July Newsletter: Find Your Writer's Voice

Mary Gauthier Songwriting Workshop
July 11-14, 2019
Thistle Farms Cafe | Nashville, TN

*TWO SPOTS LEFT*

I will be working with songwriters of all levels for a three-day songwriting intensive in July at Thistle Farms Cafe Education Space.

Do you have a story to tell?
Are you looking for the courage and motivation to tell your story?
If so, this workshop is for you. We have several folks who have joined us over the years who are not songwriters, but participated in the workshop to find new ways to understand storytelling. Everyone interested in story, be it their own or the story of others, is welcome!

This work is a journey into the mystery of what our songs can teach us.

"Art is a walk from the known towards the unknown. The noble goal of the art of song is to take risks, become emotionally honest, and create deep resonance with self and listeners.

I push myself and invite my students to break through fear-based ruts. I encourage piercing through the unknown to make it known - that students may discover and know the truth of their own unique voice.

My hope is to encourage each songwriter
to write the songs only he or she can write."
- Mary Gauthier

READ MORE: SONGWRITING WORKSHOP

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RIFLES & ROSARY BEADS
Nominated for Best Country/Americana Album
2019 Libera Awards


I am honored that Rifles & Rosary Beads was nominated for Best Country/Americana Album at this year's Libera Awards!

"The Libera Awards is the largest independent music award show in the world. It celebrates the successes of the independent music community,
from the artists that create the music to the labels that release and promote it."
- www.liberaawards.com

Congratulations to all of the nominees, and to John Prine for taking home the award in New York City last week!

STREAM RIFLES & ROSARY BEADS

BULLET HOLES IN THE SKY

"And they thank me for my service
and wave their little flags
They genuflect on Sundays
and yes, they'd send us back

But I believe in God and country
and in angels up on high
And in heaven shining down on us
through bullet holes in the sky..."

- "Bullet Holes In The Sky"
Mary Gauthier & Jamie Trent

VIEW BULLET HOLES IN THE SKY VIDEO

NEW "MERCY NOW"
TEA TOWELS


Please visit my web store for these new "Mercy Now" Tea Towels! At just $12, these make great gifts! You can also find our "Mercy Now" T-Shirts and handwritten lyrics in our online store at the link below.

www.marygauthier.com/store

NEW MARY GAUTHIER
AUTOGRAPHED POSTER


Please visit my web store for these new autographed Mary Gauthier posters!

www.marygauthier.com/store.

VISIT MARY GAUTHIER STORE

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UK & IRELAND TOUR
NOVEMBER 2019


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

Just announced! 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

July 11th: Nashville, TN
Performing Songwriter Workshop:
Finding Your Writer's Voice

August 8th: Calgary, AB
Bella Concert Hall

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

September 15th: Freehold, NJ
Concerts In The Studio

September 21st: Columbus, OH
Ohio Lesbian Festival

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

Rifles & Rosary Beads Nominated for Libera Award

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I am honored that Rifles & Rosary Beads was nominated for Best Country/Americana Album at this year's Libera Awards!

"The Libera Awards is the largest Independent music award show in the world. It celebrates the successes of the independent music community, from the artists that create the music
to the labels that release and promote it."
-www.liberaawards.com.

Congratulations to all of the nominees,
and to John Prine for taking home the award in New York City last night!

READ MORE

NPR World Cafe Nashville Interview

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"If you travel in Nashville's singer-songwriter circles, or literary circles, or progressive activist circles, you've probably witnessed Mary Gauthier bring a room to tears. Born in New Orleans, Gauthier has lived in Music City since 2001 and made her mark on both the mainstream country and Americana worlds...

[Rifles & Rosary Beads'] honesty and insight into an often overlooked aspect of American democracy – the on-the-ground experiences of soldiers and, especially, the aftermath of their time in combat – is a gift in a contemporary moment full of chatter and political rhetoric."

