TROUBLE AND LOVE: HOW YOU LEARN TO LIVE ALONE

http://youtu.be/yXU69P6neJI

One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.  - Carl Jung

After years of being taught that the way to deal with painful emotions is to get rid of them, it can take a lot of re-schooling to learn to sit with them instead. But learning how to live alone, sitting with difficult feelings is like panning for gold. Those who have slept in the wilderness know things that those who sleep in comfortable houses may never know. This song is about learning how to sleep in the wilderness.

I wrote this with my friend Gretchen Peters, and it contains a long list of firsts. It was our first co-write, it was Buddy Miller’s first placement as Music Supervisor for the ABC TV Hit Show Nashville, it was the first song of Nashville’s Season 2, and it was my first time to work in the studio with the Legendary Master of Twang, Duane Eddy. All in all, it’s been a magical little song. We wrote it in a very short period of time, I’d say less than 2 hours. It came fast, and I am not sure how we did it. This is always how it goes with songs like this, I forget writing them. It almost like it happened in a dream. I remember Gretchen sitting at her little red piano working on a melody. I remember her saying maybe we should do a list, “First you fall, then you”…. and so on, and the rest is a blur. Lines came to me, lines came to her, and we rode the flow. We emerged with this song in short period of time, did a rough demo, and the rest is history.

Lead Vocal, Acoustic Guitar - Mary Gauthier Electric Guitar - Guthrie Trapp Upright Bass - Viktor Krauss Drums - Lynn Williams Piano - Jimmy Wallace Harmonium - Darrell Scott Background Vocals - Darrell Scott and Beth Nielsen Chapman, McCrary Sisters Electric Guitar Solo - Special thanks to the legendary Duane Eddy, the eternal master of Twang

Produced by Mary Gauthier and Patrick Granado ©2014 Mary Gauthier/In the Black Records

LYRICS: HOW YOU LEARN TO LIVE ALONE

First you fall then you fly And you believe that you belong up in the sky Flap your arms as you run, every revolution Brings you closer to the sun You fall asleep in motion in uncharted hemispheres And wake up with the stars falling down around your ears When they hit the ground they’re nothing but stones That’s how you learn to live alone That’s how you learn to live alone

Bit by bit, you slip away You loose yourself in pieces in the things that you don’t say You’re not here, but you’re still there The sun goes up, the sun goes down And you’re not sure you care You live inside the false, till you don’t recognize the true People send you pictures, and you can’t believe it’s you It’s been years since your house has felt like home That’s how you learn to live alone That’s how you learn to live alone

It don’t feel right, but it’s not wrong It’s just hard to start again this far along Brick by brick, the letting go As you walk away from everything you know You release resistance, lean into the wind Till the roof begins to crumble and the rain comes pouring in And you sit there in the rubble, till the rubble feels like home That’s how you learn to live alone That’s how you learn to live alone That’s how you learn to live alone

©2013 Mary Gauthier/Gretchen Peters

TROUBLE AND LOVE: ANOTHER TRAIN

http://youtu.be/iGL1HG1qq7c Another Train (Mary Gauthier/Ben Glover)

Another Train, the final song on Trouble and Love, is co-written by Ben Glover. It is a song of hope, of faith, of affirmation of life’s renewals and rebirths. On the other side of betrayal, on the other side of hurt, on the other side of sorrow, sits the train station. And headed for the station, is another train. May we all find our way there somehow, and catch that next train.

And so it is. Another record of songs I’ve written in an attempt to make sense of a few of life’s mysteries, an attempt to capture lightening in a bottle. This time, though, it was a “we” project from the very first song written. This record was the most collaborative of my career, every single song a co-write: each track recorded live-to-tape by my collaborator and friend the brilliant engineer/producer Patrick Granado, who selected the band and the songs and brought the best players in Nashville to the recording studio to cut them. The musicians played and sang their beautiful hearts out.

This record has my name on it, and I will be given the credit or blame for its contents…but truly, it’s the work of a collective, a group of highly talented and creative people that I deeply respect, all friends, all masters of their art, all at the height of their powers. It was a thrill to work with each and every one of them, and I encourage listeners to search out these names on the credits of this CD.

Lead Vocal. Acoustic Guitar - Mary Gauthier Electric Guitar - Guthrie Trapp Upright Bass - Viktor Krauss Drums - Lynn Williams Piano - Jimmy Wallace Background Vocals - Darrell Scott and Beth Nielsen Chapman, Siobhan Kennedy

Produced by Mary Gauthier and Patrick Granado ©2014 Mary Gauthier/In the Black Records

LYRICS: ANOTHER TRAIN

Got me an apartment on the East Side 1411 13th Street I walk on the tracks by the Cumberland River Over the bridge past lovers leap

I’m holding on Through the pain Through the pain Waiting on another train Another train

Tore a hole in the pocket Of the jacket you bought me In that thrift store in Camden Town Behind the station You wrapped my arms around me You built me up, and tore me down

I’m holding on Through the pain Through the pain Waiting on another train Another train

December sunset I can see my breath Disappear into the cold winter night Bums gathering driftwood Down by the river Whistle blows a lonesome cry

I’m holding on Through the pain Through the pain Waiting on another train Another train

©2103 Mary Gauthier/Ben Glover

Video from The Grand Old Opry, Another Train LIVE

LIVE, from Nashville, Tennessee on a very good night. Here it is, the Grand Old Opry video with Randy Foster, Kathy Mattea, and Marty Stuart, as well as the fantastic Opry Band!

