About

CornMaiz is a nouveau old-time family string band featuring original music, traditional, old-time tunes from East Kentucky, and unique versions of some famous cover songs.  Hailing from four different mountain counties, the band features clawhammer banjo, mandolin, guitar, bass, fiddle, and three part harmonies.  Performances also include the exciting traditional Appalachian dance styles of flat-footing and clogging.  The group has performed at festivals and events throughout Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, and at festivals abroad in Mexico, Wales, Ireland, and Serbia.
CornMaiz seeks to present the evolving traditions of Appalachia, and provide cultural perspectives and stories from their oft-stereotyped region, while sharing the fun and generous spirit of the genre! And while there are many bands from all over performing traditional Appalachian music, CornMaiz believes there is something potent and precious about artists from the region representing their own culture and sharing the stories of where and how they learned the music.

Updates

Good Times in Ireland! 

CornMaiz had a wonderful trip to Shandon, Cork, Ireland to perform at the Mother Jones Festival, a social-justice themed festival celebrating the life and work of Cork Native and Labor Activist, Mary Harris aka Mother Jones. 
Our tour was made possible by the generous support of MidAtlantic Arts Foundation, to whom we are deeply grateful. 
We're thrilled to expand our career horizons and make new connections, and to be able to represent Kentucky, the USA, and have artistic opportunities that would be much more difficult without travel support from the US Artists International Program. 

These are some shots from the tour!

New Jubilee Video Out Now! 

This is your great-grandmother’s music video!

Kentucky’s CornMaiz String Band plays tunes handed down since the 1800s, so it’s only fitting that they’d make a video with an old-timey sensibility. This song lends itself perfectly to interpretation in the style of a ‘crankie’, an art form originally popular in Europe during the late 1800s. For the artwork, this family band decided to keep it in the family by collaborating with artist/musician Jannell Canerday, a distant cousin. Her whimsical and humorous illustrations bring to life the scenes from the song, featuring plants, animals, and settings that are special to the band (cornfields, snakes, wildflowers, and hawks, to name a few), as well as LOTS of dancing! The video element adds another way to enjoy this playful song, and enhances the brilliance of a Kentucky gem!

This is a traditional tune Carla learned from Jean Ritchie, her dear friend and mentor, whom she wanted to honor by including this track. Carla grew up on Sand Lick Creek, about 30 miles from Jean’s homeplace in Viper, and enjoyed decades of friendship and inspiration with Jean until her death. Carla’s version changes the melody and adds some of her own lyrics, but the joyful spirit of the mountain dance tune remains intact.

Shows

Videos

Biographies

zoey barrett

Zoey Barett was raised on the road with her musical family, and has been fiddling since the age of 5, learning from such Kentucky greats as Paul David Smith, John Harrod, Jamie Wells, and Jimmy McCowan. She later tacked on upright bass, guitar, piano, and banjo to her repertoire of instruments, taking time to develop her songwriting and harmony-singing chops along the way. She attended the School for the Creative and Performing Arts in Lexington, KY, and works as an artist and stylist when not on tour.

carla gover

Carla Gover is an eighth-generation Kentuckian who hails from a small coal town in Eastern Kentucky, and her rural sensibilities permeate the work that she does and the music that she plays. A veteran of the folk scene, she has performed and recorded with such artists as Jean Ritchie, Mark Schatz, Dudley Connell, Stuart Duncan, Dirk Powell, Bruce Molsky, Ricky Simpkins, and many more. Her most recent album, "Wings",  reached #1 on the Folk Music DJ Charts. The Old-Time Herald says, “Carla’s music contains the best elements of traditional Appalachian Music, including purity, intensity, integrity, and vivid imagery.”

An award-winning singer-songwriter, she has covers by major artists as well as songs in film and documentary soundtracks.  She was selected as a Master Artist in both Traditional Flatfoot Dancing and Appalachian Music by the Kentucky Arts Council. She is the Artistic Director of both Cowan Creek Mountain Music School and the Cornbread & Tortillas Artist Collective and the Founder of the online Appalachian Flatfooting & Clogging Academy.

arlo barnette

Arlo Barnette is an accomplished guitarist and percussionist from the mountains of Bath County, Kentucky, who has studied many styles (including traditional Kentucky music) from a young age. He graduated from Morehead State College with a degree in Spanish.

His stylistic range and formidable chops add flavor and virtuosity to the band, and his charismatic performance style makes him a joy to watch onstage. He is on the faculty of the Cowan Creek Mountain Music School and also teaches at Sphinx Academy, a private school in Lexington, KY.

yani vozos

Yani Vozos (aka "Kentucky Soul") is a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (guitar, mandolin, charango, and bass) originally from Estill County, KY. He performs original music in many styles ranging from acoustic folk-rock rhythms to funky jazz grooves to traditional old-time and bluegrass, as well as the Latin music he began exploring during his service for the Peace Corps in Honduras.

His music is upbeat with writing that focuses on positivity and universal spiritual connections with the earth that everyone can relate to. Yani writes music directly from his heart with the intention of sending out vibrations of love and joy to inspire people around the world. In addition to his performing career, he regularly teaches workshops in schools around the state of Kentucky, with an emphasis on creating increased access to the arts for underserved populations, refugees, and immigrants.

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