March 2022 | Spring is Coming and Gauthier News Update 🍀
Hi Friend,
I just wrapped up my time at The Payton Evans/ Studios of Key West writers residency. I was able to get a few more pages written, one more swim at the MLK Community Pool in Bahama Village, one more fried grouper sandwich on Cuban bread, and one more 8 mile spin along the Atlantic Ocean past the Key West Airport on the rented bicycle before I headed back to Nashville. There is nothing quite like the feeling of doing my work in a place that I love, making new friends, hanging out with old friends, and planning for what is next. I am thrilled to be bringing a new record out into the world in June, and booking new tour dates all over the world to support the release. Announcements of all this coming soon, but for now, thank you! Thank you all for helping me to keep it going all these years and for being on this musical journey with me.
I took the picture of the birds as I was standing on the White Street Pier in Key West.
Excited to bring back my virtual concert series, Sundays With Mary again! Join me on Sunday at 2 pm CST. I'll be playing some of the new songs from my upcoming record. The live streamed show will be on YouTube or Facebook, so you can join in on either platform. Answer this newsletter with a request, and I will try to play it for you!
I have an online class coming up on Sunday, March 20th called The Five Things I've Learned about the Healing Power of Songwriting. I am going to share how songs have a unique power to bring hope in the face of deep trauma. Here are the details and registration information:
For those of you in NY, I'll have a songwriting workshop and a concert at Levon Helm Studios on Saturday, April 16. The workshop will be from 10 am -2 pm. I will talk about the art and craft of songwriting, discuss melody, structure, lyric writing, courage, honesty, and truth. I will also listen to songs and offer feedback to those who want it. Doors for the show: 7:30 pm
See all of the details and get your tickets here for the workshop, the show and workshop, or just the show:
I hope that you all have a great month ahead! Thanks for being on this journey with me.
~Mary
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
January 2022 | I have some updates for you 🎵
Reading from my book on stage at The Spire Center, Plymouth, MA.
Hi Friend,
To get 2022 started, I wanted to say thank you so much for being with me through these challenging times. I am filled with gratitude, surrounded by loving kindness, good will, and encouragement.
In 2021, regardless of the pandemic, Jaimee and I were able to safely play in 39 towns and cities performed a total of 61 live-streamed concerts for "Sundays With Mary". I taught three online songwriting workshops and one in-person songwriting workshop at Thistle Cafe here in Nashville.
I worked in a reading from Saved by a Song at the shows and signed books at the merchandise table every night. It gave me a chance to meet so many of you, and wow, what a wonderful experience. I am richly blessed with your support, and for that, I am much obliged.
The second week of December, I went into the studio and made a new record, with Neilson Hubbard as my producer (again), and I cannot wait to share it with you (street date is June, 2022). The name of the new record is Dark Enough to See the Stars.
I will be heading down to Key West for a month this Jan/Feb to begin working on a new book, thanks to the generosity of The Payton Evans/ Studios of Key West writers residency. I have no idea if I have another book in me, but I will focus on the pages for a month and see what appears. Being an author brings me great joy and I'm hoping that if I just keep typing that something worthwhile will appear. We shall see!
Thank you for coming out to my shows and tuning in to the live streams. I am honored to have you on this musical and literary journey with me! Wishing you and yours all of the best in 2022!
Honored that Saved By a Song made it to Rolling Stone's The Best Music Books of 2021 list! Here's the full article.
In her debut memoir, Americana songwriter Mary Gauthier leaves nothing hiding in the shadows: She shares that she’s a recovering addict and alcoholic who got busted for DUI in the very first chapter. Like the plain-spoken songs she’s written — the alcoholic’s confession “I Drink,” the desperate plea “Mercy Now” — Saved by a Song is stunningly personal. She writes in sharp but warm prose about coming out as a gay woman, her difficult search for her birth mother, and how she learned to love herself, providing a handbook for compassion and self-care along the way. But Saved by a Song also pulls back the curtain on the magic of songwriting. Watching her dissect “I Drink,” crossing out lyrics that didn’t fit and streamlining her way to the finished product, is like sitting in on a class taught by a master. —J.H.
