Article Contributed by Mixtape Media
Published on February 14, 2026
Photo: Courtesy of Zoe FitzGerald Carter
Singer, Songwriter, memorist and former journalist, Zoe FitzGerald Carter premieres the video for her newest single, “Lying Voices,” via Americana UK. The video was filmed and edited by San Francisco’s Dan Foldes.
“The latest single from author-turned-songwriter Zoe FitzGerald Carter is a powerful political statement. She rails against the administration, expressing disbelief that Donald Trump could possibly be elected President for a second term. In ‘Lying Voices’, Carter’s words are all the more impactful for their direct nature… However, despite the clear concern she shares, Carter manages to infuse the song with a resilience and hope, born out of the fact that the lying voices will be countered by those who continue to fight against injustice and whose voices will continue to be heard. As Carter is a former author, essayist and journalist, it’s no surprise that the song’s lyrical intent is one of its strengths… Be absorbed by ‘Lying Voices’, a song that channels Carter’s experience and character and forces us to confront the challenging realities in the USA and wider world,” raved Americana UK.
“As recent events in Minneapolis have shown us, the consequences of the last election have been darker than any of us could have imagined,” says Zoe. “I am releasing ‘Lying Voices’ in time for Presidents Day and dedicating it to the brave people standing up to ICE and demonstrating peacefully in the streets. They are our modern-day heroes: artists, organizers and regular citizens putting themselves on the line to protest this regime. And they are our best hope for the future of this country and of the world.”
“Speaking as a former journalist it pains me to say it, but the news media was largely to blame. Right-wing outlets like Fox News unabashedly amplified Trump’s lies, giving its large — and largely unquestioning — audience a steady drip of misinformation in the months leading up to the election. Meanwhile, right wing podcasters and social media influencers reinforced the lies, spreading false and misleading content online.”
“Until we dismantle the disinformation industrial complex and stop allowing news outlets to act as the propagandistic arm of the government, chasing profit at the expense of truth, we will continue to face more very dark days in this country,” she says.
Zoe FitzGerald Carter released her latest album, Before the Machine, on June 7, 2024. The album weaves a rich fabric of folk, rock, blues and jazz and features a stellar cast of top Bay Area musicians. Inspired by memories of a pre-smart phone world, the title track explores how technology, and specifically smart phones, has changed our experience of time. “Before The Machine” won the Corpus Christi Songwriting Contest and the title track’s music video premiered via Americana UK and placed in the New Zealand and Vienna film festivals. Another song from the album, “Let’s Just Stay Friends,” was awarded second place from the International Acoustic Music Awards.
Zoe grew up in Washington D.C. where she began playing guitar and singing as a teenager. She’s played with numerous Bay Area bands – Do Wrong Right, The Deadliners, Rolling Thunder, and co-founded the Americana string band Sugartown. She’s performed in clubs from the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, to the Lost Church and Hotel Utah in San Francisco, to Sweetwater Music Hall in Marin County. She toured the East Coast as a solo act and has played on the central coast and in Southern California.
Music was Zoe’s first love, but writing was her first career. A graduate of Columbia Journalism School, she has written for numerous national publications including The New York Times, Newsweek, Vogue. In 2010, Simon & Schuster published her award winning memoir, Imperfect Endings. She has also taught memoir and songwriting in writing retreats and conferences from Vermont to California to Hawaii.
April 21-28 — Oahu Writers Retreat, teaching songwriting — Oahu, HI
Feb 28 — 2026 Glendale Folk & Heritage Festival — Glendale, AZ
Mar 4 — Wine & Song — South Pasadena, CA*
Mar 5 — Ojai Underground — Ojai, CA*
Apr 29 — Golden Gate Bandshell — San Francisco, CA
* with Jason Luckett
