FEBRUARY 2022 | It's February! Happy Lunar New Year! 🐯⛩🐲
Hi Friend,
I am in Key West again, and have officially started working on a new book I'm calling, "Troubadour". Thanks to the generosity of The Payton Evans/ Studios of Key West writers residency, I've been able to focus on the manuscript, and I hope to leave here with 10K good words. So far, so good! I have been enjoying my time down here, seeing what stories will emerge and make it to the pages. Here's a paragraph from an introduction I wrote. I am using it as my true North, as I write stories to fill the blank pages every day.
"The stories you’ll find in these pages are my way of sharing what I have learned, observed, and been a part of on the road over the last two decades. It is a behind the curtain glimpse into the life of a modern-day troubadour. In these pages, I will bring you on the road with me and put my guitar in your hands. In the end, I hope you’ll find that this book is as much about you, as it is about me. If you do, I will have done my job."
I was happy to sign copies of "Saved by a Song" at Books and Books, Key West, next door to my little residency apartment. I will be wrapping up this trip with two shows at the Studios of Key West on February 12th and 13th. If you are around and want to come to see some live music:
I was recently interviewed on CBC's Q, with the brilliant Tom Power. If you would like to listen to the interview, it's here.
I love this song. And I love David Olney. David died a little over two years ago now. I miss him. We worked on this one together and I am proud of it.
I only have 2 seats left for my upcoming in-person songwriting masterclass, Finding Your Writer's Voice. If you want to join in, sign up below. This one will sell out!
I hope that you all have a great week ahead! Thanks for being on this journey with me.
~Mary
November 2021 | 🎟 Tickets to our November shows + Sundays With Mary
Hi Friend,
Hello from beautiful Kingston, NY where the weather has turned chilly and fireplaces are now lit. We loved spending a few days here at The Hotel Kinsley, resting in a beautiful room on our day off, and enjoying a fantastic meal in the cafe. If you are ever out here near Woodstock I highly recommend this hotel. It's a real gem located in a renovated historic building with gorgeous rooms.
Huge thank you to Nashville News Channel 4 and Lauren Lowrey for running this story on me a few days ago, grateful for your support! "Grace and Grit: Songwriter looks inward to give hope and healing in new book."
We will continue down the road in November and December, playing rescheduled shows from 2020. We are especially excited to return to the Atlanta area for two shows in December. You can check out all of our upcoming shows on the tour page. Each venue has their own Covid policies. All are requiring either proof of vaccination or negative test results.
In author world, the Saved by a Song audiobook is available now. It was really fun for me to read and play some songs for the audiobook. We still have special signed copies of the book available on my web store, as well. Visit the book page to order your limited edition autographed copy of Saved By A Song.
It was also exciting for me to participate in another story of transformational songwriting by accompanying the OutHaus Films documentary Invisible for its New York City premiere. Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped it win the NewFest Audience Award for Best Documentary. Check out the photos below.
By popular request, Sundays With Mary returns this month! I hope you can join Jaimee and me live with special guests on November 14th and 28th at 2 PM, CDT.
📖 There is a limited quantity of signed hardcover copies of Saved By A Song available now on my website. Get yours today.
🎵 The Saved by a Song audiobook is also available now!
It's an honor to be a part of this documentary that moves an untold story forward. Invisible tells the powerful story of LGBTQ+ songwriters who have successfully navigated the male-dominated landscape of southern music. These women have all helped open doors for other LGBTQ+ songwriters in country/southern music by leaning into the things that makes a great songwriter a great songwriter: authenticity, using a unique voice, empathy, struggle, and going towards the hard stuff others would prefer to turn away from. They did/do so not without sacrifice.
The songs they put out into the world do what great songs do. They tap into the universal human experience. They help us ALL - regardless of sexual preference, gender, economic status - by articulating what we can not say for ourselves.
Thank you to everyone who made it out to the premiere in New York City on 10.22 or streamed this film. We won the New Fest audience award for Best Documentary!
🎟 TOUR DATES
DOWN THE ROAD
11.4-11.5
TULSA, OK
WOODY GUTHRIE CENTER
TICKETS
11.6
KANSAS CITY, MO
KNUCKLEHEADS SALOON
TICKETS
11.7
BELLE PLAINE, KS
TREEFEST
TICKETS
11.11
NASHVILLE, TN
THE BLUEBIRD CAFE
TICKETS
11.13
HOPKINSVILLE, KY
ALHAMBRA THEATRE
TICKETS
11.19
SARASOTA, FL
FOGARTYVILLE
TICKETS
11.20
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL
ABDO NEW RIVER ROOM
TICKETS
11.22
TAMPA, FL
STRAZ CENTER
TICKETS
12.3
DECATUR, GA
EDDIE'S ATTIC
TICKETS
12.4
FAIRBURN, GA
BOUCKAERT FARM
TICKETS
Sundays With Mary returns this month. Join us on Facebook and Youtube on November 14th & 28th at 2pm CDT. We will play new songs, take requests, and I will read from my book. Looking forward to hanging with y'all again online!
October 2021 | Saved by a Song Audiobook + Tickets 🎟 to our October shows!
Photographed by Chris Sikich
Hi Friend,
We are on the road in October and November, and will hit cities on both the West and East coast of the US. Each venue has their own Covid policies and most are requiring vaccines. Check with them on their current policy and check out upcoming shows on the tour page.
There are still some special signed copies of my book Saved by a Song. Visit the book page to order your limited edition autographed copy!
Saved by a Song audiobooks are also available, see below for links to start listening today. I am the reader and I play songs in each chapter, including a new song that has not yet been released. There is also a bonus section at the end where I am interviewed by Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls. I would be grateful if you'd leave a short review where you bought your book or audiobook- doing so would help me reach more readers through the magic of algorithms. Thank you!
There are limited edition signed hardcover copies of the book available now on my website! Limited edition, and limited quantity - So buy a copy now!
The Saved by a Song audiobook is available now!
I would be a HUGE help if you have read and enjoyed my book Saved by a Song (or listened to the audio version) if you'd post a short review on Amazon, Goodreads, or wherever you bought my book. A few sentences about how the book hit home for you would make a big impact for a small start-up writer like me and help this book find more readers.
Here are some 5 star reviews for the audiobook:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Amazing Book!
"Mary Gauthier has written and recorded a masterpiece. Each chapter is the story of a song, and leads us deeper and deeper into the art and therapy of songwriting. We learn her story, but most of all we can glimpse into our own."
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Real, Poetic and Inspiring
"I absolutely loved this audio production of Gauthier's Saved by a Song. To be able to hear her perform the songs she's written about was a wonderful treat and the interview at the end was an added bonus. Mary is such an amazing storyteller so hearing it all in her own words gave the stories life. As a songwriter I was inspired and as a human I was moved. I would recommend this audiobook to almost anyone as it was very entertaining and should speak to most people."
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book is a gift, and it keeps on giving
"I'm so glad I listened to the audio book version of Mary's book. It is fantastic on so many levels. Being able to hear her recite her lyrics, then perform the songs is just as it should be. "Saved by a Song" is a compelling memoir, giving invaluable insight into songwriting and writing of any sort, And it's also a gift to all of her students who have gained so much from her workshops (now our friends and family can share some of what we've been so consumed by). I can't recommend it enough!"
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I feel blessed to hear this!
"I have to say at the outset that I am a straight male songwriter. That really doesn’t matter. Mary’s biography end guidance through this history meant the world to me. I cried. I laughed I wrote. I was inspired. And I will never be quite the same songwriter I was before."
🎟 TOUR DATES
DOWN THE ROAD
10.12
FELTON, CA
TICKETS
10.13
BERKELEY, CA
TICKETS
10.16
SEBASTOPOL, CA
TICKETS
10.17
PALO ALTO, CA
TICKETS
10.26
PIERMONT, NY
TICKETS
10.27
ALBANY, NY
TICKETS
10.29
GREENFIELD, MA
TICKETS
10.30
PLYMOUTH, MA
TICKETS
10.31
NEW YORK, NY
TICKETS
11.4-11.5
TULSA, OK
TICKETS
11.6
KANSAS CITY, MO
TICKETS
11.7
BELLE PLAINE, KS
TICKETS
11.13
HOPKINSVILLE, KY
TICKETS
11.19
SARASOTA, FL
TICKETS
September 2021 Newsletter | 🎟 Get tickets to the September shows!
There are limited edition signed hardcover copies of the book available now on my website! Limited edition, and limited quantity - So buy a copy now!