You can buy a signed book from me HERE.
I only have 3 seats left for my upcoming songwriting masterclass. If you want to join in, sign up below. Here are some of the details:
Tools for Your Songwriting Toolkit with Mary Gauthier
4 Week Saturday Master Class on Zoom from 12, PM CST to 2:30, PM CST.
February 19
February 26
March 12 (instead of March 5th)
March 19
3 seats left! Final call for sign ups!
The purpose of this class is to increase your overall understanding of the art and craft of song and give you valuable tools that you can immediately apply to your songwriting. The more tools you have, the better writer you will become. I will give a lecture each week, answer questions, offer writing prompts, and provide feedback on one of your songs. This will be both a lecture class and a student participation workshop. I will listen to students’ songs and offer instruction based on the songs shared.
You will walk away from this workshop with insider songwriting knowledge that usually takes decades to figure out.
I hope that you all have a great week ahead and a beautiful holiday season.
~Mary
December 2021 | Thank you + Holiday Sale 🎄
Hi Friend,
Greetings from Key West, Florida! We are working from our hotel room after an amazing week of shows: One on Sarasota, one in Ft. Lauderdale, then at the Ryman back home in Nashville and then another in Tampa at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it's about gratitude and being thankful. This year, I am especially thankful for all of your support during these past difficult months. You inspire me every day to keep creating and I appreciate your support for my music. I am headed to the studio to make a new record when I get back to Nashville next week. There will be new music from me coming out in 2022.It's been a while! I am excited to hear what these new songs will sound like with full band. Showtime!
If you are looking for a gift for yourself or your loved ones, I have a limited-time sale running now on select items from autographed copies of my latest book, Saved By A Song, Vinyl & CD bundles, hand written lyrics of Mercy Now, T-shirts and many other collectible items that would make great gifts.
Click on the images below or the shop now button for more details! 🎁🎵
I was recently on Malcolm Gladwell's Broken Record Podcast. I loved chatting with Bruce Headlam about my story the power of music to transform and heal. ❤️
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify
Thanks again for all of your love and support. I am grateful that you are on this musical and literary journey with me.
Looking forward to sharing some new music with you in 2022! Stay safe and have a beautiful holiday season!
~ 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
June 2021 Newsletter | 📖 Pre Order 'Saved by a Song' + Texas Tour Dates
Hi Friend,
I'm overjoyed to share my first book with you all very soon! Saved by a Song will be hitting the shelves (July 6) in one month! Be sure to place your preorder, check out a very cool promotion we put together, and stay tuned for some more SBAS announcements coming soon.
We are also finally able to get back on the road to play some real, in-person, live-audience shows! Jaimee and I will be in Texas all month, so get your tickets while they last. Visit the tour page for upcoming virtual shows too!
Happy Pride Month! We're celebrating with love over here. Visit the merch store in June and get 20% OFF your order! Use code: LOVE4ALL
Odie Lindsey reads from his book Some Go Home and I share inspiration behind my new song "Then Go Home". Read more via American Songwriter!
🎟 TOUR DATES
TEXAS + BEYOND
06.12.21
QUEERFOLK FEST
VIRTUAL FESTIVAL
MORE INFO
05.17.21
INSIDE LIVE
W/ ALICE & FREEBO
WATCH ON FB + YT
06.18.21
CALLIOPE PRESENTS
ROOTS CELLAR@ HOME
ONLINE CONCERT SERIES
MORE INFO
06.25.21
GALVESTON, TX
OLD QUARTER ACOUSTIC CAFE
TICKETS
06.26.21
SAN ANTONIO, TX
SAINT ANDREW PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
FREE
06.27.21
DALLAS, TX
CAFE MOMENTUM
TICKETS
06.28.21
TOMBALL, TX
MAIN STREET CROSSING
TICKETS
I first met Wally Lamb in 2014, when I was honored to share the stage with him in Baton Rouge, at the Louisiana Festival of the Book. He interviewed me in the Louisiana Legislature’s Chamber, and we had a wonderful time telling stories and I sang a few songs. This Sunday, he will be my guest, and I will get to interview him. He is one of the very best writers writing today, and I hope you will join us for this very special show on June 6th.
