Album Notes

Music is becoming our tool...not just for aural pleasure, not just for hobby-but now as a means to connect with something beyond ourselves. It is taking its own personality, carrying us all along on the journey down the damp and strange alley ways and cryptic coded pathways... to poetic observations, social change, lyrical nonsense, political rage, symphonic coercing, ferocious bantering, cycles and train tracks, primal will, fresh air intoxicants, harmony and alliteration, noise and something sweeter than I can ever touch. -post-apocalyptic folk fusion soul mending...perhaps?


"We like a good bit of hootanany and hoedowns that tickle the gizzards way down to their sultry inner depths...little bit of good boot stompin' fiddle banjo/tunes passed down along the way...what tunes we can carry on long journeys we do- and travel frequently in old dusty backpacks and vagabond hammocks, throwing out a hitch hickers thumb as often as possible..." -Leah.

Freak-Folk-Soul from the South...

Sisters Leah and Chloe Smith grew up in the bosom of the Southern Appalachian music renaissance. Born to a fiddlin’ mother and a folk-sculptor father, they were raised with old-time mountain melodies as their lullabies. But, having also grown up amidst the underground hip hop and spoken word movements of the urban South, the group has heavy influences in indie folk, vintage jazz, political hip hop, and roots music from around the world.

Rising Appalachia’s eerie banjo originals, gritty lyrics and effortless sister harmonies are compared to that of Ani Difranco, Gillian Welch and even Bjork. With their dynamic percussionist Forrest Kelly, the group now adds a unique drumming style to create a driving and hypnotic groove that is simply addictive. Playing a djembe, dumbek, boudrhan, kickdrum, snare, spoons, jawharp, washboard, and even the bones, the group Rising Appalachia offers a fresh, raw approach to a beautiful old tradition.

You can also find their 2005 self titled CD, Rising Appalachia, or visit their web sites for more info on their upcoming CD release Scale Down and the 2007 tour of the Eastern USA and Europe...keep your ears open.
For booking, demo material, or additional artist info please contact:
www.myspace.com/risingappalachia