Social justice singer-songwriter Crys Matthews is kicking off the West Coast portion of her current tour with a stop in Poway on Friday night.
Matthews is an award-winning, prolific lyricist and composer who blends Americana, country, folk, blues and bluegrass, according to her bio. Her honors have included winning the 2022 International Folk Music Association’s “Song of the Year” for “Changemakers.”
The San Diego Folk Heritage concert will start at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11 in Old Poway Park’s Templars Hall, 14134 Midland Road.
“This is my first time in Poway and my first time in the San Diego area,” the Nashville-based Matthews said. “I am starting on my tour after coming back from Europe where I’ve been all month.”
The concert will feature all original music penned by Matthews. She said several of the songs will come from her recent album, “Reclamation.”
“This album is both sonically and ideologically the fullest representation of who I am as an artist and as a human,” Matthews said.
On her website, she describes herself as “A preacher’s kid, a Black woman, a Butch lesbian and a proud Southerner who sings social justice music right alongside ‘traditional’ Country and Americana music.”
According to Matthews’ website, she is “reclaiming not just … the space Black artists have been denied in Country and Americana music, not just … the space LGBTQ people have been denied in communities of faith, not just … the autonomy women have been denied over their own bodies, she is reclaiming the South that raised her.”
Her stated mission is “To amplify the voices of the unheard, to shed light on the unseen and to be a steadfast reminder that hope and love are the truest pathways to equity and justice.”
Social justice singer-songwriter Crys Matthews. (Emily April Allen)
Matthews said some of her music is in the style of Woody Guthrie’s “Deportee.” In addition, many of her songs are about hope and love. Other social activist musicians who have inspired her include Holly Near and Pete Seeger.
A career in music is something Matthews said she envisioned for herself, but not this career. Growing up as a clarinet player, she had planned on becoming a high school band director.
“The universe had other plans for my music,” she said.
While studying at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, Matthews said she started writing songs as a way to heal from a broken heart after a breakup with her girlfriend.
“I entered them in a campus talent show and won first place, so I kept doing it,” she said, adding she started performing in 2007 and has been doing it full time since 2017.
Matthews also said she taught herself how to play the guitar by watching videos in order to teach a girlfriend who wanted to learn. It is for that reason that Matthews said she plays “upside down and backwards.” Though left-handed, her girlfriend was right-handed, so that’s how she taught herself. Matthews said it comes in handy if she borrows someone’s guitar because most people are right-handed.
“It seemed crazy to learn how to play twice and there are more right-handed guitars out there,” she said about not playing on a left-handed guitar.
Sometimes in her music Matthews will also play a suitcase drum, which is just what one might think that instrument is.
“It gives nice percussion, backs the guitar and gives people the beat for when they start clapping,” she said.
Inspiration for her social justice music often comes from real events.
“When Trayvon Martin was killed (in 2012) that was traumatic and I felt it was not right,” Matthews said. “It impacted me deeply.”
She said Martin reminded her of a younger cousin “who is like a kid brother to me.”
Matthews said through her music, she helps people have conversations about deeply personal issues. Often after her shows, concert attendees will have long conversations with her about how a song touched them.
“Folks connect it to so many of their stories, their history,” she said. “There are often a lot of tears.”
Want to go?
Crys Matthews concert
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11
Where: Templars Hall in Old Poway Park, 14134 Midland Road
Cost: $25 for general admission, $20 for SDFH members and free for youths 17 and under. Buy in advance at ticketweb.com or at the door.
More details: sdfolkheritage.org