🎟 TOUR DATES
DOWN THE ROAD
09.04
MARTINSVILLE, OH
TICKETS
09.10
ANN ARBOR, MI
TICKETS
09.16
SEATTLE, WA
TICKETS
09.17
PORTLAND, OR
TICKETS
09.23
RED RIVER, NM
TICKETS
10.01-03
SISTERS, OR
TICKETS
10.08-11
COULTERVILLE, CA
TICKETS
10.12
FELTON, CA
TICKETS
10.16
SEBASTOPOL, CA
TICKETS
10.26
PIERMONT, NY
TICKETS
10.27
ALBANY, NY
TICKETS
10.30
PLYMOUTH, MA
TICKETS
10.31
NEW YORK, NY
TICKETS
August 2021 Newsletter | 🙌 Tour dates to look forward to in September!
Hi Friend,
As we get closer to the end of the Summer, I'm excited for the opportunity to continue to play live shows in front of a live audience. We hope to see you when we travel West in September & October! Check out upcoming shows on the tour page.
There are still some special signed copies of my book Saved by a Song too. Visit the book page to order your limited edition autographed copy!
There are limited edition signed hardcover copies of the book available now on my website! Limited edition, and limited quantity - So buy a copy now!
Every page of Saved by a Song sings with wisdom refracted through a lifetime of faltering steps forward and resounds with the healing and transformative power of music.
—NO DEPRESSION
🎟 TOUR DATES
DOWN THE ROAD
08.15
SUNDAYS WITH MARY
2PM CDT
08.26
TONDER, DENMARK
TICKETS
09.04
MARTINSVILLE, OH
TICKETS
09.10
ANN ARBOR, MI
TICKETS
09.16
SEATTLE, WA
TICKETS
09.17
PORTLAND, OR
TICKETS
09.23
RED RIVER, NM
TICKETS
10.01-03
SISTERS, OR
TICKETS
10.08-11
COULTERVILLE, CA
TICKETS
10.12
FELTON, CA
TICKETS
10.16
SEBASTOPOL, CA
TICKETS
10.26
PIERMONT, NY
TICKETS
10.27
ALBANY, NY
TICKETS
10.30
PLYMOUTH, MA
TICKETS
10.31
NEW YORK, NY
TICKETS
I wanna send a huge thank you to all the songwriters who joined me last week for our in-person, fully-vaccinated, three-day writing retreat at Thistle Farms.The courage each writer brought to the workshop was what made the work soar. I am so proud of each and every one of these beautiful songwriters! A huge thank you to John Hiatt, Gretchen Peters, and Beth Nielsen Chapman for being my guests, and Lydia for making it all come together! Write on!
July 2021 Newsletter | 📈 The press is in for "Saved by a Song" - Thank you all!
Hi Friend,
It's been a week since Saved by a Song hit the shelves! I've received so many wonderful messages, and so many great reviews too. Thank you all for making my authorial debut special. Below, you can see what folks are saying about the book...
Visit the book page to order your limited edition autographed copy!
There are a whole bunch of tour dates in the books too. Check out upcoming shows on the tour page!
There are limited edition signed hardcover copies of the book available now on my website! Limited edition, and limited quantity - So buy a copy now!
CBC q Interview with Tom Power
LISTEN HERE
Saved by a Song is a true expression of the inseparability of songwriting, spiritual practice, recovery and relationship that have been endemic to Gauthier’s 25-year career. Think Anne Lamott meets Julia Cameron meets Patti Smith. Anyone who can still write from the heart about writing from the heart after being in the music business as long as Gauthier has is the real deal. Her book invites seasoned artists to deeper authenticity, new artists to deeper craft and all readers to deeper self-reflection.
—BOOKPAGE
Every page of Saved by a Song sings with wisdom refracted through a lifetime of faltering steps forward and resounds with the healing and transformative power of music.
—NO DEPRESSION
July 2021 Reads for the Rest of Us
—MS MAGAZINE
Gauthier has never been the kind of writer to shy away from difficult subjects in her songs. She’s tackled substance abuse, growing up as a “lonely queer kid in a screwed-up family” and, with help from United States veterans on 2018’s Grammy Nominated Rifles and Rosary Beads, the experience of war. It’s no surprise that her book expresses the same level of candor.
—NASHVILLE SCENE
.. [an] intimate, riveting memoir… This emotional narrative will leave readers spent, but rooting for Gauthier to prevail. Her lyrics dig deeply into the human condition, and her explanations leave little room for complacency.
—LIBRARY JOURNAL
21 new books to keep your summer reading going strong.
—LIT HUB
Saved by a Song is no ordinary book about the craft of songwriting, but rather a thoughtful meditation by one of the finest practitioners around on what makes a song matter and the hard lessons she’s learned. This is a treasure of a book as well as a love letter to songs and songwriters and the people who listen to them.