May 2021 Newsletter | ☀️ May-be it's time for live music again!
Hi Friend,
We are excited to be able to enjoy this new season in hopes that it will bring more sunshine and songs (and live music) to all of our lives! There are new tour dates added, an in-person songwriting workshop at Thistle Farms in Nashville, a great lineup of guests for Sundays with Mary, my book release, and so much more to smile about.
We hope to see you out there at the shows! Until then, check out what's new below...
You can now download SEVEN of my records on Bandcamp!
JUST ADDED:
+ Dixie Kitchen
+ Mercy Now
+ Between Daylight and Dark
Make sure you follow my page and keep your eyes peeled for even more releases from the catalog coming soon!
In this 3-day workshop at the Cafe at Thistle Farms Education Space in Nashville, Mary will work with students of all levels to help them clarify the aim of their writing and discover their own, unique voice. Seats are limited and will fill up quickly, so enroll now!
Click here for more information.
05.07.21
KEY WEST, FL
LIVE FROM THE LAWN
THE BARREL HOUSE (PERRY HOTEL)
TICKETS
05.15.21
CHEROKEE, TX
CHEROKEE CREEK MUSIC FESTIVAL
TICKETS
05.17.21
WINSLOW, AZ
ROOTS ON THE RAILS
THE GATHERING OF THE TRIBE
TICKETS
06.18.21
CALLIOPE PRESENTS
ROOTS CELLAR@ HOME
ONLINE CONCERT SERIES
MORE INFO
06.25.21
GALVESTON, TX
OLD QUARTER ACOUSTIC CAFE
TICKETS
06.26.21
SAN ANTONIO, TX
SAINT ANDREW PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
FREE
06.27.21
DALLAS, TX
CAFE MOMENTUM
TICKETS
06.28.21
TOMBALL, TX
MAIN STREET CROSSING
TICKETS
07.06.21
'SAVED BY A SONG' VIRTUAL EVENT
PARNASSUS BOOKS
IN CONVERSATION WITH ALLISON MOORER
TICKETS
07.09.21
DECATUR, GA
EDDIE'S ATTIC
TICKETS
07.14.21
OKEMAH, OK
WOODYFEST 2021
SET DAY/TIME TBA
TICKETS
April 2021 Newsletter | 📖 Pre-order 'Saved by a Song' + New Tour Dates Added
Hi Friend,
The release date of Saved by a Song is quickly approaching and there is a virtual event to celebrate it - On July 6th, I'll be in conversation with Allison Moorer and Parnassus Books here in Nashville! Pre-order the book and get access to the live stream event here.
I've added a handful of new tour dates to the calendar too! I'll be traveling up to the Northeast with Jaimee Harris opening a handful of dates. More to be announced soon...
If you use Bandcamp, I ask you to support independent artists THIS Friday (April 2) for Bandcamp Friday - 100% proceeds go to the artists behind the music. Also, I've added a few more records to my Bandcamp page.
Per usual, we have an amazing lineup for Sundays with Mary in April - Check it out below!
You can now download SEVEN of my records on Bandcamp!
JUST ADDED:
+ Dixie Kitchen
+ Mercy Now
+ Between Daylight and Dark
Make sure you follow my page and keep your eyes peeled for even more releases from the catalog coming soon!
In this 3-day workshop at the Cafe at Thistle Farms Education Space in Nashville, Mary will work with students of all levels to help them clarify the aim of their writing and discover their own, unique voice. Seats are limited and will fill up quickly, so enroll now!
Click here for more information.