NPR rebroadcasted my interview with Ann Powers on World Cafe over the Memorial Day Weekend.

Click HERE to hear the full interview:

https://www.npr.org/sections/world-cafe/2018/01/26/580773876/world-cafe-nashville-mary-gauthier

June Newsletter: New Merchandise!

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June News

 Happy Summer! Brand New Autographed Mary Gauthier Posters are here in the web store.

We also now have Mercy Now Tea Towels available, featuring the Mercy Now lyrics. Makes a great gift!

"My father could use a little mercy now
The fruits of his labor
Fall and rot slowly on the ground
His work is almost over
Won't be long, he won't be around
I love my father,
And he could use some mercy now..."
 

VISIT MARY GAUTHIER STORE

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MERCY NOW TEA TOWEL

These new Mercy Now Tea Towels have been very popular since we debuted them on my website just one week ago. Take home some of your favorite song lyrics with a personal touch.
For just $12, they also make great gifts!

PURCHASE MERCY NOW TEA TOWEL

"Mercy Now" | Mary Gauthier with Michele Gazich | Paste Studios | 2/7/18
New York City

MERCY NOW

"Every living thing could use a little mercy now
Only the hand of grace can end the race
Towards another mushroom cloud
There's people in power
Who'll do anything to keep their crown
I love life, and life itself could use some mercy now..."
 

VIEW MERCY NOW VIDEO

Photo Credit: Paolo Brillo L to R: Michele Gazich, Mary Gauthier, Jaimee Harris

Photo Credit: Paolo Brillo
L to R: Michele Gazich, Mary Gauthier, Jaimee Harris

SUMMER TOUR 

I am out on the road for a run of shows in Texas this week with Jaimee Harris and Michele Gazich. We play our second SOLD OUT show at Cactus Cafe tonight, June 1st, in Austin and then head to the midwest for shows in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 5th and in Chicago on June 6th at The Old Town School of Folk Music.

Please see my full June schedule below and on my website atwww.marygauthier.com. We hope to see you at a show near you!

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EDMONTON FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL
ON SALE JUNE 1ST


What a lineup! I am honored to be a part of the 40th Annual Edmonton Folk Music Festival, taking place in Edmonton, Alberta August 8-11th, 2019.

Tickets for the festival go on sale today, June 1st.

EDMONTON FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL TICKETS

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MARY GAUTHIER ON TOUR

June 1st: Austin, TX*
Cactus Cafe: SOLD OUT

June 5th: St. Paul, MN*
Vieux Carre

June 6th: Chicago, IL*
Old Town School of Folk Music

June 9th: Rockingham, VT*
Roots on the River: SOLD OUT

June 12th: Portsmouth, NH*
The Music Hall Loft

June 22nd: Sparta, NC
Muddy Creek Cafe: Backwoods Beat Festival

*with Jaimee Harris & Michele Gazich

VIEW ALL TOUR DATES

May Newsletter: Visiting Tulsa, Oklahoma

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May News

 When Jaimee and I were in Tulsa for the Woody Guthrie Center 6th Anniversary Celebration last weekend, we had a chance to sing for the beautiful women of The Women In Recovery Center.

Oklahoma has the highest rate of female imprisonment per capita in the United States and turning this around takes commitment and vision. The Women In Recovery Center, an intensive outpatient alternative for eligible women facing long prison sentences for non-violent drug-related offenses, is making a huge difference in this state.

This amazing organization has been changing women's lives with their long-term, visionary work. We are grateful to the Kaiser Foundation for their funding for this amazing place, and to Diane Hughes for showing us around. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to meet so many amazing women and hear their stories.

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WITH AUTHOR JOE KLEIN

We had the great privilege of meeting author and journalist Joe Klein at The Woody Guthrie Center Anniversary Celebration. Joe wrote "Woody Guthrie: A Life," along with "Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics." Joe's "Woody Guthrie: A Life" is the only authorised biography on Woody ever written. If you haven't read it, pick up a copy and dig in, it's brilliant. And while you're at it, watch the movie made from his book Primary Colors. I re-watched it last night, and loved it even more all these years (and elections) later...

