Rifles and Rosary Beads is a brand new collection of songs by Mary Gauthier, co-written with U.S. veterans and their families, through Songwriting With Soldiers, a non-profit organization that pairs US veterans with professional songwriters. These songs are a glimpse inside the hearts and souls of both male and female soldiers, and their spouses. An emotionally honest song can dislodge a seemingly frozen trauma story, thaw it, and release some of the infection. Through song, the dominant story of a person’s life can be written in a way that others can relate to. This happens not by trying to write a “healing” song but through vulnerability. In this way, a song then becomes a step beyond the self, towards others who perhaps have felt the same way. Powered by alchemy, the songs can then make beauty out of the beast, and change lives. Every song on this record gives the listener a glimpse into the veteran’s personal experiences, showing their insides, on the outside. Veteran’s songs inevitably end up as prayers for love and peace. The process of writing them is deeply therapeutic, but it’s not therapy. It is the making of art.

Mary Gauthier has received countless critical accolades over the last decade and a half for her seven studio albums and captivating live performances.