"Still On The Ride," World Debut

4/1/18: World Debut: "Still On The Ride"

Today we are thrilled to debut the "Still On The Ride" video,
for the song I co-wrote with Veteran Josh Geartz at his first SongwritingWith:Soldiers Retreat.

The story behind "Still On The Ride" is an emotional one, full of tragedy, pain healing and restoration. Featured in the March 21st CBS This Morning episode "Healing The Emotional Wounds of War Through Song," I was able to describe the process of writing
"Still On The Ride" with Josh.

"There was one preeminent thing that really was bringing him to his knees...And that was the one of the death of his best friend,"
Gauthier said.

"I think the first line is kinda where you earned my trust, you know," Geartz told Gauthier. "She's trying to get the story, and like, I don't know, looking back on what comes to mind, I was like 'Who the hell knows?' And she goes, 'Good.' And you wrote down that first line." From there, everything Geartz had been holding in just poured out -- and into the song "Still On The Ride."

Looking back now, who the hell knows
Where the soul of a dead soldier goes
Guardian angels, maybe they're true
My guardian angel, maybe it's you

I shouldn't be here, you shouldn't be gone
But it's not up to me who dies and who carries on
I sit in my room, I close my eyes
Me and my guardian angel we're still on the ride

Click HERE or above to watch the "Still On The Ride" Video.

"Still On The Ride" is the 4th track on "Rifles & Rosary Beads," my new album that features 11 songs co-written with Combat Veterans and their families.

A portion of every sale goes to the non-profit SongwritingWith:Soldiers.

The New York Times - "After War, Three Chords and The Truth"

Mary Gauthier with Veteran and Co-Writer Josh Geartz on stage in Franklin, TN
Photo by Kyle Dean Reinford for The New York Times

3/5/18: "After War, Three Chords and the Truth" - The New York Times
Click Here to Read Full Article

Welcome to My March Newsletter! Happy Spring! 

What an honor to welcome Veterans Josh Geartz and Britney Pfad at our sold out "Rifles & Rosary Beads" Album Release Show at The Franklin Theatre in Franklin, Tennessee on Friday, February 23rd. Josh, who traveled to Franklin from Buffalo, New York with his family, received a standing ovation when he joined us onstage to play harmonica during "Still On The Ride," the song he co-wrote with me at his first SongwritingWith:Soldiers Retreat.

Album producer Neilson Hubbard and Joshua Britt presented a special screening of their "Rifles & Rosary Beads" Documentary, which recently won the Inspiration Award at the 2018 Cinema On The Bayou Film Festival in Lafayette, Lousiana.

Thank you to everyone involved for making the Album Release Show a very memorable evening!

The reviews of Rifles & Rosary Beads are in, and the response to this record has been tremendous. I've included Press Highlights below, with links to each article.

Read this week's full article in The New York Times, "After War, Three Chords and the Truth," by clicking the link above.

A portion of every sale goes to the non-profit SongwritingWith:Soldiers,
and I've already given them a check for $8,000!

The Album Release Tour continues this week, and I hope to see you at one of our upcoming shows. I am heading to Chicago, Columbus, Ann Arbor, and Pittsburgh this week, and and then to the West Coast on March 18th! Please visit the full tour schedule on the TOUR page for all of the details.

Thank you for all of your support!
~ Mary

Press Highlights

"...She has roamed the same dark roads as Bruce Springsteen on 'Nebraska' and Neil Young on 'Tonight's the Night'...she has a knack for devastating details, populating her lyrics with crucible kisses, ravaged rings, hissing heat pipes, vulture shadows..."
-Chicago Tribune

"The songs on 'Rifles & Rosary Beads are folk songs framed in Gauthier's smoky vocals. They go a long way to revealing the underlying traumas of a soldier's experience serving in a war while also laying bare the equally traumatic experiences of their loved ones." 
-Chicago Sun Times

"You'll be hard-pressed to hear a more powerfully moving work than Rifles & Rosary Beads - this year, or any other."
-LA TIMES

"The replacement of ready-made, comfortable niceties about the military, or generalized criticism of that life, with riveting, occasionally harrowing specifics from real lives as lived now is the strongest sort of musical salute to those who have served or stood by them. The finesse Mary Gauthier brings to this engrossing music makes this album a landmark."
-THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

"...Her new record is a gift in a contemporary moment full of chatter and political rhetoric. It shows how simply telling what happened can cut through the divisions that distract us. Rifles & Rosary Beads is the product of compassion and a call for more compassion at a time when it's needed most."  
-Ann Powers, NPR World Cafe

Listen on NPR.org

NPR World Cafe - Reworking Trauma: Mary Gauthier Tells Veteran Stories on 'Rifles & Rosary Beads'

Happy February!

