premiere: Tonight, 10/25, at 10PM/9PM CT.

10/25: PBS To Air Songwriting With Soldiers Concert

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Tune In OR Stream on PBS TONIGHT!
Friday, October 25th at 10PM EST/9PM CST
SongwritingWith:Soldiers Concert | Filmed in Nashville, TN

Click HERE for More Details

"SongwritingWith:Soldiers is a unique, fiercely dedicated collaborative of professional artists and returning veterans who salve the wounds of war through music’s power to heal and bring diverse people together.

Illuminating the SW:S process, 'Songwriting with Soldiers' features songs of combat, suicide, resilience, fear, the pride of soldiering, and turmoil of transitioning out, works of war and remembrance that are powerful, transformative and demanding. This beautifully shot show offers viewers well-crafted windows into the lives of those we ask to fight our wars.

The creative songwriting process can be life-changing for participants, both writers and veterans. In the words of SW:S co-founder Mary Judd, 'The soldier is watching their story become something beautiful. It’s a work of art that is being created out of their story.'" - pbs.org.

“Rifles & Rosary Beads” CDs ON SALE NOW for $10
Sale runs 10/25-10/31 at marygauthier.com/store

October Newsletter: It's Old Friends, After All

October News
"It's Old Friends, After All"

Michele and I had a wonderful time at the Hudson West Folk Fest in September. In this photo we were hanging with our good friend Sam Baker, listening to the great David Olney sing.

Guy Clark said it best: "It's Old Friends, After All." We have been busy on the road this summer and fall, and have been blessed to see so many friends along the way.

In Edmonton, Jaimee and I had the honor of sharing the stage and trading songs with Ani DiFranco, Bruce Cockburn, Rose Cousins, Amanda Shires, Jason Isbell, and Hurray For The Riff Raff. We loved every minute of The Edmonton Folk Festival!

In October, I am heading out to San Francisco to play the great Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, and then will look forward to meeting new friends at The Yosemite Songwriting Retreat in Midpines, California, The Intensive Writers Retreat in Austin, Texas and the Tuscan Retreat in Monosterolo Di Savigliano, Italy. And then our Ireland and UK Tour kicks off November 1st!

Thank you for being a part of our journey, and we hope to see you this fall!

"Five Dollars And The Truth"

My old restaurant, The Dixie Kitchen, was next-door to Berklee College in Boston. For over a decade, I cooked jambalaya there and dreamed of becoming a songwriter. I never imagined one day I would be invited to teach a songwriting master class at Berkeley! Teaching there this week felt full circle to me, and I was deeply honored by their invitation.

READ MORE

HARDLY STRICTLY BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL

Coming up this weekend: I will be performing at The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco Saturday afternoon, October 5th, at 12:10PM on the Porch Stage. We hope to see you there!

HARDLY STRICTLY BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL

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 I am excited to announce that I will be co-teaching an Intensive Writing Retreat with Terri Trespicio October 17-20th, 2019 in Austin, Texas.

Imagine if you could take three days to just write - songs, poetry, a TEDx talk, the opening pages of a book - anything you've been dying to create, that speaks to your work in the world.

This is a very special event, and the group is quite small. We have a few spots left, and I invite you to take one.

"The Intensive" Writing Retreat is for authors, songwriters, poets, speakers, teachers, business owners, bloggers - all are welcome! All that's required is a desire to create, an open mind, and a kind heart to join this powerful, intimate group.

This is your chance. We will provide a safe place to create in a loving, supportive community at a beautiful home with a pool, a private chef - and plenty of time to devote to your own creative work.

LEARN MORE

UK & IRELAND TOUR
NOVEMBER 2019


Reminder: UK & Ireland Tour Coming Up in November!
We will play seven dates, including the Fitzroy Church in Belfast, Whelan's in Dublin, London's Union Chapel, Pleasance Theatre in Edinburgh and more.