05.15.21
CHEROKEE, TX
CHEROKEE CREEK MUSIC FESTIVAL
TICKETS
05.17.21
WINSLOW, AZ
ROOTS ON THE RAILS
THE GATHERING OF THE TRIBE
TICKETS
06.25.21
GALVESTON, TX
OLD QUARTER ACOUSTIC CAFE
TICKETS
06.26.21
AUSTIN, TX
CACTUS CAFE
TICKETS
06.27.21
DALLAS, TX
CAFE MOMENTUM
TICKETS
06.28.21
TOMBALL, TX
MAIN STREET CROSSING
TICKETS
07.06.21
'SAVED BY A SONG' VIRTUAL EVENT
PARNASSUS BOOKS
IN CONVERSATION WITH ALLISON MOORER
TICKETS
07.29.21
NASHVILLE, TN
CAFE AT THISTLE FARMS
WORKSHOP: FINDING YOUR WRITER'S VOICE
ENROLL
09.04.21
MARTINSVILLE, OH
NOWHERE ELSE FESTIVAL
TICKETS
10.27.21
ALBANY, NY
THE LINDA
TICKETS
10.30.21
PLYMOUTH, MA
SPIRE CENTER
TICKETS
11.20.21
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL
BROWARD CENTER
ABDO NEW RIVER ROOM
TICKETS
READ THE NEWEST ISSUE HERE
Dear Mary,
Have you ever written songs about family members that reveal things they might rather keep quiet about? How do you deal with that?
Country Music Hall of Fame: Songwriter Sessions
"Songwriter Session w/ Mary Gauthier,” LIVE from the Archives, 2015. I'm honored to have this performance and Q&A included in the Country Music Hall of Fame's "Music is Strength" series this week!
"It takes strength to unpack raw emotions into songs, and it takes strength to step on a stage or into a studio to express that vulnerability to the world. Those songs, those expressions, tend to edify those who listen, too. This week, we're spotlighting artists, songs, and moments that reveal strength, and underline how music strengthens us."
-- Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
April Newsletter: Connect With Michele
April News
Connect with Michele
Hello friends. I hope this message finds you healthy and safe. We know that a lot of people are hurting right now, and we would like to stay in touch during these difficult times.
As you probably know, all of our April tour dates have been postponed. Some of those have already been rescheduled for the fall. Please visit my website for updates, as things are constantly changing and evolving. If you had tickets to a show that has been postponed, please contact the venue directly or hold onto your tickets for future use.
We will, however, be performing a LIVE streaming show this Saturday, April 4th, at 5PM Central Time to benefit Club Passim. More details below.
Many of you know Michele Gazich, my violin player who lives in Bergamo, Italy. Michele is a very close friend and has been a very important part of my live shows, as well as the Rifles & Rosary Beads record. We have shared stages together all over the world for over a decade. I have been sharing his updates from Italy on my Facebook page over the last few weeks.
Michele lives in the red zone of the COVID-19 virus in Northern Italy. He is in a safe place, a cabin away from the city, reporting to me what is happening in Italy. His stories are factual, heart wrenching and necessary. More than ever, I think it's important that we stay in touch with him now, as the rest of the world can learn from what is happening in Italy.
From Michele's Desk, March 22nd:
"To my American friends: It's difficult to write, to say something more meaningful than numbers. Maybe only Etty Hillesum could have something to tell us today: "One moment it is Hitler, the next it is Ivan the Terrible; one moment it is resignation and the next war, pestilence, earthquake or famine.
Ultimately what matters most is to bear the pain, to cope with it, and to keep a small corner of one's soul unsullied (7 July 1942)."
PHOTO CREDIT: ROGER LIPTROT
From Michele's Desk, March 21st:
"Today, March 21, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) celebrates WORLD POETRY DAY. This is the message today from Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director: Arranged in words, colored with images, struck with the right meter, poetry has a power that has no match. This is the power to shake us from everyday life and the power to remind us of the beauty that surrounds us and of the resilience of the human spirit."
Long Haul Paul
Long Haul truck drivers are still working. They are out there on the highways right now hauling emergency medical supplies like masks, ventilators, soap, and raw materials that help manufactures build those things -- paper, plastic, alcohol. Grocery shelves must be restocked. Folks everywhere need more toilet paper.
My friend "Long Haul Paul" Marhoefer is one of those truck drivers. God bless him. Paul recorded this cover of "Mercy Now" after reading Michele Gazich's Facebook post about the priest in Bergamo, Italy who gave up his ventilator to a younger person.
