In her evolving seasonal classic ‘Christmas in Paradise’, Mary Gauthier drew on the concept of not
judging the afflicted, just dealing with the here and now. This philosophy
extends to her involvement in the Song Writing with Soldiers project, which is the
theme of her new album and centrepiece of a current tour of the UK. This record
has been in circulation since the turn of the year, but the presentation of its
ethos, emotion and heart-wrenching content in a hushed room dismantles any
prefaced assimilation of what it means to all concerned. This Nottingham Glee
Club show may have included a mix of old favourites; the introduction of a
virtuoso violin/viola accompaniment by Italian musician Michele Gazich and the
most inclusive of uplifting finales, but casting a defining shadow across the
night were five compulsive stories and the songs born from each painful
situation.Any Mary Gauthier show brims with idiosyncratic and quirky tendencies that lure the audience into a state of total admiration. Hanging onto each number and story takes you into the perceptive world of an artist enriched by the salvation of song. These traits never fail to materialise when she comes to town and fully embedded into versions of ‘Mercy Now’, ‘Last of the Hobo Kings’ and ‘Another Train’. There was a strong case that these much-loved songs were probably eclipsed in the back catalogue segment of the show by the deep-rooted calling song ‘Oh Soul’. This judgement may be clouded by listening to the same song just twenty-four hours earlier when impassionedly sung by Ben Glover, Mary’s co-writer on the song.
Before returning to the crux of the evening, it is imperative
to mention the finale choice of ‘This
Land is Your Land’. This version slipped it into the sad song territory of
its origins and one that required little persuasion for the audience to
vociferously tap into its spirit and inclusive meaning.
The domination of song writing with soldiers may have originally
cast a dark shadow of war’s untold stories across a locked-in audience, but
rays of light periodically burst through as the therapy of song took hold. ‘Rifles and Rosary Beads’, ‘Bullet Holes in the Sky’, ‘Still on the Ride’, ‘Stronger Together’ and ‘It’s Her Love’ had their soul ripped
apart in the introduction, before each song began the healing process. Tales of
trauma, pain, suicide, despair and regret ravaged the room, requiring a steely
demeanour not to be moved. War was abhorred, politicians slammed and judgement
withheld, alongside an intuitive insight in how song can unpick the past and
lay a foundation of hope. Time froze throughout the period Mary shared her experience
of participating in this process. The gig may have lasted around an hour and
forty minutes, but this segment eroded any concept of time.
There was always the background conundrum of an avid anti-war
protestor choosing the plight of the veteran to activate the song writing
process when many other facets of untold stories are yearning for a voice.
Regardless of circumstance, Mary was visibly touched by immersing herself into
this project and a contagious wave of empathy swamped a room of willing
accomplices. This powerful piece of singer-songwriter theatre proved all-consuming
and unleashed the infinite potential of where song can take you. The fervent
anti-war protestor, and thorn in the side of the perpetrators, still exists alongside
a purveyor of focussing on the humanist angle of a tragic state of affairs.
Listen to RIFLE AND ROSARY BEADS, read all the background stuff and most of all if Mary Gauthier passes through your town join the congregation. Third party words barely scratch the surface. Replicating the experience of exposure to an articulate advocate and exceptional songwriter really only appeases the author. Memories are made at a Mary Gauthier show; perceptions are formed and definitive evenings of entering the world of the deep connective singer-songwriter leave that most satisfying of mark.