A genuinely special guest
Posted by David Hepworth on 14 May 2008 - 6:07pm.
If anybody needs further encouragement to see Richard Thompson's solo show at the Royal Festival Hall on May 24th, Mary Gauthier is the special guest. I'm away that weekend (thought you'd be interested) but if I wasn't I'd turn up to see her alone. She's the one whose "I Drink", a Bob Dylan favourite, has been on one of our "Now Hear This" CDs. This is pretty good too.
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I'd like to post an intelligent comment, but...
I can only respond emotionally.. and say:
Hoo, and indeed, Hah!
Anyone who can, SHOW UP!
Seconded, or thirded or whatever.
She's bloody marvelous.
I have the album that song
is from. The whole bloody lot is fantastic - have to take my wife to Heathrow that day - might just see if I can get a ticket.
Bedford
You can see her at the fab east West promotions gig in Bedford, close and up front. Other good gigs also listed...
http://www.entshed.com/
I saw Mary...
...support The Walkabouts many years ago at the Hackney Ocean 2.
It was around the time of Drag Queens in Limousines. Performed live, the title track had enough space between the lines for her to insert witty asides. When she played Our Lady of the Shooting Stars I completely forgot the sterile venue and was held spellbound by her music.
Yes, she's great!
I've seen her twice in Edinburgh and have all her cds. She sings my favourite Christmas song about a couple of homeless people living under a bridge and collecting golf balls from the course next door to sell back to the golfers. "Godamm HIV" is also excellent, as is "Sugar Cane" In fact, it's all great if you like stories!!
I used to be (internet) friendly with a New England based Community Radio DJ. He had Mary on his show a couple of times and he sent me the tapes. I think this could have been around 2000.
Mary obviously is from the south, but before she went full time artist, she ran a restaurant in New England.
Mercy Now
I asked for the album a couple of birthdays ago, and I still can't find a song on there that's as good as I Drink. I think it should be taught as an example of how to write a song: you know, as perfect evidence of the rule "it's not what you write, it's what you leave out". The space in the lines is one of the many things about it that makes it so good.
Did you know...
....that "I Drink" on *Mercy Now* is the second time she has recorded this song. The original version is on the cd *Drag Queens And Limousines* and is the one I prefer....it's even more bare!
Do you like "Your Sister Cried" from the *Mercy Now* cd? It was written by Canadian Fred Eaglesmith and is another artist in the same(storytelling)vein worth checking out.
She is undoubtedly top notch...
....but I feel the latest is even better than before, in no small part due to the sympathetic production skills of Joe Henry and his classy repertory musicians, including Van Dyke Parks and Greg Leisz.
Say...
...go-shay, y'all.