PUTNEY-Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present contemporary folk singer-songwriters Crys Matthews and Sam Robbins at Next Stage on Friday, July 11, at 7:30 p.m.
Nashville-based Matthews is part of the new generation of social justice music makers. An award-winning, lyricist and composer, Matthews blends country, Americana, folk, blues, and bluegrass into a performance steeped in traditional melodies. She says he's on a mission 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."
A daughter of the South by way of Nashville and North Carolina, and the self-proclaimed "poster child of intersectionality," Matthews recently released her album Reclamation. As "a preacher's kid, a black woman, a butch lesbian, and a proud Southerner," she "is not only reclaiming space for black artists in country and Americana, for LGBTQ voices in faith communities, and for women's autonomy over their bodies, but she is also reclaiming the South that raised her," wrote organizers in a news release.
Robbins is often described as an "old soul singer-songwriter" - a storyteller troubadour with a modern, upbeat edge. Touring across the U.S. with a new acclaimed album So Much I Still Don't See, named one of Atwood Magazine's 2025 "Artists to Watch," leading songwriting workshops, and performing a Jim Croce song on The Voice, Robbins has gained a reputation as "one of the brightest rising stars in the national folk music community," said organizers.
So Much I Still Don't See relates Robbins's journey through his 20s and the culmination of firsthand experiences gathered through travel and adventures. Robbins has performed at major festivals, including Kerrville, Falcon Ridge, and Wheatland.
Next Stage is at 15 Kimball Hill in downtown Putney. Tickets are $22 in advance, $25 at the door, $10 for access to the livestream. Advance tickets are available at nextstagearts.org. Next Stage will provide a beer, wine, and cocktail cash bar. For information, call 802-387-0102.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.