Musician Kyshona Armstrong is bringing soul, heart and a little bit of raw pain to Terrapin Beer Company today.

“I consider myself a soulful folk singer,” Armstrong said. “People who have heard us say we have an acoustic soul and blues roots sound.”

Armstrong will be singing and playing the guitar today with her bassist, Paul Thorton, and drummer Dylan Clarke. Her close fans and friends lovingly refer to the trio as “Kyshona and the guys.”

Kyshona Armstrong, a soulful singer/guitarist from Athens, returns to Terrapin Beer Company.

Armstrong said she is excited to return to Terrapin for nearly the tenth time and plans to appeal to a variety of audience desires.

“I try to be a crowd pleaser and get people pumped up, but I also like to play my originals for people,” Armstrong said. “We’ll be doing anything from Janice Joplin to Bon Jovi to my grandfather’s songs that he wrote.”

However, cover songs are not the only tunes on her set list. Armstrong will also perform some of her original songs for the crowd. One of the original pieces she will play tonight is titled, “The Voices.”

“It’s talking about how our kids have so much they have to hear and how they are being bombarded with messages from TV and the radio,” Armstrong said. “It’s all those voices in their heads telling them how to act.”

“Music” is another original Armstrong will perform.

“‘Music’ is my anthem to the music yesterday that was positive and wasn’t a bunch of mess promoting promiscuity and violence,” Armstrong said.

Many of Armstrong’s lyrics make reference to the constant influences that bombard today’s youth.

“She is not afraid to express pain and she wears her life on her sleeves in her songs but she also gives a hopeful message,” said Paul Reeves, one of Armstrong’s fellow musicians and songwriter.

Armstrong’s vocals and personality are both earning her a spot as a regular at Terrapin.

“She is local, and that is what we love about her. She is a singer-songwriter, and we like musicians who have their own music,” said Irina Cochran, event coordinator at Terrapin. “She is also a great fan favorite. People always have great comments about her sound, talent and style of music. We bring her back here because the crowd loves her.”

Reeves not only praises Armstrong’s messages but also her vocals.

“The cool thing about Kyshona is that I haven’t seen too many young, contemporary, soulful African-American singers, especially ones who play guitar,” Reeves said. “There is only one other person I know that I think can sing as well as she can. Her voice is so unbelievable she doesn’t even need to play the guitar.”

Kyshona is not just a soulful singer with hopeful lyrics. She also implements her life experiences into her music career.

“All my music focuses on the youth and their struggles and that they do have something wise to say even though they’re young, they do have stories we all need to hear.”

Armstrong said she faced difficulties in the past that led her to focus on the therapeutic aspect of music. 

This desire led to Armstrong’s degree in music therapy and career as a therapist.

“I have had past experiences that have made me want to help others and to help perpetrators because they have a reason why they do what they do.”

Although Reeves and Cochran said Armstrong has various things to bring to the music industry table, her vocals remain the bait to reel in the listener.

“Her vocals are soulful, warm-sounding — they feel like and sound like a song that would come off an old record player,” Reeves said. “The main thing is that her voice is out of control.”

When: Tonight at 5:30

Where: Terrapin Beer Company, 265 Newton Bridge Road

More Information: Call 706-549-3377

Price: Free