PUTNEY – Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present indie-folk duo Sway Wild and singer/songwriter Jake Klar at Next Stage on Friday, July 18 at 7:30 pm. 

Sway Wild’s infectious sound explores the corners of rock, pop, funk, and folk, but at its nucleus it is undeniably a music full of joy. Mandy and Dave’s gorgeous harmonies paired with moving lyrics serve to both process and share their jubilation, grief, and frustration with a complex and deeply imperfect society. And Mandy’s electric guitar pyrotechnics and chordal rhythms challenge the listener to comprehend how she manages to extract so much feeling from six strings and an amplifier. 

The name Sway Wild evokes a specific feeling. From the beginning, Mandy and Dave intended this band to reflect what the endeavor felt like to them – a pathway to the uninhibited unfiltered core that we all possess. The words themselves are an invitation, if not a command, to seek out this untainted part of ourselves. In many ways, Sway Wild’s music is the product of truly wild places, and, like ribbons of light piercing a dark green canopy overhead, it can help us find the wildness that is unquestionably still within us.

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 pm. 

A troubadour of truth, Nashville-based Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers. An award-winning, prolific lyricist and composer, Matthews blends country, Americana, folk, blues, and bluegrass into a bold, complex performance steeped in traditional melodies punctuated by honest, original lyrics. 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,” Crys is made for these times.