ZOE speaks EPK
Roots music from the heart of kentucky

Booking: Carla Gover · carla@carlagover.com · +1-859-358-6090

The best elements of traditional Appalachian Music, including purity, intensity, integrity, and vivid imagery.”

— Old Time Herald

about the band...

The band Zoe Speaks consists of Kentuckians Mitch Barrett and Carla Gover, their daughter, fiddler/bassist/vocalist Zoey Barrett, her multi-instrumentalist husband Arlo Barnette, and joined on select dates by longtime bassist Owen Reynolds. After life events sidelined the band for a stretch, they've returned with a renewed dedication to touring. The band draws on its deep roots in the region to put its own spin on everything from traditional ballads to finely-crafted originals.

Close family harmonies are a defining feature of their sound, and while their music is drenched in the flavor of the mountain music they grew up with, they skirt the cutting edge of tradition. Their songwriting follows in the tracks of socially conscious writers like Jean Ritchie and John Prine, with a distinctly progressive bent, and a commitment to telling the true, nuanced stories of Appalachia rather than the flattened versions too often peddled by mainstream media.

A veritable songwriting powerhouse, their contest wins include the Telluride Troubadour Contest, Merlefest's Chris Austin Contest, the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, and Kerrville New Folk, among others.

A staple on the Kentucky music scene for thirty years with four successful albums under their belt, their catalog includes the most recent Wings, which debuted at #1 on the Folk DJ chart. They accompany themselves on guitar, clawhammer banjo, upright bass, fiddle, Appalachian dulcimer, and clogging feet.

LISTEN

The title track from our most recent album Wings  (#1, National Folk DJ Radio Chart)

A fan favorite from our catalog.

Hi Res Photos

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