Thank you so much for your support of my new record, Rifles & Rosary Beads! Co-written with Veterans and their families, Rifles & Rosary Beads has already made its way around the world. The reviews are coming in every day, and we thought we would share some of the highlights from the press with you. Click on each link below to read the articles.

Also, I'm looking forward to seeing my East Coast friends this week, with shows in New York City, Boston, Vienna and Annapolis, in support of my new record. We have a whole list of dates lined up, including our Album Release Show on February 23rd in Franklin, Tennessee! You can find tickets and see where we'll be next at www.marygauthier.com.

Press Highlights

"The importance of this effort cannot be overstated."
-Country Standard Time

"The album's 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 World Cafe

"Rifles & Rosary Beads' gives veterans and their spouses a voice, a chance to find in song the words that foster growth in the midst of trauma...Gauthier and her co-writers deliver an album of songs that momentarily make the burdens of these men and women lighter, for in these songs they've found the care and empathy of a listening stranger who sits not in judgment but embraces in love." 
-No Depression

Mary Gauthier with Veteran and Co-Writer Jamie Trent

Reviews Around the World

"När Mary Gauthier skriver sånger tillsammans med amerikanska militärveteraner hittar hon kvaliteter långt bortom de terapeutiska, samtidigt som hon känns igen rent musikaliskt."
- Dagens Nyheter, Sweden, 1/26/18

"Pensez The Ghost of Tom Joad à la rencontre d’Universal Soldier, en plus cru, en plus nu, en plus tendre aussi. Un album essentiel."
 - Le Devoir, Canada, 2/2/18

"Ingen kan rimligtvis ta miste på att Mary Gauthier brinner både för låtarna och historierna de ger offentligt liv åt och det gör ”Rifles & Rosary Beads” till en av hennes starkaste skivor hittills."
 - Mono Magasin, Sweden, 12/13/17

January 26th: TODAY is Record Release Day!

Photo by Tyler McQueen

Available Now

Today's the day!
Rifles & Rosary Beads hit the stores this morning!
It's finally record release day!

This is by far the most collaborative project I have ever embarked on, and I am forever indebted to my co-writers, those brave women and men whose stories got turned into song through the magic of empathy.

My co-writers are the ones who lived these stories, and they are the ones who served. It is their courage, and their willingness to speak of the things they've seen, done and witnessed that make these songs come alive.

The songs feel real because they are real. I am forever in awe of the generosity of the folks I have had the privilege of co-writing with.

Also, I must acknowledge the incredible work of Darden Smith and Mary Judd, co-founders of SongwritingWith:Soldiers. I thank them for allowing me to be a part of their amazing non-profit, this beautiful, collaborative adventure that they built from the ground up. SongwritingWith:Soldiers continues to serve those who have served us. The hard work that goes into keeping the program running happens behind the scenes daily, through Darden and Mary's dedicated work and commitment. I am forever grateful to be a part of this organization. 

The early press for the record is positive, and it is my hope that as we move into the release cycle, people will listen to these songs with an open heart and an open mind. Those who have served have sacrificed much.  Their service matters, no matter what we feel about the conflicts they've served in.

I thank each and every one of my co-writers, and can't wait to bring their songs to the listeners.

Deep breath. Here we go!

ORDER PHYSICAL COPY

DOWNLOAD DIGITAL ALBUM

Rolling Stone Debuts Bobby Bare's "I Drink" Video

1/9/18: Rolling Stone & Rolling Stone Country Debut Bobby Bare's "I Drink" Video

"'I Drink' was written by one of my favorite songwriters, Mary Gauthier - she lived it. It's a heart-wrenching story of alchoholism and the effects it can have on a family," said Bobby Bare, adding, "I am proud of the depiction of the song through this video and hope it will sincerely touch people. If you're struggling, get help, it could save your family and your life. I recommend AA as a starting point."

READ THE FULL STORY HERE ON ROLLING STONE

AND ROLLING STONE COUNTRY

Cinema On The Bayou: January Newsletter

Happy New Year, Y'all!

