Zoe is looking forward to returning to The Listening Room with a new album -- Before the Machine – in tow. Inspired by memories of a pre-smart phone world, the title track explores how technology, and specifically smartphones, has irrevocably altered our experience of time. Picking up where Zoe’s last album, Waterlines, left off, Before the Machine further showcases the artist’s vivid, literary sense of language while weaving a rich and confident fabric of folk, country, rock, blues and jazz. A native of Washington D.C., Zoe began playing guitar and singing as a teenager. Although music was her first love, writing was her first career. After graduating from Columbia Journalism School, Zoe wrote for numerous national magazines and, in 2010, published an award-winning memoir, Imperfect Endings. After leaving New York City for the San Francisco Bay Area, she played with various local bands and, in 2015, co-founded the Americana string band Sugartown. She’s performed at clubs around the Bay Area from The Freight & Salvage to Sweetwater and has toured Southern California and the East Coast. Her music video for Before the Machine premiered on Americana UK and has been accepted into several international film festivals. Meanwhile, the album has been getting enthusiastic reviews. Americana Highways writes: “Zoe sings with personality and self-assurance. She conceives poignant, well-distinguished tales with finesse. Brilliant! I’m looking forward to more.” For more information, find Zoe on her website: https://zoecartermusic.com/