Grand Ole Night at the Grand Ole Opry

I played The Grand Ole Opry. Yes indeed, I sure did. It was a thrill, and honour, and an amazing emotional ride into the stratosphere. I started with "Mercy Now," and the amazing Opry House Band played and sang with me. Then we kicked into "Another Train" from my new record, with Radney Foster, Kathy Mattea and Marty Stuart joining me on stage. We all hit a lick, became one in song, the genie came out of the bottle, and magic happened. The audience felt it, and when the song ended, they stood up out of their seats and went a little nuts. I looked up and out at the standing ovation and all I could do was shake my head, hug my friends, and thank the heavens that I managed to live long enough to see this happen. On a lot of levels, it was dreamlike.Thanks goodness there’s pictures, 'cause it actually feels like a dream. A HUGE thank you to Marty Stuart, whose generosity and kindness made this opportunity possible. Sometimes, life is just a whole lot of fun!

Trouble and Love

Hello Everyone! I’ve officially kicked off the preview tour for my new release on Proper Records UK, and am in Europe right now doing interviews, shows, and teaching a songwriting workshop in Glasgow.

I started off in London, Camden and am now in Scotland where I got to perform in Paisley Abby—what a place to sing! It’s 850 years old, and has somehow survived that many years of human turmoil. I could not stop thinking about the thousands of WWI and WWII widows and children on their knees in that ancient Kirk. And those that came before them. 850 years of spook on top of spook on top of spook. I felt them in the resonance of the echoes at the end of each song. Thanks, Glasgow, for having me and to Paul Brady for letting me share the stage.

Pre-Order The New CD

My new record is called Trouble and Love, and will be in stores June 10. I’m offering signed pre-orders HERE, and they will be mailed in early June, before the record hits the streets. I co-produced this one myself with the brilliant engineer Patrick Granado, and I am very proud of this collection of songs. It's the best work I have done so far, I think.

I’m working with smart folks all over the world to make this record a success, and we’re having fun in the process. I will be posting a Lyric video of each of the 8 songs every Monday, so look for an email with a link each week starting April 21!

The Letter Series

CD Baby asked me to write the first letter for their “Letter Series,” which is based on Rainer Maria Rilke’s brilliant Letters To A Young Poet. I was honored to do so. Here’s what I came up with: Mary Gauthier’s Letter To A Young Songwriter.

April 19 is Record Store Day

I have teamed up with my friend Sam Baker for record store day, and we are splitting a 7-inch single, with very limited pressing. Sam’s song is on one side, mine on the other. My song is called “When A Woman Goes Cold,” and it’s the first cut off my new record.

You can pick one up at your local record store, or at CD Baby.com on April 19.^. But you need a real record player to play it! Visit the Record Store Day website to find a store near you.

Big Shows in L.A. & Zip Code Update

I’ll be performing at The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles on April 21. Hurry up and get tickets on these if you want to go, because it will sell out.

 Songwriting Workshop Update

My first Nashville Performing Songwriter Creative Workshop took place in February.

A huge thank you to the 20 students who came and shared themselves and their songs in my inaugural workshop. We had a jam-packed weekend as Lydia Hutchinson and I tried to balance showing off some of the people and places that make Nashville great, with deep intense song work. We kicked off the workshop with a pre Mardi Gras gathering to break the ice on Thursday Night. I made some Jambalaya and Jalapeno Cornbread, Lydia brought a Kings Cake and Mardi Gras beads, and we all spent a little time together before the workshop got started the following morning.

We started the first day bright and early working on students’ songs. The brilliant Don Henry helped me out in the afternoon, and then we ended the night at The Bluebird watching the great Don Schlitz weave his magic. Day two was spent working on songs and Gretchen Peters joined us as a guest speaker that afternoon before we all headed to dinner at Monell’s, one of my favorite Nashville family-style restaurants.

Sunday we worked even harder on songs and I tried to give the class as many tools for their writing tool kit as I had time to offer. We wrapped it up right before an ice storm with thunder sleet made the roads impassable—so some of our group ended up staying extra days and using it as a writing retreat.

My partnership with Performing Songwriter’s event guru Lydia Hutchinson will continue with another workshop in a couple of weeks. It’s sold out, but be sure to SIGN UP HERE if you want to be the first to know about any new upcoming events.

Check out the photo gallery from our workshop.

Thanks and look forward to seeing you on the road!

—Mary

February 2014 Songwriting Workshop

Photos from the Mary's "Performing Songwriter Creative Workshop" in Nashville — February, 2014.

Trouble and Love Banner Slide

Mary Gauthier on Rock and Roll Stories with host Tom Waldman

Mary Gauthier visits KCLS TV. for a session on Rock and Roll Stories with host Tom Waldman. She talks with Tom about the five songs that most influenced her as a songwriter.

How You Learn To Live Alone will be on the Nashville ABC Season 2 Soundtrack

“How You Learn To Live Alone' by Mary and Gretchen Peters sung by Jonathan Jackson (“Avery” on the ABC-TV show “Nashville”) will appear on the soundtrack for Season 2 of the “Nashville” cast soundtrack. The album was produced by Buddy Miller and will be released on December 10. To read more about The Music of Nashville: Original Soundtrack Season 2, Volume 1 and see the track listing, click here.

Wally Lamb and Louisiana Book Festival

I’m headed to Baton Rouge in two weeks to present a writing workshop on Nov. 1 at The Louisiana Book Festival. On Nov. 2 Wally Lamb will introduce me to the audience and we’ll get to work together for the first time. I am a huge fan of his, and I’m counting the days till this one! My workshop is on Friday Nov. 1 from 9-4, on on Saturday Nov. 2 I perform on the music stage from 11:14-12:00, and my conversation with Wally is 2:15-3:00.

Here are a couple of previews from Deep South Magazine: The New Orleans Songwriter That Inspired Wally Lamb and In The Car With Mary Gauthier

If you're in Baton Rouge on November 1-2, I'd love to see you!