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WOODY GUTHRIE CENTER

Woody Guthrie's work is the supreme example of the fact that songs can be conduits for compassion and empathy. He reminds us that songs are a roadmap into stranger's heart which upon inspection mirrors our own. Music and song can temporarily bring us to a place that does not yet exist here on earth; a place where we are safe and connected and of one heart. Woody was right: he was a teacher, not an entertainer. And what a great teacher, indeed.

If you haven't been to The Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, I encourage you to visit for a few days. The trip would be a weekend well spent.

VISIT WOODY GUTHRIE CENTER 

L to R: Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Mary Gauthier, Yolanda Adams, Neil Portnow (President/CEO of the Recording Academy), Nancy Pelosi (D-California), Kristin Chenoweth

L to R: Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Mary Gauthier, Yolanda Adams, Neil Portnow (President/CEO of the Recording Academy), Nancy Pelosi (D-California), Kristin Chenoweth

GRAMMYS ON THE HILL

On April 9th I had the honor of joining fellow music makers in Washington, DC to fight for the rights of songwriters, producers, engineers and performers. I sat with senators and members of congress and talked about issues affecting the music business, lobbying for their support of music makers.

"GRAMMYS On The Hill was a night that brought Capitol Hill together to celebrate the wins and the contributions of the music community."
- GRAMMY Advocacy

Photo Credit: Broken Record/The Globe and Mail L to R: Rick Rubin, Bruce Headlam, Malcolm Gladwell, Robbie Robertson

Photo Credit: Broken Record/The Globe and Mail
L to R: Rick Rubin, Bruce Headlam, Malcolm Gladwell, Robbie Robertson

MALCOLM GLADWELL PODCAST

I was honored to be a recent guest on the second season of Malcolm's "Broken Record" podcast. Rick Rubin produced the final version, and it came out GREAT. Click the link below to listen to the interview.

"So the world-class theorist Malcolm Gladwell and the music producer extraordinaire Rick Rubin were chatting and having tea in Bob Dylan's old tour bus. The rusting thing sits marooned behind Rubin's Shangri-La studio in Malibu." - The Globe and Mail, 4/2/9

LISTEN TO BROKEN RECORD PODCAST

READ MORE

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MARY GAUTHIER ON TOUR

May 2nd: Nashville, TN*
The Bluebird Cafe: SOLD OUT

May 4th: Northfield, MN*
The Northfield Arts Guild Theater

May 7th: Spring Green, WI*
Shi*tty Barn Sessions

May 9th: East Lansing, MI*
Pump House Concerts

May 10th: Ann Arbor, MI*
Green Wood Coffee House

May 17th: Boston, MA**
City Winery

May 18th: Newburyport, MA**
Belleville Roots Series

May 19th: Bath, ME**
Chocolate Church Arts Center

May 25th: Greenville, TX
Texan Theatre

May 26th: Kerrville, TX**
Kerrville Folk Festival

May 30th: Houston, TX*
McGonigel's Mucky Duck
7PM: SOLD OUT/ 9:30PM Available

May 31st: Austin, TX*
Cactus Cafe

*with Jaimee Harris
** with Three Women & The Truth

VIEW ALL TOUR DATES

Creativity & Collaboration: April Newsletter

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April News

 Happy Spring! Although we are still on the road with Rifles & Rosary Beads this year, April finds me with more creative time at home, and more opportunities for collaboration and co-writing.

I have been writing quite a few songs with Sam Williams lately. You might know Sam as the son of Hank Williams, Jr. and the grandson of Hank Williams, Sr. He was recently featured at Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival in Nashville, and I believe this young man has a bright career ahead. I love writing with him. His voice lights up my writing room!