My new record, Rifles & Rosary Beads, comes out on January 26th! Tour dates are pouring in, and I'm getting ready to hit the highway!

I’ll be premiering a short documentary about the making of the record  (also called Rifles & Rosary Beads) at the Cinema On The Bayou Film Festival in Lafayette, Louisiana on January 24th.

I’ll be there in person, (with filmmakers Neilson Hubbard and Josh Britt), to answer questions and play songs. My family is coming, and it’s going to be a wonderful night in a beautiful place, with great Cajun food!

I'll head back to Nashville on the 25th to teach a sold out Songwriting Workshop, then fly to London January 29th to lead a Songwriting Workshop at the Americana UK Awards and present an Award at the Awards Show. Finally, Michele Gazich and I will perform an Album Release Show in Milton Keynes, UK on January 31st, with Special Guest Aaron Lee Tasjan.

"Brothers" Premiere: 1/5

“You raised a flag for the men who served

What about the women, what do we deserve?”  - Brothers

I'll be back on Facebook LIVE later this week to premiere Brothers, a song from the new record.  Thanks for tuning in over the last six weeks on Facebook LIVE! Click the link below to tune in on my Facebook Artist Page.

TUNE IN THIS WEEKEND ON FACEBOOK LIVE

*photo credit: www.songwritingwithsoldiers.org
Pictured:  Meghan Counihan and Brittney Pfad, co-writers of "Brothers," with Mary Gauthier

Thank You!

As always, thank you for your support! We are wishing you all the best for a wonderful 2018!

~Mary

I Love You, America: November News

Mary Gauthier on "I Love You, America" with Sarah Silverman Airs 11/2, 6pm ET on HULU

Happy November!

I’m in full-blown new record pre-release mode! My new record, Rifles & Rosary Beads, is out January 26th, 2018 and contains eleven new songs, all co-written with Veterans and their families. As the project begins to move out into the world, it’s starting to get exciting.

I am thrilled to announce that Sarah Silverman invited me to be a guest on her new show called I Love You, America. The segment airs Thursday, November 2nd, at 6pm ET exclusively on HULU.

I flew to LA last week to tape the segment. I sat on the couch next to her and she interviewed me, and asked me to play parts of three songs. It turns out she loves sad songs, and I have a few to choose from! 

I'm not sure which ones will make the final cut, but I played March 11,1962 ( from The Foundling), Mercy Now (from Mercy Now), and Bullet Holes In the Sky (from Rifles and Rosary Beads, coming out January 26th, 2018).

We talked about how songs can be conduits for empathy and road maps into a stranger’s heart, which upon inspection - mirrors our own. I’ve long said that on the highest level songs help us know each other, and can plug us into the spiritual and sacred realm of faith, hope, compassion, mercy, charity, forgiveness and humility.

Through the alchemy of song, even sad songs create the feeling of connection because we are reassured that we are not alone. This connection is why singing the blues can make us feel better.

Sarah's show is all about a divided nation having hard discussions, and we talked about how songs can help those conversations along. We talked about Rifles & Rosary Beads, the Veterans record I am releasing in January, and how songs written with Veterans can become conduits for re-connection and Post Traumatic Growth.

The interview was over in a blur, and I was back in the car, headed to another town. Again, the air date is Thursday, 11/2 - streaming at 6pm ET exclusively on HULU.  Sarah will also put the show out in pieces on social media.

This Thursday's episode also includes the song "Somebody Broke Her," written and performed by Sarah and country singer Lee Thomas Miller. People will receive a downloadable version of it if they donate using this link: https://www.cfmt.org/ilyamerica, where 100% of proceeds support Las Vegas nonprofits helping with immediate and long-term needs of the victims. Preview the song here:

http://people.com/country/sarah-silverman-country-song-las-vegas-victims/

I’m really honoured to be a part of this conversation Sarah is having with America.

FOLLOW SARAH ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH MARY ON "I LOVE YOU, AMERICA" WITH SARAH SILVERMAN

VISIT SARAH'S WEBSITE FOR MORE UPDATES.

RIFLES & ROSARY BEADS contains eleven new songs, all co-written with Veterans and their families. If you pre-order it now, I will sign it for you, and it wil help me cover the cost of manufacturing and production. I'd sure appreciate your help with that.

PRE-ORDER HERE

WATCH OFFICIAL TRAILER

As always, thank you for being a part of my journey! ~ Mary