Father Giuseppe Beradelli, the 72 year old priest who gave a respirator (that his parishioners had purchased for him) to a younger patient (who he did not know) passed away.
May God Bless Father Beradelli and have Mercy on us all.
Live Stream to Benefit Club Passim
Saturday, April 4th | 5PM CT
Please join me and Jaimee for a LIVE Streaming Show on my YouTube Channel this Saturday, April 4th at 5PM Central Time.
Our online show will benefit Club Passim, where we were originally scheduled to play this Saturday. We would love to see you there!
Just click the link below to tune in online.
NPR's 50 Best Albums of 2018
Rifles & Rosary Beads Named One of NPR’s 50 Best Albums of 2018!
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL LIST
“Few singer-songwriters have mined their own autobiographies with a stronger belief in the unifying potential of human affliction than Mary Gauthier, but she arrived at her most compelling expressions of empathy to date by fixating intently on others' stories. Rifles & Rosary Beads, her eighth proper studio album, was the fruit of songwriting retreats with American military veterans and their spouses and partners; with the participants' permission, what began as a therapeutic exercise led to a riveting collection of testimonies, recollections and vignettes. Gauthier is a tough, almost surly singer who makes her emotional commitment to the material felt, and her choice of producers, and multi-instrumentalist Neilson Hubbard, framed it with bristly folk-rock gravity. The greatest source of the 11 songs' power is how they capture contradictions in excruciating, unshakable detail: the feelings of fierce camaraderie beneath heroic displays of stoicism; the mixture of pride and anguish that service leaves in its wake; the trauma that alienates vets and their loved ones even after they're reunited beneath the same roofs. That degree of attentiveness was an especially needed salve during a year when differences in experience and perspective were treated as unbridgeable, hostility-stoking barriers.”
—Jewly Hight
Album of the Year Nomination: September Newsletter
Welcome to my September Newsletter!
Hello from New Mexico, where I'm teaching songwriting and playing shows with Eliza Gilkyson this week!
I've been on the road all month with Michele Gazich, who plays violin and viola, and Jaimee Harris, who has been singing background vocals for us. We covered a lot of ground in August, and it has been a great joy to share the stage with them all month!
From playing Rifles & Rosary Beads songs in front of music supervisors in the HBO Offices in Santa Monica, to teaching songwriting at the Targhee Bluegrass Festival in Wyoming, to teaching and performing at the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Lyons, Colorado, to the big stages at the Philadelphia Folk Festival and the Fayetteville Roots Festival in Arkansas, we've been burning up the highways all month.
One of my favorite memories of this tour is meeting Nolan, the young man in the picture below. At just 8 years old, he was a student at The Grand Targhee Music Camp.
After Jaimee, Michele and I finished playing our set, Nolan came up to me and asked me if he could sing me a couple of songs. We went out to the patio and he proceeded to sing me EVERY verse of Folsom Prison Blues, and then sang Somewhere Over The Rainbow. His beautiful voice soared, and he stole my heart.
The next day at lunch he sat with us, and I asked him why he decided to learn Folsom Prison. He said he learned it because he liked that Johnny Cash went to the prison to sing for the guys inside. He said "I think it was kinda like what you are all doing with the Veterans." I said, "Nolan, I would have never thought of it that way, but yes, you're right."
He smiled and my heart exploded into rainbows.
What a beautiful moment, with a wonderful young man.
Rifles & Rosary Beads Nominated for Album of the Year by Americana Music Association
We are so honored that Rifles & Rosary Beads has been nominated for
Americana Album of the Year!
I will be performing The War After The War, from Rifles & Rosary Beads, at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville during The Americana Honors & Awards Showon Wednesday, September 12th. I will also be playing quite a few showcases during the AmericanaFest Conference.
Please make plans to join us during the week of September 11-16th in Nashville for AmericanaFest.
Special thanks to Kathy Mattea for recording "Mercy Now" on her new album Pretty Bird, out September 7th. What a beautiful rendition. Thank you, Kathy!
"Like a hand extended to help you on your path, Kathy Mattea's new song, 'Mercy Now,' reaches out to touch the listener with a message of empathy." - Parade.com
What an honor for "Mercy Now" to be chosen as the closing song on the "Yellowstone" Season Finale!
