crysmatthews - Tumblr blog

[crysmatthews]

I don't usually fly to NYC for a day trip but, when I do, it's because I'm getting into some #GOODTrouble! So proud to be lifting my voice alongside these changemakers. - Yesterday was #NationalVoterRegistrationDay and you better believe abortion protections and access are among the issues that will inform my vote this November. Are you registered to vote? Are your friends? (at Nashville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cixct54uASg/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[crysmatthews]

★ It’s National Voter Registration Day! Take 30 seconds to register to vote, check your registration status, or find a registration event on or offline near you! NationalVoterRegistrationDay.org #NationalVoterRegistrationDay #VoteReady - ★ As many as 1 in 4 eligible Americans are not registered to vote or don’t know if they are registered. Be part of the solution and get your community VOTE READY today! - ★ Already registered and wondering how you can celebrate National Voter Registration Day today? Tag a friend or 10 and tell them to pass it on! Look into options available in your state for voting by mail, voting early, and more on our website NationalVoterRegistrationDay.org (at Nashville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ciu7sGJORfI/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[crysmatthews]

It's just about that time, fam!!! Last @americanafest was so epic that my little family and I decided to move to Nashville, so who knows what will happen this year! But I digress — I will be speaking on a panel on genealogy and storytelling, AND playing a handful of showcases with a bunch of my friends! I will then be running around town like mad trying to catch a bunch of my other friends' music! Hope to see you around town! - Oh, and just because it needs to be said in this town, shout-out to the curators who have made sure their Americana showcases ACTUALLY look like America, i.e. INCLUSIVE of Black artists/artists of color, LGBTQ+ artists, and women! To paraphrase @marenmorris, THAT is the table I want a seat at. - photos by @folkbluegrass and @jefffasanophoto respectively (at Nashville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiTnVxQOLTl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[crysmatthews]

I'm so looking forward to these two shows with my friend @jenniferknappmusic! If you're within driving distance, you do not want to miss these! https://www.instagram.com/p/CiQHE_IO5UQ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[crysmatthews]

Well it was a good, solid run while it lasted. Yesterday, I tested positive for COVID-19. So far, I'm doing OK so, if you're sending up thoughts and prayers, send them up for The Rev. first who is worried sick about her baby, send some up for the continued health and safety of the family taking such incredible care of me, and then some for me. - I'm so grateful for the timing. It is costing me some gigs, but not too many, and it comes right at the end of a very long run, which means I'll have a solid couple of weeks to keep resting before I have to get back on the road with these fresh antibodies. Stay safe out there, fam. (at Phoenix, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChmxA9vJBQa/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[crysmatthews]

Philly Folk Festival, I hated to leave you, but please know that there is only one reason I would miss the chance to see Arrested Development — I'm trying to get some Democrats elected in Arizona, y'all! Singing songs of justice, hope, and love tonight in #flagstaff alongside @face_the_music_foundation and @petethetroubadour! Free show tonight at @murdochcommunitycenter! (at Murdoch Community Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChgOeCNr1X-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[crysmatthews]

This is the look of someone plotting all of the fun she will be having in Arizona and New Mexico after a little stop at the @philadelphiafolkfestival! I'm also REALLY excited to see one of my grandma's favorite cousins again while I'm out there! I got to see her in 2019 after not having seen her since I was about 12. - So honored and excited to be singing in solidarity with @face_the_music_foundation for their AZ shows! Sat, 8/20 - Flagstaff, AZ Sun, 8/21 - North Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ Tue, 8/23 - Phoenix, AZ - Fri, 8/26 - Las Cruces, NM Sat, 8/27 - Las Cruces, NM - I don't make it to this part of the country as often as I'd like, so please spread the word! Link in bio. https://www.instagram.com/p/ChS6AnlOnxz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[crysmatthews]

