Zoe Speaks

continued

Though the music they perform is quite diverse, it all comes together under the umbrella of their own experiences. Folk songs sound as though they might have been written yesterday. And when they modify one to comment on a contemporary issue ("Shady Grove" has added lyrics that recast it as the story of an interracial relationship), it seems the most natural thing in the world.

There's quite a buzz around these unassuming musicians: they've performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, and they recently headed to Louisiana to record with the influential roots music producer Dirk Powell. The Green Wood Coffee House is an ideally intimate venue for Zoe Speaks, much more so than the Kennedy Center. They're performing at the Green Wood on Friday, April 21.

[Review published April 2006]