Crys Matthews Releases New Single "Waking Up the Dead" Inspired by Supernatural Encounter

Article Contributed by gratefulweb | Published on Saturday, October 12, 2024

Award-winning folk singer-songwriter Crys Matthews unveils her latest single, "Waking Up the Dead," the second release from her highly anticipated upcoming album, Reclamation.

The genesis of "Waking Up the Dead" is rooted in a profound supernatural experience at a Quaker Meeting House in Fallsington, PA. "I was there for a show back in January and, because I am notoriously early, they weren't quite ready for me to set up yet," Matthews recalls. "I didn't want to stress them out, so I just went out back and started walking around. I could feel somebody in that cemetery being so incredibly happy to see me there. It was surreal. I went back inside and immediately started writing."

In a departure from her usual guitar compositions, Matthews felt compelled to learn the banjo for this track. "As the song began to take shape, I knew it was meant to be played on banjo and not guitar," she explains. "I'm so grateful that Levi Lowrey trusted me with playing it on the album."

"Waking Up the Dead" is now available on all major streaming platforms, including YouTube and Spotify.

About Crys Matthews

A troubadour of truth, Nashville resident Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers. Blending Country, Americana, Folk, Blues, and Bluegrass, her bold and complex performances are steeped in traditional melodies and punctuated by honest, original lyrics.

Praised by Billboard, NPR, and more, Matthews is "made for these times." ASCAP VP & Creative Director Eric Philbrook notes, "By wrapping honest emotions around her socially conscious messages and dynamically delivering them with a warm heart and a strong voice, she lifts our spirits just when we need it most in these troubled times." Justin Hiltner of Bluegrass Situation adds that her gift is a "reminder of what beauty can occur when we bridge those divides."

In her own words, Matthews's 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." Reclamation, her upcoming album, is both an embodiment and a testament to that mission.

About "Reclamation"

Recorded in Nashville at Sound Emporium Studios and produced by Levi Lowrey (co-writer of Zac Brown Band's hit song "Colder Weather"), Reclamation features collaborations with her partner Heather Mae, and fellow singer-songwriters Kyshona, Melody Walker, and Chris Housman. The album showcases some of Music City's finest musicians, including Megan Coleman, Megan Elizabeth McCormick, Ellen Angelico, Ryan Madora, Jen Gunderman, and Michael Majett.

"This album is both sonically and ideologically the fullest representation of who I am as an artist and as a human," says Matthews. A preacher's kid, a Black woman, a butch lesbian, and a proud Southerner, she is reclaiming not just the spaces she's been denied but also the South that raised her.

Upcoming Tour Dates

Crys Matthews will join Julian Taylor on tour in November and will be part of the Make the Yuletide Gay Tour in December alongside Flamy Grant, Jennifer Knapp, Spencer LaJoye, and Heather Mae. Catch her at the following venues: