Folk singer and musician Crys Matthews visited Keene State on Monday, Feb. 5, for a workshop and performance.
Matthews held her workshop from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Madison Street Lounge and later performed in the Alumni Recital Hall at 6 p.m.
Matthews was invited to Keene State to help celebrate Black History Month and Martin Luther King Jr. Day on campus.
According to her website, Matthews’ mission statement 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.”
During the two-hour workshop, Matthews shared more about her music and her history growing up in North Carolina as a preacher’s daughter. Matthews travels to around four to five colleges per year and said she enjoys doing it because colleges are “ground zero for a lot of things.”
The hour-and-a-half-long performance featured Matthews’ special February setlist, titled “Songs On Why We Cannot Wait,” inspired by the words of Martin Luther King Jr. The concert included songs like “Battle Hymn For An Army Of Lovers,” “My Skin,” “Like Jesus Would” and “Cancel Culture.”
All of the songs were inspired by modern events, such as the 2016 election and the Buffalo shooting. The night concluded with a Q&A session with Matthews.
“By and large, people are committed to trying to change this world and this country to what it should be and should have been a long time ago,” said Matthews. “We’re seeing that especially in the young people, which gives me so much courage and so much hope.”
Matthews received positive reviews by the audience, along with a standing ovation at the end of her performance.
“I thought it was awesome,” said one audience member. “I didn’t know that she was going to do her January-February special, but I thought it was a really cool format.”
“I went to the workshop earlier this afternoon, so I had more context for her coming into tonight,” said another. “I really appreciated, both in how she spoke at the workshop as well as here, just how much she leads with love in her heart.”
Keene State Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Office Vice President Dottie Morris said Matthews was inspirational.
“I heard Crys as an opener at a Dar Williams concert and I really appreciated what they had to say,” said Morris. “The lyrics, the passion they have for peace, justice and connecting people.”
Morris continued, “I’m really excited about that capacity to pull people togetherI love to do things that are community-based … so I felt like this event has the potential to be that type of event.”
DEI Coordinator Darrien Waugh said audiences were, “Going to leave with a lot of value taken away from it. You’re going to leave with a different perspective when it comes to social justice.”
Waugh added, “Be expected to be challenged with your views, but also at the same time be able to enjoy that challenge because we’re doing it through music.”
Emily Sloane can be contacted at
esloane@kscequinox.com
