If you go
› What: An Evening with Mary Gauthier› Where: Songbirds North, 35 Station St.› When: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 21› Admission: $30› Phone: 423-531-2473› Online: events.songbirds.rocks
Abandoned by her mother at age 1, Mary Gauthier spent much of her early life addicted to drugs and alcohol, and was often in and out prison.
She got sober at 27 and says to help her make sense of her life, she started writing songs. It wasn't that she felt she had anything to say, or that she thought her life was particularly interesting, though there are country songs and and movies with less drama than she faced growing up.
"It would make a great movie wouldn't it?" she asks, laughing.
"No, I was writing in a place of desperation and the desperation I felt like was me trying to understand my life. Now I know I was trying to save my life and sobriety gave me purpose. The songs helped."
Five years ago, friend and fellow musician Darrell Scott told her about a program called Songwriting With Soldiers.
Mary Gauthier (Photo by Laura Partain)"He said, 'Go do it. Don't ask me any questions. Just do it.' I thought, 'What do I know about soldiers, or war?'"
She said she discovered pretty quickly that the preconceived notions she had going in were wrong and that she needed to readjust her own mind.
"Initially I went in with a lot of stereotypes. I went in thinking the military was populated with a certain military type, and I expected to be judged because of who I am: an openly gay, liberal, female folk singer. I was afraid of being stereotyped and I was stereotyping them.
"When someone is telling you their trauma and the worst day of their life, you find out that, at heart, we are all human. It's a songwriting workshop, who cares about sexual preferences?
"I learned a lot about my own tendency to stereotype. Another important thing I heard them say over and over is that no one hates war more than a soldier."
Gauthier says she works with the soldiers, listening to their stories and then helping them craft them into song lyrics, a couple of times a year and would do so more often if she could.
"I love sitting with our veterans and using my skills to help them articulate what they are going through."
Her latest album, "Rifles & Rosary Beads," is the result of those songwriting sessions with the soldiers.
She says part of her job is to just listen and not be judgmental. It has helped her in her own writing by learning to listen and empathize with others. She says her own life experiences make her a perfect fit for working with soldiers.
"I have adoption trauma and it really damaged me. It created this black hole that I stumble into to this day. It has been songs that help me to articulate that."
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.
What others have written about Mary Gauthier
“The finesse Mary Gauthier brings to this engrossing music makes this album a landmark.” — The Wall Street Journal“Nothing short of a folk music mission statement … by using her platform she achieves what so many who tout themselves and musicians and activists strive to do: She hands over the reins to those who need them most, in a way that prioritizes their longevity.” — Noisey“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 Music