Hi Friend,
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
I hope that you all have a great month ahead! Thanks for being on this journey with me.
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!
September 2021 Newsletter | 🎟 Get tickets to the September shows!
