Zoe & Cloyd Redefine Appalachian Music With New Singles Inspired By Their Heritage

Artists that combine diverse elements from the many branches of roots music are rare. Those that can, use the blend of influences to redefine the genre. With this in mind, Asheville duo Zoe & Cloyd are traversing new paths in Appalachian music, building on the rich heritage of their separate upbringings and joining them to create neo-traditional mountain songs.

The husband and wife duo has expressed an emotional blend of old time, Bluegrass and Country music on prior recordings. Now, they expand on that with two new singles from Organic Records.

"Berditchever Sher"
In "Berditchever Sher," Zoe & Cloyd seamlessly combine the old world vibes of Eastern European Jewish Dance and early Southern American Folk, in a nod to their respective backgrounds. The result is a one of a kind instrumental that is joyful and heart-warming.

Natalya Zoe Weinstein is the granddaughter of a Russian Klezmer musician, while John Cloyd Miller is the grandson of Jim Shumate, a NC heritage award recipient and part of the pioneering bands of the early versions of both Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass Boys and Flatt and Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys.

With the rolling banjo of Bennett Sullivan, syncopated guitar from Miller and the darkly bowed bass from Kevin Kehrberg, Zoe & Cloyd carry forward their heritage with this synergistic take on a Ukranian klezmer tune originating in the town of Berdichev, Ukraine.

"A 'sher,' the Yiddish word for 'scissors,' is a Eastern European Jewish dance form," says Weinstein. "My grandfather, originally from Russia, grew up playing music and was a professional klezmer musician in Philadelphia. He likely played this song for weddings and events and we enjoyed putting our own spin on it. You probably won't find another version of this tune with bluegrass banjo!"

Listen to "Berditchever Sher" HERE.

"Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down"
The haunting "Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down" is a statement that good must prevail over evil. Sung by Weinstein with an almost sweet and innocent tone, the traditional spiritual feels foreboding, with its childlike sadness and softness. An old-time claw-hammer banjo and bowed bass add to the song's somber mood.

"This song is a traditional spiritual that we learned from a 1965 field recording of Frank Proffitt. Proffittlearned the song from an African American banjo player named Dave Thompson, also from northwestern North Carolina," says Miller. "The song is direct and powerful, and Natalya's solo vocal echoes the starkness of many old-time source recordings that we love."

The song's quiet, yet austere nature is a direct line to Zoe & Cloyd'sheritage, yet they bring the traditional forward, as this song carries just as much weight into today's world.

Listen to "Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down" HERE.

These two new recordings and Zoe & Cloyd's prior single, "Looking Out For You and Me," make for a quarter of their upcoming album, I Am Your Neighbor, showing diversity within traditional Southern Appalachian music and the ways that it can be both preserved and redefined.

About Zoe & Cloyd
Zoe & Cloyd spring from deep roots in American music. Founding members of the acclaimed Americana trio, Red June, and long-time veterans of the Asheville, NC music scene, Natalya Zoe Weinstein and John Cloyd Miller released their second full-length album, Eyes Brand New, in spring of 2017. Highlighting their emotive songwriting and signature harmonies, this album showcased the breadth of their collective musical spirit, seamlessly combining original folk, country, old-time and bluegrass with sincerity and zeal. Zoe & Cloyd's debut recording, Equinox (2015), was met with high acclaim and the pair has continued to gain momentum with a 1st place win at the prestigious FreshGrass Festival Duo Contest along with performances at MerleFest, Music City Roots and more.

John Cloyd Miller's foundation in traditional bluegrass and old-time music coupled with his modern sensibility combine to make him a natural musician and performer. A twelfth generation North Carolina native and the grandson of pioneering bluegrass fiddler and NC Folk Heritage Award winner Jim Shumate, his Appalachian roots run deep. John is well known for his haunting mountain voice as well as his instrumental prowess and award-winning songwriting. He is a 1st place winner of the prestigious Chris Austin Songwriting Contest and a recipient of an Artist Fellowship for songwriting by the North Carolina Arts Council.

Natalya Zoe Weinstein also comes from a musical family: her father is a master jazz pianist and her grandfather, originally from Russia, was a professional klezmer musician. She is an accomplished fiddler in a variety of styles as well as an inspired singer and songwriter. While trained classically in her home state of Massachusetts, she has spent many years fine-tuning her bluegrass and old-time fiddling with some of the country's top traditional musicians. Now a mentor to many young players, Natalya is a sought after instructor and is in high demand as a teacher and session musician.

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