Crys Matthews Performs at Belleville Roots

REGIONAL — Nashville resident Crys Matthews, who performs on June 16 at the Belleville Roots Juneteenth concert, is already being compared to Woody Guthrie.
She stands out as one of the most promising talents in the new wave of social justice musicians.
“Crys is a wonderful singer, songwriter.” said Ken Irwin, a renowned music producer and one of the founders of the Roots concert series.
Irwin said Crys does not take the lofty comparison to Guthrie seriously, but is a great communicator and makes her audiences feel good.
Matthews uses her personal experiences to create songs that speak out against injustice. Justin Hiltner from Bluegrass Situation praised her ability to bring people together through music, calling her a beacon of hope.
In her latest album Changemakers, Matthews continues the legacy of social justice music icons similar to Sweet Honey in the Rock and Holly Near.
Eric Philbrook, the vice president and creative director for the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), praises Matthews for “infusing her socially conscious messages with genuine emotions and delivering them with a powerful voice and warm heart, uplifting our spirits during these challenging times.”
Her album, Changemakers, effectively addresses issues such as immigration, the opioid crisis, Black Lives Matter and gun safety.
She aims to instill hope and encourage her listeners through her music and hopes that her songs will serve as a time capsule, documenting the country’s experiences of the past four years.
The upcoming concert is the second year Belleville Roots has staged a Juneteenth event.
Crys began performing in 2010, but cemented her acclaim at Lincoln Center in Washington, D.C., as the 2017 New Song Music and Performance Competition grand prize winner.
Born and raised in a small town in southeastern North Carolina by an A.M.E. church preacher, she witnessed the power of music from an early age. In high school she was a former drum major and classically-trained clarinetist who now uses her voice to answer Dr. Martin Luther King’s call to be “a drum major for justice.”
“I believe in hope,” she said. “As a social-justice songwriter, it is my duty to keep breathing that hope and encouragement into the people who listen to my music.”
The Belleville Roots Concert will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 16. For more information and to buy tickets, visit bellevilleroots.org or email the event at bellevilletoots@gmail.com. The Belleville Congregational Church is at 300 High St. Newburyport.