UK & IRELAND TOUR

MARY GAUTHIER ON TOUR

October 5th: San Francisco, CA
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival

October 11-14th: Midpines, CA
Yosemite Songwriting Retreat

October 17-20th: Austin, TX
The Intensive Writers Retreat
Whispering Oak Ranch

October 23rd-30th: Monasterolo Di Savigliano, Italy
A Tuscan Retreat: SOLD OUT

VIEW ALL TOUR DATES

10/17: "The Intensive" 3-Day Writing Retreat in Austin, TX

I am excited to announce that I will be co-teaching an Intensive Writing Retreat with Terri Trespicio October 17-20th, 2019 in Austin, Texas.

This is a very special event, and the group is quite small. We’ve got a few spots left, and I invite you to take one.

Who’s it for? Authors, songwriters, poets, speakers, teachers, business owners, coaches, bloggers —all are welcome! The one thing you need is a desire to create, an open mind, and a kind heart to join this powerful, intimate group.

Imagine if you could take just three days to just write—songs, poetry, a TEDx talk, the opening pages of a book—anything you’ve been dying to create, that speaks to your work in the world.

This is your chance. We will provide a safe place to create in a loving, supportive community at a beautiful home with a pool, a private chef—and plenty of time to devote to your own creative work.

Learn more about how to join us here: territrespicio.com/intensive.

September Newsletter: Saved By A Song

September News

Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Song School
Lyons, Colorado


On August 14th, the sky in Lyons, Colorado filled with electricity and nature showed off some of her powers. It reminded me of the way I look at songwriting, and prompted a new passage in my book on songwriting.

"I see songwriting as a kind of midwifery. Like children, songs show up knowing who they are. I can influence them, but the songs arrive with personalities of their own. So, if songs are coming from somewhere else, my work is to be a receiver. With lightning rod in hand, I hope to conduct electricity by collecting flashes of ideas and inspiration.

As I work, I ride the edge between what I know, my subconscious, and what hasn't happened yet. As I step into the emptiness of my unknowing and create something from nothing, I get the sense that I am co-creating. I do not know what the electricity flowing through me will manifest, or what my efforts at conducting will light up. Often, it is nothing at all!

I am not in charge of the flow. I cannot switch it on or off. All I can do is show up, and direct my focused effort into it, and believe in the process.

Sometimes I sit at my writing desk for hours before I can access the state of mind where I am not "writing," but listening. There is a deep and profound mystery at the core of song creation, a sacred riddle.

Each song makes requests of me, through my gut, or solar plexus.

It is the third chakra, the gut feeling, that helps me get rid of untruths. When I write untruths or stray from the path of authenticity, my gut feels it. It senses the falseness and whispers a message to work harder. My job as a songwriter is to rid the song of dishonesty. This is neither simple nor easy - the process is almost always one of discovery.

I work to see what I have not yet seen.

Every song is a new beginning, a new life entering the world."

- Mary Gauthier, Excerpt from "Saved By A Song"
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

HARDLY STRICTLY BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL

I'm honored to be a part of this year's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Lineup! We hope to see you in San Francisco October 4th-6th. Find more details at www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com.

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UK & IRELAND TOUR
NOVEMBER 2019


UK Americana Music Association's International Artist of the Year 2019

I am excited to return to the UK and Ireland this fall with Jaimee Harris and Michele Gazich. We will play seven dates, including the Fitzroy Church in Belfast, Whelan's in Dublin, London's Union Chapel, Pleasance Theatre in Edinburgh and more.

Find a full list of tour dates on my website at
www.marygauthier.com/tour.

UK & IRELAND TOUR

Three Women & The Truth | City Winery | Nashville, TN | November 29th, 2019

Three Women & The Truth | City Winery | Nashville, TN | November 29th, 2019

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MARY GAUTHIER ON TOUR

September 5th: Nashville, TN
The Bluebird Cafe
SOLD OUT

September 6th: Nashville, TN
SongwritingWith:Soldiers Retreat

September 12th: Bay Shore, NY
YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts

