About this Event
The Venue is pleased to present Crys Matthews and Kelly Hunt on Sunday, November 15th.
Doors: 6pm | Show: 7pm
~ Advance Admission:
General Admission - $20
~ Day of Show:
Additional $5 Door Charge
⭐ Crys Matthews⭐
Already being hailed as “the next Woody Guthrie,” Nashville resident Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers. A powerful lyricist whose songs of compassionate dissent reflect her lived experience as what she lightheartedly calls "the poster child for intersectionality," Justin Hiltner of Bluegrass Situation called Matthews’s gift "a reminder of what beauty can occur when we bridge those divides." She is made for these times and, with the release of her new, hope-fueled, love-filled social justice album Changemakers, Matthews hopes to take her place alongside some of her heroes in the world of social-justice music like Sweet Honey in the Rock and Holly Near. Of Matthews, ASCAP VP & Creative Director Eric Philbrook says, “By wrapping honest emotions around her socially conscious messages and dynamically delivering them with a warm heart and a strong voice, she lifts our spirits just when we need it most in these troubled times.”
Matthews began performing in 2010 but cemented her acclaim at Lincoln Center as the 2017 NewSong Music and Performance Competition grand prize winner. That year she also released two new projects — her album of thoughtful songs on love and life called The Imagineers, and her EP called Battle Hymn for an Army of Lovers, which tackles social justice themes. Matthews also won the People’s Music Network’s Social Justice Songs contest at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance. Loyal fans quickly followed as Matthews racked up performances at large music festivals and prestigious venues across the country including the Sundance Film Festival, Kerrville Folk Festival, and locally at venues like The Birchmere, The Hamilton, Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center, and Jammin' Java. In her TedTalk about difficult conversations called "Sing, Don't Shout — An Alternative Approach" Matthews spoke about being born and raised in a small town in southeastern North Carolina by an A.M.E. preacher, and how she witnessed the power of music from an early age. A former drum major and classically trained clarinetist turned folk singer, Matthews is using her voice to answer Dr. Martin Luther King's call to be "a drum major for justice." “I believe in hope,” Matthews 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.” And, from the title track to the last track, Changemakers does just that all while tackling some heavy topics like immigration, the opioid crisis, Black Lives Matter, and gun safety to name a few. “Ani DiFranco said, “People used to make records as in a record of an event,"” said Matthews, “so I hope that these songs will serve as a time capsule, a record of the events of the last four years and what it was like to live through them.” Crys Matthews's thoughtful, realistic, and emotional songs speak to the voice of our generation and remind us why music indeed soothes the soul.
⭐ Kelly Hunt⭐
Memphis native, Kelly Hunt, sings with what Rolling Stone Country describes as “the lilting cadence of a folksinger born somewhere far away, sometime long ago.” Deeply rooted in traditions of folk and old-time, Hunt’s music reimagines these forms with contemporary vigor, hovering beyond the constraints of genre and exploring the tension between past and present, old world and new. Self-taught on banjo and guitar, Hunt’s nuanced instrumental style melds finger-picking with pulsing rhythms, creating a dynamic backdrop for her soulful lyrics. A 2019 finalist for the International Folk Music Awards “Album of the Year," Kelly is currently on tour in support of her new album, Requiem for a Sleepless Night (Sept 2026), produced by Dirk Powell and released on Compass Records.
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The Venue is brought to you by Fox Valley Music Foundation, dedicated to local music awareness, education and preservation. themusicvenue.org
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