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4/27: WOODY GUTHRIE CENTER 6TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW

We are honored to help celebrate the 6th Anniversary of The Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday, April 27th at 2:30PM.

This free show on Guthrie Green will also feature performances by HuDost, Jaimee Harris, Guy Davis and Ramy Essam. Please join us if you can!

FIND TICKETS FOR WOODY GUTHRIE CENTER SHOW

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NEW YORK CITY

Here we are, hanging with the master of the Telecaster! Jaimee and I had the great privilege of playing with G.E. Smith at The City Winery in New York City on March 22nd. We shared the stage for Wesley Stace's Cabinet of Wonders Show, and helped celebrate their 10-year Anniversary.
NYC, we love you!

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MALCOLM GLADWELL PODCAST

I loved being a guest on Malcolm Gladwell's "Broken Record" podcast, produced by Rick Rubin, and released on March 26th. We talked about Rifles & Rosary Beads, and the journey of songwriting with Veterans.

"In his years as a journalist, Malcolm Gladwell has a reputation for his ability to draw disparate information into a single point." - Vanity Fair, 3/14/19

"War After The War" - Named Best Song of 2018 by Malcolm Gladwell, NPR

STREAM RIFLES & ROSARY BEADS

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MARY GAUTHIER ON TOUR

April 5th: Nashville, TN
The Grand Ole Opry

April 13th: Tampa, FL*
The Attic at Rock Brothers

April 14th: Silverhill, AL*
Frog Pond at Blue Moon Farm

April 25th: Columbia, MO*
Eastlake Concert Series: SOLD OUT

April 27th: Tulsa, OK*
Woody Guthrie Center

April 28th: Kansas City, MO*
Knuckleheads Saloon

*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

March Newsletter

Rifles & Rosary Beads Wins Album of the Year at Folk Alliance International

March News

On February 13th, Rifles & Rosary Beads was named Album of the Year at the International Folk Music Awards in Montreal, Canada!  Folk Alliance has been important to me since I picked up a guitar, and I am truly grateful for this honor! 

I wish I could have been there to accept the award in person, but I was performing on the Cayamo "Journey Through Song" Cruise in Jamaica.

Thank you again to The Folk Alliance International, and thank you to all of you for the incredible international support of this record! 

STREAM RIFLES & ROSARY BEADS

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THE GRAMMYS 2019

Thank you so much for following along with us on our 10-Day Countdown to The GRAMMYS! Your heartfelt comments and feedback on our social media posts helped bring each song back to life as we looked back on this amazing year with Rifles & Rosary Beads.

I am sad that we didn't win the statue, but we sure looked good!

I am absolutely honored to be on this ride. Thank you to all of my veteran co-writers, the military spouse co-writers and SongwritingWith:Soldiers!
We took it to the finals! 

2019 GRAMMYS: NOMINEES AND WINNERS

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JOHN PRINE & MARY GAUTHIER | 2019 GRAMMY AWARDS

"Some of those among the two dozen participants noted from the stage that they'd never met Prine but deeply admire his music; others have worked closely with him for many years, including acclaimed singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier, who told the audience when she stepped on stage to sing 'The Speed of the Sound of Loneliness': 'I have no idea where my career would be if it were not for John Prine.' From his seat on a bench several feet above and away from the stage, he called down 'We love you, Mary!'"
- LA TIMES

READ "John Prine Salute Opens A Window" - Randy Lewis, LA TIMES

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MARY GAUTHIER ON TOUR

March 1st: Calgary, AB*
Bella Concert Hall

March 2nd: St. Albert, AB*
The Arden Theatre

March 6th: Nashville, TN**
The Bluebird Cafe

March 23rd: New York, NY*
City Vineyard
"Voices On The Hudson"

March 24th: Washington, DC*
City Winery DC

*with Jaimee Harris
**In The Round

VIEW ALL TOUR DATES

10-Day GRAMMY Countdown

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February News

Last night I was named International Artist of the Year at the Americana Music Association UK Awards in London! What an incredible honor. Thank you again for all of your support this year, and congratulations to all of the nominees!

