With special guest Madame Fraankie
Doors at 8 pm | Performance at 9 pm
On Friday, September 14th at 8:00pm, Visual, Musical, and Performance Artist Lawrence Matthews, also known as Don Lifted, will transform Crosstown Arts visually and sonically with brand new music. His performance will feature sculptural and video installations, as well as performances from his album “Alero” and his coming album “Contour,” which will be released on September 21st. Audiences will be immersed in music performed live and surrounded by swirling nostalgic imagery that follows the narrative of each song. Brand new Don Lifted merchandise will be available for purchase at the event.
Production on “Contour” began in Memphis in late 2015. In 2018, the record was finished and mastered in Hollywood by Grammy Award-winning Engineer Mike Bozzi (Flower Boy, Ctrl, Good Kid, Maad City, To Pimp A Butterfly, Damn, Blankface LP).
Matthews is a multi-disciplinary creative with connections reaching deep into the Memphis art scene. Born in Memphis, his work combines Post Modern, Pop Art, and contemporary influences to tell the story of the African Descendant living in America. His work ranges from oil paintings, collage, photography, and ready-made sculpture, to music and film. Matthews’ musical style incorporates hip-hop, alternative rock and electronic music resulting in emotionally vulnerable storytelling and eclectic production. A hot emerging artist, Matthew’s work began to garner acclaim before he had completed his Bachelor’s in Fine Art at University of Memphis, awarded “Best of Show” in the University’s 31st Annual Juried Student Exhibition in 2014 and the Deans Creative Achievement Award and Department of Art Creative Achievement Award in 2015. In 2016, he was awarded the Arts Accelerator Grant from Arts Memphis. His performances helped inaugurate Crosstown Art’s new space in the Concourse and have been feature events at the Brooks Museum and Civil Rights Museum. Matthews is also a member of the Collective, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing the work of local artists of color.
