Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier is about to release her latest studio album, DARK ENOUGH TO SEE THE STARS.  An artist that writes from the heart, Mary’s latest offering is both celebratory and contemplative as she reflects on her present emotional state but also on the sadness of losing loved ones and close friends in recent times. The enforced lockdown during Covid allowed her to complete her memoirs Saved By A Song; The Art and Healing of Songwriting, which details her progression from a self-destructive and somewhat lost soul to her current status as a celebrated songwriter, teacher, and performer.  Her regular online streams have been consistently attracting viewers in large numbers over the past two years and she also continues to host songwriting workshops. Mary has been cherished by us at Lonesome Highway for many years and her regular visits to Ireland are hugely anticipated. It was a pleasure to catch up with Mary once more as she prepared to tour her latest album.

You have been positively beaming on your live streams over the past few years, notwithstanding the difficulties presented during that time. What are your reflections on those past two years?

It’s been good, it’s all worked out good for us to be honest. Doing the live streams from here in the office has been great. We’re back out on the road again and we have a lot of shows booked. I did get some travelling in early 2022 and have managed to bob and weave through the past two years. There has also been so much loss and grief and suffering and a lot of deaths, the most recent being Nanci Griffith, which was so sad for me. Also, John Prine and Dave Olney – and lots of other people who aren’t so famous have passed away during the past two years. Personally, I’ve been grieving the loss of people but I’ve been fine and have somehow managed to come out the other end of it.  

Will you continue with the weekly live streams?

Yes, when we’re at home. We like doing it and people enjoy them. They seem to appreciate the stories we can tell and the casual nature of the streams. We get a couple of hundred people logged on when we do them, so they’re worth doing.

There are elements of sadness on the new album, DARK ENOUGH TO SEE THE STARS, yet the essence of the material suggests love and contentment. The first three tracks Fall Apart World, Amsterdam and Thank God For You are particularly uplifting.  Did you intentionally open with those tracks to emphasise your present mindset?

To be honest, I didn’t actually do that on purpose. What I do is to try and capture what is inside and in front of me and those songs are exactly how I’m feeling now. I’m just full of joy and gratitude. But of course, there’s grief on the record, too, because of the loss that we’ve all experienced in the last couple of years.  For me, I haven’t had to go through that alone. I’ve got someone with me that I love very much and we’re solid. I wanted to write about that. I’ve written about the difficulty of relationships my whole career because that’s where I’ve been. Finally, I’m in a place where things are solid and I’ve got this connection that is glorious, which I’m grateful for. The joy on the record is authentic. I’m not the type of songwriter that just makes shit up. I’m writing about my life and what I’m experiencing, and what I see other people experiencing in real time.

The track Amsterdam captures that tenderness and love beautifully. I understand that you ended up there quite unexpectedly with Jaimee (Harris)? 

That’s right. We were supposed to be going to Denmark a week early for a festival and the flight got messed up. I asked them to re-route us to Amsterdam and that was perfect. So, we got to go there unexpectedly, stay in one of my favourite hotels and have a few days in the city. I’ve written a lot of songs in Amsterdam; my first record deal was on a Dutch label and I established a relationship with the Dutch people early on before I had anything going on in the United States. That Dutch label was part of my life for the first decade of being a musician. I go there every year; it feels like a second home.

When were the songs for the album written and did you record in the studio or remotely?

All the songs were written after RIFLES AND ROSARY BEADS came out with most of it written during lockdown. We recorded in the studio with pretty much the same crew as RIFLES, and we also added Fats Kaplin to the team.  Neilson Hubbard was producer again; he also played the drums and Kris Donegan was on guitar. Michael Rinne was on bass, Danny Mitchell was on piano. Jaimee (Harris) sings on it which is great and Allison Moorer also came in and sang.

Beth Neilsen Chapman co-wrote the title track. Do you ever consider that artists such as Beth, Gretchen Peters and you are to other young artists what John Prine and Nanci Griffith were to you?

That’s really hard to understand, I couldn’t think about that. In my mind, I’m still the young person in awe going to a John Prine or a Nanci Griffith show and just watching them smiling uncontrollably, in love with their music and what they are bringing to the world. It’s impossible to fill those shoes.

With up to a dozen studio albums in your back catalogue, is there one that gives you the most personal satisfaction?

That’s like asking a parent who is their favourite child. I am actually quite fond of this one, because of the joy. It was high time that I chased down some joyful songs and I’m happy that I lived long enough to do that authentically and from the heart.

You only began to write professionally when you were in your mid-thirties. Had you dabbled in writing prior to that?

No, not at all. You know I wrote the whole book about that. It’s about what drives me as a songwriter and what I personally think songs and music are for. I see the music and the songs as part of my purpose and I had to find that purpose over time. I had a real problem with drink and drugs and after I got sober, I started writing. That was 1990 and I moved to Nashville to take this on for real.

How do you compare songwriting with your experience of writing longform for your book Saved By A Song?

I don’t think writing is ever easy and to write well is hard. The book took six years to write and I was only able to finish it because of the shutdown. For me longform writing is difficult, songwriting is difficult, and writing well is a big challenge.

With your love of food and cooking, maybe your next book will be about that passion? 

(Laughs) Yes, it will be titled ‘Cooking with Mary.’

With your upcoming touring schedule, I presume things are very much back to normal with you over there.

Everything is one hundred per cent back to normality here, we’re all acting as if Covid is not happening. Numbers are climbing but the vast majority of people have been vaccinated and for most people, if they get it, it’s like a bad flu. 

Can we look forward to you over this side during the year? We reminisced fondly at Kilkenny Roots Festival recently about you playing that festival back in 2018.

I remember that show well. It was as hot as hell outside and I was watching all the Irish fair skin burning to a crisp when I was waiting to sign CDs. I remember it well and wish I was there this year; I love that festival. We should be over to you in November of this year and hopefully also next April. I’d love to also get to Celtic Connections in Glasgow in January and if that happened, we’d also do a few shows in Ireland. I hope to be over with the new record several times. Hopefully Michele Gazich will travel with us in Europe too.

Interview by Declan Culliton