Today we begin our 10-DAY Countdown to the GRAMMYs!

Over the next 10 days we will be sharing videos, interviews and highlights of each of the tracks of from Rifles & Rosary Beads, nominated for a GRAMMY Award in the Best Folk Album Category. Be sure to follow us on our social platforms to follow along with the countdown! 

The 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards Ceremony will be held February 10th at The Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. 

FOLLOW COUNTDOWN

"Soldiering On" 

We begin our 10-Day GRAMMY Countdown with the video from the first track on the record. I wrote "Soldiering On" with veteran Jennifer Marino, a retired Marine and co-pilot of the first ever all-female crew to fly a US President.

"What saves you in the battle
Can kill you at home..."

Along with telling Jennifer's powerful story, one of our goals with this song was to raise awareness of the current epidemic of Veteran suicide, which is estimated to claim 7,400 lives each year. Thank you, Jennifer, for your service and for your courage in telling your story in order to help others.

We premiered the video with American Songwriter Magazine shortly before the album's release in January of 2018.

"One of the album's most affecting tracks is 'Soldiering On,' a powerful, guitar-driven song that explores, with unflinching honesty, the immense difficulties veterans often face when integrating back into post-combat life."
- American Songwriter

WATCH "SOLDIERING ON" VIDEO

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2019 NASHVILLE PERFORMING SONGWRITER CLASS

"FINDING YOUR WRITER'S VOICE"
Thank you to all of you who joined me in January for the
Performing Songwriter Creative Workshop in Nashville!
And thank you to our special guests:
Beth Nielsen Chapman, Roger Cook and Ruthie Foster

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MARY GAUTHIER ON TOUR

February 1st: London, UK*
Cadogan Hall

February 10th: Tampa, FL
CAYAMO CRUISE: SOLD OUT

March 1st: Calgary, AB**
Bella Concert Hall

March 2nd: St. Albert, AB**
The Arden Theater

March 23rd: New York, NY**
City Vineyard
"Voices On The Hudson"

March 24th: Washington, DC**
City Winery DC

*with Beth Nielsen Chapman
**with Jaimee Harris

VIEW ALL TOUR DATES

2018 Highlights

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RIFLES & ROSARY BEADS
2018 HIGHLIGHTS

Nominated for Best Folk Album
GRAMMYs 2019

Nominated for Album of the Year
Americana Awards 2018

Nominated for International Artist of the Year
UK Americana Awards 2019

#1 Best Singer/Songwriter Album of 2018
LA TIMES

#1 Song of the Year: War After The War
NPR/Malcolm Gladwell

Nominated for Best Album of the Year
International Folk Music Awards

Rifles & Rosary Beads Makes American Songwriter's Top 25 Album List

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20. Mary Gauthier, Rifles & Rosary Beads

“It would have been easy for Gauthier’s latest album to glide by on the power and profundity of its premise alone: a collection of songs about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars co-written entirely with amateur veteran songwriters. But because she chose to center veteran voices so prominently, Gauthier’s album functions as a stark, crucial de-romanticization of warfare told through the eyes of storytellers whose voices are so seldom given a platform: the female army mechanic more frightened by her male comrades than her supposed enemies in “Iraq;” the Marine wives who subsist on their own camaraderie in “Stronger Together;” the veteran distrustful of the shallow rituals of supporting the troops on “Bullet Holes In The Sky.” Rifles is not only one of the most vividly rendered singer-songwriter albums in recent years, it’s also one of the most vital pieces of art to arise from the never-ending, ongoing American military involvement in the Middle East. It’s also a reminder of the endlessly radical humanist potential that folk music can still hold.” — JONATHAN BERNSTEIN

GRAMMY NOMINATION!