—BOOKLIST
New Releases: July 2021
—LGBTQ READS
Finding Emotional Truth: April 2016
“Extracting the true from the false is at the core of songwriting, and even when the writer works through fantasy and fiction, (and most of us do) emotional truth is the right basis of it. It’s paradoxical, but oftentimes the best way to demonstrate emotional truth is through made up tales. We use melody and metaphor to point to experiences that there are no words for.
Happy Spring!
I’m in the trenches with my book, arm wrestling big ideas, trying to makes sense of them on paper. The chapter I’m working on now deals with the concept of emotional truth, or story truth, as opposed to literal truth. It’s a doozy. Here’s some of what I’ve worked out:
“Extracting the true from the false is at the core of songwriting, and even when the writer works through fantasy and fiction, (and most of us do) emotional truth is the right basis of it. It’s paradoxical, but oftentimes the best way to demonstrate emotional truth is through made up tales. We use melody and metaphor to point to experiences that there are no words for.
Everyone knows fiction is fabrication. But everyone also knows that fiction and falsehood aren’t the same things. Enduring works of literature generate very real emotional experiences that transcend the place and time in which they were written. Ditto songs. Resonance is a sympathetic response, a heartfelt connection, and like stories, songs succeed when we believe them. This heartfelt connection has little to do with facts. When we love a song, we could care less if anything in it ever actually happened. The connection is not based in reason. It’s based in emotion.”
Here's an example of a song I made up, where none of the events happened, but the story is true: Our Lady of the Shooting Stars.
As always, thank you for being a part of my journey. This month I’m headed to Minnesota solo, and then Texas with Eliza Gilkyson and Gretchen Peters as part of the Three Women and the Truth Tour. I will be in New York the last weekend of Aprilwith Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk to run a trauma healing workshop we’ve named "Trauma: Embodiment, Synchrony and Finding Your Voice" at The Garrison Institute.
I hope to see you down the road! Visit www.marygauthier.com/tour for more details on my upcoming shows. Thank you!
Inspiration In The Rockies: March 2016
have drawn inspiration from this beautiful landscape and creative environment for my book, and am excited about the potential for a new project affiliated with The Banff Centre and friends Sam Baker, Jim White and Minton Sparks.
Hello Again!
I am on my way back to the Canadian Rockies this week! I am looking forward to performing shows in Alberta this month, including three dates with Sam Baker and one with Eliza Gilkyson.
I have drawn inspiration from this beautiful landscape and creative environment for my book, and am excited about the potential for a new project affiliated with The Banff Centre and friends Sam Baker, Jim White and Minton Sparks.
As I continue to teach songwriting in Banff and collaborate with other great writers in this tremendous setting, I am able to finally put to words some of my most important realizations about the mystery of writing songs. As a result, my book is starting to take shape now, and is starting to look more like a manuscript than a pile of thoughts that don't connect. Writing a book still feels like writing the longest song ever attempted, but my brain thinks in song, and I'm going with the flow!
Thanks again for following along on my journey and for all of your support and feedback as I explore this new territory. Below is an excerpt from the latest draft of my book. In the meantime, I hope to see you in Alberta this month or down the road this spring and summer!
~~~~~ "Songwriting is an art unto itself, and vision is what’s most important. A basic understanding of craft is necessary, but the art of songwriting is not about mechanics. The art is not about singing, guitar playing, or mastery of any instrument. It’s not about performance, show business, or even entertainment. It’s not about reading or writing music. The art of song is about combining vision, ideas and truth in an effort towards wholeness.
Basic knowledge of music and melody is helpful, but songwriting doesn’t require a music education. Emotional literacy is what matters. There are generations of timeless songs “written” by illiterate songwriters, and brilliant songwriters who don’t play any instruments at all. Irving Berlin, the composer of countless beloved standards couldn't read or write music. He played almost entirely in the key of F-sharp, allowing him to stay on the black keys as much as possible.
At the end of the day, songwriting is conjury. The conjurer is often as mystified as anyone as to where our creations come from. We often can’t explain how we do what we do because we don’t fully understand it ourselves. But in the right mood, with the right frame of mind, there’s a feeling of being an antenna, receiving, then transmitting, receiving, then transmitting. Great songs are more than words and music. Welded together just right, they become emotional electricity.
Songs are music and words glued together with magic. Songwriters apply the glue."
Please visit my Tour Page for all of the details about my upcoming shows in Alberta!
Thank you! - Mary