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Singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier performs a free outdoor concert this weekend in Palo Alto. The show, presented by Earthwise Productions, takes place Oct. 17, 2 p.m. at Mitchell Park Bowl, 600 E. Meadow Drive, Palo Alto.
Gauthier will be joined by fellow singer-songwriter Jaimee Harris. Singer Tamara Dunn, with pianist Terrigal Burn, will open, with writer and musician Sylvie Simmons emceeing, and making an appearance on ukulele and vocals.
Gauthier’s music is thoughtful, almost tender at times, but tackles some hard-hitting themes. She will be performing songs from her latest album, “Rifles and Rosary Beads,” which grew out of her work with the SongwritingWith:Soldiers program.
SongwritingWith:Soldiers brings together professional songwriters and military veterans to write songs about the service members’ experiences, as a way to help veterans tell their stories and find some healing. The songwriting sessions take place in retreats that are held all over the United States, and at the end of the retreat, the songs are recorded.
“For me art is to tell truths that are hard to tell. Songs are incredibly powerful vehicles to get you into another person’s heart,” Gauthier said in a video about the release of “Rifles and Rosary Beads.”
“The session that I had, where I was able to tell Mary … things that no one on this planet knows. That’s kind of where that flicker of hope started was right there, that moment,” a veteran who worked with Mary said in the video.
The songs on the album are stirring and insightful. Some have a light country twang, underscored by Gauthier’s solid vocals.
The musician herself has faced some personal struggles and came to songwriting not long after she got sober.
Her philosophy on art and songwriting, and how music can help people face tough emotional issues, is captured in her book “Saved by a Song,” which she will be signing at the concert.
For more information, visit eventbrite.com.