Today is going to be a heck of a day, but an incredibly important one! @heathermaemusic hometown is holding its first EVER Pride festival and she and I have the great honor of performing at it! Then, immediately following that, we rush over to one of our favorite DMV listening rooms @jamminjava to play with our friend @rebeccaloebe. - Folks, in times like these, I am reminded of the words of my friend @marygauthier: "Music can be more than just entertainment if you need it to be." As someone who has very firmly and intentionally centered my art around justice, I believe that wholeheartedly. Every time I sing, I know that someone has come specifically because they are feeling hopeless, like giving up. And so, I do my job with all of the love and care that I can muster because I KNOW that hope is a form of resistance. So, come get your wells filled up. And then get to marching, get to calling, get to running at the local level, get to knocking on doors... just get busy DOING. (at Sterling, Virginia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfRbfWAO-Zu/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[crysmatthews]

Carrying on that great tradition of Folk music as witness bearer for working people, I'm so pleased to share that my song Rising Tides has been selected as a "Labor Songs of the Future" finalist for the Labor Research & Action Network's Worker Revival Songwriting Contest! Once voting opens, I hope you'll give it a listen and coast your vote for it! (at Nashville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce27JTcuqJj/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[crysmatthews]

The only thing cooler than all of the VERY gay fun that was had at #PaducahPride this weekend was waking up to the news that Changemakers was playing on @siriusxm The Village! Thanks for showing it some love and thank you to the very sweet fan who let me know (if anybody hears Prodigal Son on a certain Pride playlist let me know too)!! Anyway, I'm still just SO happy about Changemakers winning Song of the Year! AND I'm hoping that it inspires more of my fellow singer-songwriters to use their platforms to activate and cultivate change in this world of ours. We need it right now, y'all. Stay safe out there, fam! Oh and, Oklahoma, @heathermaemusic and I will see you in a couple of days! Tell all of your friends! main photo by @lschneiderphoto (at Nashville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeeKUPhOqnD/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[crysmatthews]

Looking forward to getting back on the road with @heathermaemusic! We're coming back to you, MI, OH, and IL. Spread the word! https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca5lAAgubGK/?utm_medium=tumblr

[crysmatthews]

Not having any fun AT ALL here at @mountainstage. :) So grateful for this journey, and so overjoyed to be able to experience these huge moments with @heathermaemusic. (at Mountain Stage Radio Show) https://www.instagram.com/p/Caxv25Vukeg/?utm_medium=tumblr

[crysmatthews]

Over-the-moon excited to be playing @mountainstage this weekend!!! This is a big bucket list item for my little Folk-Americana heart. https://www.instagram.com/p/CapuF3putoU/?utm_medium=tumblr

[crysmatthews]

As we collectively look down the barrel of international conflict (while simultaneously putting out fire after fire here at home), I constantly hear my mother's voice saying, "it is a praying time." May those of us who believe deeply in peace, justice, and nonviolence recommit ourselves to a future that more closely resembles the one Gandhi and MLK worked towards. (at MLK jr National Historic site) https://www.instagram.com/p/CaXyNYXpgj9/?utm_medium=tumblr

[crysmatthews]

Man y'all...I can only really convey this in my southern vernacular: It feels like TX is just gon' MAKE me have to go on down there and tell them about themselves. I want all of those kids to know that there's a lesbian folk singer playing at a college in Virginia tonight, wearing Pride suspenders for them, and singing songs about LGBTQ+ equality. https://www.instagram.com/p/CaVzMudM1l6/?utm_medium=tumblr

[crysmatthews]

As someone who was born and raised in southeastern North Carolina, I have been looking forward to spending more time in the south. And yes, it can be intimidating to sing the kinds of songs I sing in certain parts of this country that I love so much, but I want these songs to do some more good in 2022. That means, not just (in the words of my friend Dave) "preaching to the choir to sing it louder." See you soon, Tennessee and Georgia! Also, thanks for listening last night, Lexington, KY! 2/17 - @bluebirdcafetn with @scottcooksongs and @jenniferknappmusic 2/19 - @tybeepost https://www.instagram.com/p/CaAQ2xjO31L/?utm_medium=tumblr

[crysmatthews]

My sweet, sweet Juice took her last breath last night. She waited until after she got to hear some music first, but then let us know it was time. I was blessed to have her with me for 16 years and, from the first day we found each other when she was only eight-weeks old until the moment she left last night, she has been the truest and purest embodiment of love. I don't have words right now beyond just... thank you for being so good to me, Juice. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZxBHvRu0yW/?utm_medium=tumblr