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Rifles & Rosary Beads Nominated for GRAMMY Award
in the Best Folk Album Category

This collaborative collection of songs came about because of the tireless efforts of Darden Smith, Mary Judd, and the entire team of SongwritingWith:Soldiers. They invited me into their visionary non-profit work, and changed my life. They are my teachers, along with the brave Veterans and their families who were willing to go on record, literally, with their stories. It takes courage to be a soldier, and it takes courage to tell the truth about the effects of war on your life, your family and your soul.

I am but the midwife here, a witness to layers and layers of bravery. The producer of this record, Neilson Hubbard, brought the songs to life, hired an amazing band, and made it easy on me by bringing his studio to my house.

My publicists, Jim Flammia, Donica Elliot, and Michelle Steele All Eyes Media​ carried the story of these out into the world, and they kicked ass.

Michele Gazich​ convinced me this was a good idea to pursue and gave me the courage to take it on.

And my love, Jaimee Harris​, makes every single day on earth better.

I am richly blessed, and deeply grateful.

Thank you to all who have supported this project!
And congrats to all the artists nominated along side us!

https://www.billboard.com/…/…/2019-grammy-nominees-full-list

NPR's 50 Best Albums of 2018

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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

Bluegrass Underground Episode Airing Now

Our episode of the Emmy-Award Winning Season VIII Bluegrass Underground is premiering now on PBS. Set your DVRs and check your local listings!

https://goo.gl/UntYva http://www.bluegrassunderground.com/pbs

You can also watch the episode, streaming on PBS.org at

http://www.pbs.org/bluegrass-underground/season-8/.

Thanks again to everyone at Bluegrass Underground for hosting us!

International Artist of the Year Nomination

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I am honored to be Nominated for International Artist of the Year by The Americana Music Association UK! Thank you to the UK voters for including me in this amazing group of artists. London, here we come!

The fourth annual UK Americana Awards Show will take place at The Hackney Empire in East London on January 31st. Visit https://theamauk.org/ for more information.

Hangin' & Sangin' Podcast

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"Music can provoke thoughts and heal wounds by building empathy and understanding through song. This is the highest calling of the art." 
- Mary Gauthier

Hangin' & Sangin' Podcast

I had the recent privilege of sitting down with music journalist Kelly McCartney in Nashville and talking about my songwriting work with the veterans.


Our "Hangin' & Sangin'" Podcast is available now!

LISTEN TO PODCAST

October Newsletter

Rifles & Rosary Beads Documentary Premiere

Hello y'all! We premiered Neilson Hubbard and Josh Britt's Rifles & Rosary Beads Short Documentary in the Westin ballroom during AmericanaFest, and the great LA Times Pop Music Writer Randy Lewis interviewed me in front of an audience after the movie ended.

The Rifles & Rosary Beads Short Documentary is now up on YouTube, so please have a look and share with your friends. I am so proud of how the documentary turned out. Please let me know what you think!

Rifles & Rosary Beads (a short documentary) is a twenty-minute film about the power and beauty of turning war trauma into art. The documentary tells the story of Mary Gauthier's experience of co-writing with Veterans and their families through the SongwritingWith:Soldiers program.

Each co-written song is a glimpse inside the heart and soul of a Veteran (or military spouse). The service member's words and stories bring listeners deep into the harrowing effects of war. Written honestly from a vulnerable place, the songs generate empathy and understanding, even if the viewer has no experience with combat and the effects of war on the human spirit.


The process of co-writing the songs is deeply therapeutic for both the Veteran and the songwriter, but it's not therapy. It's the making of art.

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Mary Gauthier, Courtney Marie Andrews and Jaimee Harris at 2018 Americana Awards

October News

Well, we didn't win Record of the Year at the Americana Music Awards (congrats to Jason Isbell!) but we DID look great when we lost, and looking good feels good...always!


