PREVIEW
Mary Gauthier
Saturday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Arden Theatre
5 St. Anne Street
Tickets: $49.15 Call 780-459-1542 or visit www.ticketmaster.ca
Songs have a way of filling a void when the spoken word cannot. If ever there was a singer-songwriter who accomplished the task, it’s Mary Gauthier with her latest CD Rifles & Rosary Beads.
Gauthier’s 11-track is packed with songs about war and its victims. Many recording artists sing songs written from a songwriter’s viewpoint that range from saccharine patriotism to mournful laments.The songs in Rifles & Rosary Beads were co-written with veterans and their families. As such, they deliver a blunt authenticity that only comes from hard-earned experience.
Although Gauthier steers the tunes with her unvarnished vocals and searing honesty, the lyrics flow directly from each veteran's experiences of trauma, loneliness and issues with isolation.
“These were men and women who were traumatized and wounded. We were able to transcend the surface stuff to what mattered. We have the power through song to transcribe their story and bring it back to them. And being able to tell their story, helped put the pieces of their life back together. Telling their story is restorative. It does something for the soul,” said Gauthier.
On numerous occasions, Gauthier stated it was an honour to work with veterans and she’ll be telling their stories in St. Albert on Saturday, March 2, at the Arden Theatre.
“They’ve been my teachers. They’ve shown me what service is, what war does to a family. They’ve shown me resilience and the human spirit’s need for connection. They’ve brought me to a deeper level of songwriting.”
She was introduced to the military through SongwritingWith:Soldiers. The non-profit American organization, founded by Texas singer-songwriter Darden Smith, pairs veterans and active-duty service members with professional songwriters. They meet at a retreat to craft songs about military experiences.
“When people are traumatized and dealing with life, the work of artists is to help them find their emotional truth,” said Gauthier. “Art is about pointing to where we’re the same, and what matters most about being human is that we are the same.”
Judging from the potent lyrics, the fusion of songwriter and soldier gave veterans a freedom from their debilitating emotional and psychological pain, and produced a much-needed liberating catharsis.
The CD shares aching stories of lost comrades, guilt of survivors, sexism and even the risk of sexual assault against female soldiers.
Soldiering On, a co-write with Marine veteran Jennifer Marino, talks about rebuilding a normal life at home after the surreal world of war.
The War After the War instead puts a spotlight on the overlooked wives and families, who often without recognition, care for the wounded upon their return.
Bullet Holes in the Sky, a co-write with Navy veteran Jamie Trent, confronts the contradictions some veterans feel: honouring their service while coming to grips with a world turned upside down.
Brothers, a co-write with Army veterans Meghan Counihan and Britney Pfad, is about the unequal treatment of women, and in Iraq, Army veteran Brandy Davidson addresses sexual harassment and assault that female soldiers face in the historically rooted male chain of command.
But it’s not all dark. In It’s Her Love, Marine veteran James Dooley salutes the caring folks that bring a restorative balance to a soldier’s harrowing nightmares from war.
Released in January 2018, Rifles & Rosary Beads was hailed by music reviewers and fans alike as a breakthrough album and was nominated for a Grammy Award as Best Folk Album.
However, in the tradition of great music, it is less about politics and more about important stories that need to be told.
“We need to ask if we work for the government, how responsible are we for people?”
At a time when Canada’s federal government is significantly reducing veteran pensions, these are uncomfortable songs to hear. But they are important stories and powerful songs from people that put their lives on the line for their country. At the very least, we need to listen to their words.