September 13th: Rosendale, NY
Rosendale Cafe

September 14th: Jersey City, NJ
Hudson West Folk Festival

September 15th: Freehold, NJ
Concerts In The Studio

September 21st: Columbus, OH
Ohio Lesbian Festival

September 26th: Boston, MA*
City Winery Boston

September 27th: Fall River, MA*
Narrows Center for the Arts

September 28th: Norfolk, CT*
Infinity Hall & Music Bistro

*with Gretchen Peters & Friends

VIEW ALL TOUR DATES

August Newsletter

PBS To Tape SongwritingWith:Soldiers Concert

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August News

PBS Taping: SongwritingWith:Soldiers Concert
Thursday, August 1st, 8PM
War Memorial Auditorium | Nashville, TN

*TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE*

Please join us tonight in Nashville!
We'll be singing songs written in collaboration with veteran participants and their families who attended SongwritingWith:Soldiers Retreats. The concert will be filmed for a PBS Special.

www.songwritingwithsoldiers.org/pbsconcert

For tickets and more info, text "SWS" to 444-999.

MORE INFO

Photo by Paolo Brillo

Photo by Paolo Brillo

SAVED BY A SONG

With a few weeks off the road, I am working hard on my book on songwriting. "Saved By A Song" explores the deeper meaning of songwriting in my life.

Excerpt from "Saved By A Song"
"It is difficult to be a trauma survivor of any kind, but most difficult when you are kept in ignorance of what it is you have survived. Although I knew that a piece of myself was swept away on the day I was born, I also knew that I must not attempt to retrieve it. To retrieve it would pry open a sealed vault, betray those who'd rescued me and expose my deepest terrors.

The mind will protect itself from what it cannot weather, it will shut down and lock secret doors inside itself to keep danger at bay. But when the danger has passed, the doors remain shut. The shut doors become barricades to love, truth, spirit and imagination.

My songs were opening doors for me, walking me into darkened rooms and turning on lamps. Songwriting showed me how to take a step back to a bearable distance.

Songwriting took me from being the story, to becoming the storyteller. This is a strange experience, this step back. It is as if I am observing someone else. The self, observing itself, can only do so in reflection. In other words, I was always looking backwards in time, reflecting on someone that was not I, the observer. I was looking at someone who no longer existed.

The songwriter, looking back and writing songs about the self, was not the same person who had suffered the trauma. I found freedom in this paradox, and power."

Stay tuned for more from "Saved By A Song"
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

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WRITING WITH ASHLEY MCBRYDE

Ashley McBryde is a genuine, full-on, raise the hair up on my arms,
songwriting badass! What a day!

Congrats on her GRAMMY-Nominated Album, "Girl Going Nowhere!"

ASHLEY MCBRYDE

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RAY WYLIE HUBBARD AT THE OPRY

On July 17th, my friend Ray Wylie Hubbard played The Opry for the first time. I was so happy to be there to cheer him on. Pam Tillis introduced him, and he came out and worked his magic with his son Lucas by his side. It was a beautiful performance, and my heart was full. We've been friends for nearly 30 years. I'm grateful for so many wonderful moments over the years with this beautiful man and his bride Judy.

We can now add The Opry to the list!

UK & IRELAND TOUR
NOVEMBER 2019


UK Americana Music Association's International Artist of the Year 2019

I am excited to return to the UK and Ireland this fall with Jaimee Harris and Michele Gazich. We will play seven dates, including the Fitzroy Church in Belfast, Whelan's in Dublin, London's Union Chapel, Pleasance Theatre in Edinburgh and more.

Find a full list of tour dates on my website at
www.marygauthier.com/tour.

UK & IRELAND TOUR

Michele Gazich & Mary Gauthier

Michele Gazich & Mary Gauthier

MARY GAUTHIER ON TOUR

August 10th: Edmonton, AB
Edmonton Folk Music Festival

August 27th: Albuquerque, NM
Outpost Performance Space

August 29th: Taos, NM
Casa de Musica Songwriter Workshop
with Eliza Gilkyson
SOLD OUT

September 15th: Freehold, NJ
Concerts In The Studio

September 21st: Columbus, OH
Ohio Lesbian Festival

September 26th: Boston, MA*
City Winery Boston

September 27th: Fall River, MA*
Narrows Center for the Arts

September 28th: Norfolk, CT*
Infinity Hall & Music Bistro

*with Gretchen Peters & Friends

VIEW ALL TOUR DATES