I wore leather pants, my old cowboy boots from Amsterdam, and a black shirt covered with rhinestones that sparkled under the stage lights. I walked the red carpet, and sang The War After The War on stage at The Ryman with my co-writer Beth Nielsen Chapman as Buddy Miller's brilliant hand-picked band played along.

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Beth Nlelsen Chapman and Mary Gauthier performing at 2018 Americana Awards

I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to tell the story of SongwritingWith:Soldiers on a larger stage, and we connected the veterans' stories and songs with plenty of new people.

All of this is a blessing, and I am grateful!

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Mary Gauthier and Candi Staton at 2018 Americana Awards

In other Americana news, I finally got to meet the great Candi Staton, pictured above. Ms. Staton cut Mercy Now years ago, and nailed it! I played songs on the radio with old friends, including John Hiatt, Rodney Crowell and Will Hoge at The Outlaw Country Americana's Most Wanted Round.

Also, Jaimee Harris sang background vocals with me all week at AmericanaFest, and we played ten showcases all around Nashville. Thanks to everyone who came out to support, and everyone who made this AmericanaFest one to remember!

We are heading out soon for October shows in Italy and Holland, and will be joined by Jaimee Harris and Michele Gazich. As always, thank you for being a part of our journey!

LISTEN TO CANDI STATON SING MERCY NOW

Rifles & Rosary Beads Documentary Premiere

Rifles & Rosary Beads Documentary Premiere

Hello y'all! We premiered Neilson Hubbard and Josh Britt's Rifles & Rosary Beads Short Documentary in the Westin ballroom during AmericanaFest, and the great LA Times Pop Music Writer Randy Lewis interviewed me in front of an audience after the movie ended. 

The Rifles & Rosary Beads Short Documentary is now up on YouTube, so please have a look and share with your friends. I am so proud of how the documentary turned out. Please let me know what you think!

Rifles & Rosary Beads (a short documentary) is a twenty-minute film about the power and beauty of turning war trauma into art. The documentary tells the story of Mary Gauthier's experience of co-writing with Veterans and their families through the SongwritingWith:Soldiers program.

Each co-written song is a glimpse inside the heart and soul of a Veteran (or military spouse). The service member's words and stories bring listeners deep into the harrowing effects of war. Written honestly from a vulnerable place, the songs generate empathy and understanding, even if the viewer has no experience with combat and the effects of war on the human spirit.


The process of co-writing the songs is deeply therapeutic for both the Veteran and the songwriter, but it's not therapy. It's the making of art.

Mary Gauthier's AmericanaFest Schedule

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Join Mary in Nashville, Tennessee this week for AmericanaFest!

MARY’S AMERICANAFEST SCHEDULE

9.11.18 The Basement Nashville: "Better Together” @8PM
9.12.18 Ryman Auditorium: Americana Honors and Awards Show @6:30PM
9.12.18 City Winery Nashville @11PM
9.13.18 The Bluebird Cafe, with Eliza Gilkyson, Beth Nielsen Chapman & Jaimee Harris @6PM
9.14.18 Panel at The Westin – Vanderbilt III, with Randy Lewis @2PM
9.14.18 Diskin Cider: "Songsmith Social," with Amanda Shires + More @3-8PM
9.14.18 4th Story Theater: “Congo Women Arise Benefit,” with Eliza Gilkyson & Jaimee Harris @7PM
9.15.18 Michael Weintrob Photography Studio and Gallery: Campfire Propaganda AMA Day Party @6PM

"Rifles & Rosary Beads" Nominated for Album of the Year
www.marygauthier.com.

Full AmericanaFest Schedule:
www.americanamusic.org

Album of the Year Nomination: September Newsletter

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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.

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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.

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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.

CLICK HERE FOR AMERICANAFEST SCHEDULE

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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

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL ARTICLE

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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 READ FULL ARTICLE

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CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL LIST OF TOUR DATES

As always, thank you for your support! ~ Mary