"The scene at the end of the Yellowstone finale, as Kevin Costner walked toward the beautiful mountains and the music played in the background, really touched many fans' hearts." - Heavy.com
CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL LIST OF TOUR DATES
As always, thank you for your support! ~ Mary
"Mercy Now" Closing Song on Yellowstone Season Finale
Does anyone out there watch "Yellowstone," the TV Show? Starring Kevin Costner, Yellowstone is set on the largest contiguous ranch in the US, on the border of Yellowstone National Park. The show has been very popular. This year it was the "second-most watched TV series on ad-supported cable, only behind The Walking Dead," with close to 5 million viewers per episode. I am honored to have "Mercy Now" placed as the final song of the of the 2018 season finale!
"If you’re like me, then that song at the end of the Yellowstone really moved you. The singer talked about mercy, a man’s work almost being over, and how people in power will do anything to keep their crown. The scene at the end of the Yellowstone finale, as Kevin Costner walked toward the beautiful mountains and the music played in the background, really touched many fans’ hearts." - Heavy.com
This Land Was Made For You And Me | Fall 2016
Our voices matter during this election. We are stronger together.
Hello Again!
I am a folk singer by nature, a child of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Joe Hill, and the early Bob Dylan. I believe in inclusion, diversity, social justice and expanding the American Dream to include everyone, in equal amounts. This election year, I felt called to jump into the political fray and throw an old fashioned hootenanny! The powers that be at the Nashville City Winery let me have a night, and with the help of many friends, we pulled together a grass roots fundraiser for The Democratic Party of Tennessee in less than 30 days, raising $6,000 for local elections and re-energizing our local community.
The Mayor of Nashville Megan Berry kicked it off and spoke about our great city. Callie Khouri, the creator of the TV show Nashville, (and Thelma and Louise), spoke about using our voices. We had amazing young speakers, including the transgender teenager Henry Ashton Seaton who single-handedly got the idiotic trans-shaming bathroom law shelved here in Tennessee, and Youth Poet laureate Lagnajita Mukhopadhyay, who Michelle Obama has invited to the White House. Ashley Cleveland, Odessa Settles and all of the musicians made a joyful noise, raising the roof between guest speakers. To close the evening, we all sang Woody Guthrie’s anthem, “This Land Is Your Land.”
“When the sun comes shining, then I was strolling,
With the wheat fields waving, the dust clouds rolling,
The voice come a-chanting, and the fog was lifting.
This land was made for you and me.”
Musicians pictured here: Kenny Greenberg, Band Leader; Mary Gauthier; Webb Wilder, MC; Rebekkah del Rio; Radney Foster; Ashley Cleveland; Tomi Lunsford; Odessa Settles; James House; Warren Denny; Robin Eaton.
Songs matter, as I have said so many times here in this newsletter, and also in my book (I just turned in the first draft to the publisher!). Songs can bring hope, unity and healing. We need all of that here in Tennessee. Artists, like so many others, are sometimes scared to speak up. Musicians have been bullied into silence after the plug was pulled on the Dixie Chicks, and many cower in a fear-based hiding, scared that if we speak up, the plug will be pulled on us too. I see this as not only bad for art, but also bad for our Republic.
If artists are silenced – who will be the truth tellers? Songs help us see that “united” we can accomplish what we could never accomplish individually. This election year, as a group, we managed to pull off one for the ages. Special thanks to everyone who made this evening possible.
Humble and Kind
In what’s shaped up to be the meanest year in politics I have ever witnessed, my friend Lori McKenna won NSAI Song Of The Year with her song Humble and Kind. How’s that for beautiful? Congrats to Lori, and congrats to my friend Beth Nielsen Chapman, who was inducted into the Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Fame! Click HERE to watch: Humble and Kind.
One More Thing:
Please listen to this brand new song by Radney Foster, please. It’s an important song, and captures what is currently happening. Click HERE to watch: All That I Require
“Our voices matter during this election. We are stronger together.
As always, thank you for being a part of my journey.”
- Mary
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