20 April 2018

Mary Gauthier

Greg Klyma opens

On Friday, April 20 the me&thee coffeehouse welcomes Mary Gauthier back to its stage. Gauthier’s profoundly emotional lyrics and music truly resonate with listeners. Many could say that her songs are life changing and many could say that they are life saving. These are songs that need to be heard now more than ever. ¶  Singer-songwriter-storyteller Greg Klyma opens the show.

Concert starts at 8:00 pm

Mary Gauthier

Mary Gauthier’s just-released album, Rifles and Rosary Beads, is an important album for a multitude of reasons but the first is because Mary’s co-writers are United States veterans and their families. “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,” reports NPR World Café. The Los Angeles Times noted, “You’ll be hard-pressed to hear a more powerfully moving work than Rifles and Rosary Beads this year — or any other.”

Mary’s life has led her to this pivotal moment when she has reached out to those in need of solace and peace and have learned to soothe their souls through music. Mary’s life as a teen runaway, heroin addict, and many dark moments led her to begin writing songs in her mid-30s. She says, “We human beings have this built-in healing mechanism that’s always pushing us toward life.” Gauthier’s work with soldiers and their families is transfor­mational work. As No Depression states, “[these songs] momentarily make the burden of these men and women lighter, they’ve found the care and the empathy of a listening stranger who sits not in judgment but embraces in love.” Mary Gauthier has once again proven that she has a special gift of bringing compassion and love into a world that so desperately needs it.

. . .

Greg Klyma

Greg Klyma is an old-school troubadour from the Boston area. His enduring themes, articulate and amusing stories, and populist ideals make him one of those rare artists who is carrying the torch of Woody Guthrie and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. He is a tireless touring artist who rolls into town, pulls out a guitar, and proceeds to take his audiences back to the basics: family, love, gratitude, and laughter. He is doing a great job of keeping the American folk tradition alive.

Greg’s newest album, I Never Knew Caroline, finds him coping with the end of a romantic relationship and honoring the musicians from his hometown of Buffalo, New York, who inspired him in his formative years. His stories have been compared to the likes of Mark Twain and David Sedaris and his performances are always experienced with joy and appreciation.

  • Louisiana-raised Mary Gauthier has become one of Americana music’s most admired artists — across the U.S. and in her regular tours around the world. Wall Street Journal
  • To be affected by these songs, you don’t have to know anything of Gauthier’s backstory (Louisiana orphan addict chef turned sober troubadour), the respect she commands across gender lines in the Americana scene, or the heavyweight catalog she’s built out of unflinching introspection and Southern Gothic-shaded storytelling. NPR Music
  • Her razor-sharp eye for detail and her commitment to unsentimental self-reflection puts her in a class with greats such as Kris Kristofferson, John Prine and, yes, Bob Dylan. Los Angeles Times
  • . . .
  • Greg Klyma is a home-cooked meal and a vaudeville show in a fast food karaoke world. He is beyond definitions of style and arbiters of cool. He is precisely who he is, no additives or fillers. CJ Watson
  • The stories blend seamlessly into songs, evoking a flavor of Mark Twain, Woody Guthrie, and David Sedaris. Sarah Craig, Caffe Lena

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