BEGIN:VCALENDAR METHOD:PUBLISH VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN PRODID:-//NONSGML Sandhills Development\, LLC//NONSGML Sugar Calendar Fe eds v3.4.0//EN X-WR-CALNAME:Crys Matthews X-WR-CALDESC:Portland Downtown X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 DTSTART:20231105T060000 TZNAME:EST END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 DTSTART:20231105T060000 TZNAME:EST END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Crys Matthews DESCRIPTION:Already being hailed as “the next Woody Guthrie\,” Nashv ille resident Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new gene ration of social justice music-makers. A powerful lyricist whose songs o f compassionate dissent reflect her lived experience as what she lighthe artedly calls “the poster child for intersectionality\,” Justin Hilt ner of Bluegrass Situation called Matthews’s gift “a reminder of wha t beauty can occur when we bridge those divides.” She is made for thes e times and\, with the release of her new\, hope-fueled\, love-filled so cial justice album Changemakers\, Matthews hopes to take her place along side 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 he r socially conscious messages and dynamically delivering them with a war m heart and a strong voice\, she lifts our spirits just when we need it most in these troubled times.”\n\nMatthews began performing in 2010 bu t cemented her acclaim at Lincoln Center as the 2017 NewSong Music and P erformance Competition grand prize winner. That year she also released t wo new projects — her album of thoughtful songs on love and life calle d The Imagineers\, and her EP called Battle Hymn for an Army of Lovers\, which tackles social justice themes. Matthews also won the People’s M usic Network’s Social Justice Songs contest at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance. Loyal fans quickly followed as Matthews racked up perform ances at large music festivals and prestigious venues across the country including the Sundance Film Festival\, Kerrville Folk Festival\, and lo cally 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 southe astern 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 tr ained clarinetist turned folk singer\, Matthews is using her voice to an swer Dr. Martin Luther King’s call to be “a drum major for justice. \n\n“I believe in hope\,” Matthews said. “As a social-justice so ngwriter\, it is my duty to keep breathing that hope and encouragement i nto the people who listen to my music.” And\, from the title track to the last track\, Changemakers does just that all while tackling some hea vy topics like immigration\, the opioid crisis\, Black Lives Matter\, an d gun safety to name a few. “Ani DiFranco said\, “People used to mak e records as in a record of an event\,”” said Matthews\, “so I hop e 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.” Cr ys Matthews’s thoughtful\, realistic\, and emotional songs speak to th e voice of our generation and remind us why music indeed soothes the sou l. URL;VALUE=URI:https://portlandmaine.com/events/crys-matthews/ UID:urn:uuid:b034cb0c-4f7d-4637-9a5c-4d22f3d836d7 STATUS:CONFIRMED ORGANIZER: DTSTAMP:20260610T151720Z DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231118T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231118T230000 LOCATION:181 State St\, Portland\, Maine 04101\, US END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR