Boring backstory: My (now) wife and I spent the fall of '98 dealing with the fact that we didn't know what to do with our lives by working with a volunteer organization in Appalachian Kentucky. While we were there, we discovered a musical duo that called itself Mitch and Carla (Mitch Barrett and Carla Gover). They specialized in, but were not limited to, traditional Appalachian/Bluegrass music, and did several songs about simple living and young lovers running away together that appealed pretty heavily to who we were then. We bought one of their tapes (yes, cassette) and listened to it regularly for years until we basically wore it out; after that, I kind of forgot about them.
(A somewhat similar album I listened to heavily during that time was Jerry Garcia/David Grisman's Shady Grove, which I mentioned upthread
7 years ago).
Anyway, I've been a touch nostalgic lately, and yesterday it occurred to me to check if the two of them were still out there. They are, and continue to perform together with a third guy (Owen Reynolds) in a group called
Zoe Speaks. Quite a few of their songs are available on youtube, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I like their music as much as I did before; if anything, they've gotten better.
But... they don't seem to have achieved much recognition outside of their own region. That may be how they want it, but I thought I'd try to repay them in a small way by sharing where I can.
Both of their voices have an innocent, childlike quality that works well for lullabies:
Angel Wings
If Wishes Were Horses (we wanted this for our wedding reception, but the tape was broken by then
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
)
That same vocal quality makes for an interesting contrast when they go harsh, as in this remarkable take on an old standard:
Shady Grove (listen to the whole thing if you listen at all)
But mostly they do the traditional Appalachian style:
One Small Bird
Barbry Ellen
Though they can pull the jazz/rock thing off too:
Cadillac Queen
There's plenty more out there if you're interested.
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/77smile.gif)