Make Like A Shovel | Rising Appalachia
By Donovan Farley Apr 24, 2015 • 11:50 am PDT
Words by: Donovan Farley :: Make Like A Shovel -Rising Appalachia :: 
Sisters Chloe and Leah Smith grew up in Atlanta with a musician mother and a sculptor and painter father. Immersed in the arts at an early age, this creative upbringing clearly made an indelible impact on the sisters’ mentality, both artistically speaking and in their basic philosophy. Valuing art over commerce, maintaining a staunch D.I.Y. aesthetic and possessing an absolute refusal to compromise their beliefs or their music is at the very heart of what Rising Appalachia is all about.
From their alternative touring practices focusing on environmental consciousness over ease, to their enchanting blend of Appalachian folk and world music, to their activism; Rising Appalachia talk the talk in a way that few other bands do. For instance, just yesterday the band finished a spring tour in support of their recently released and positively gorgeous new album Wider Circles where the group traveled by train to each gig. Combining such outright, no excuses social consciousness with their enchanting sound, it’s easy to see why so many people are getting on board with what the sisters are preaching.
Equally influenced by African music, Southern folk and traditionally African American music, Rising Appalachia is very much “of the South.” Not the South of stereotypes so often lazily bandied about by media at large, but the South I grew up in: a joyous, all-together-now celebratory place where the melding of cultures is reflected in everything from food, to clothes, to music. That intersection of influences is what makes their brand of “gypsy folk” so intoxicating, as it’s clear the band’s travels to places like Bulgaria, Hungary, Czech Republic and Columbia has clearly informed both their sound and their impressively worldly perspective.
With Biko Casini (world percussion) and David Brown (stand-up bass, baritone guitar) backing them more than ably, the Smith sisters have carved out a place in the music world on their own terms. At times sultry, at times politically poetic and always soulful, Rising Appalachia has created a world all their own. A fantastic train of gypsy minstrels singing for their supper, cutting through the country on a midnight train speeding towards enlightenment and a higher purpose.
Not only could the entire music industry take a lesson or six from the band; all of us could stand to have more of the Rising Appalachia train of thought in our lives. And with music this uniquely entertaining, why not jump on board?
Rising Appalachia Tour Dates
4/23 – Radford, VA @ Radford University
5/8 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
5/10 – Pawtucket, RI @ The Met
5/11 – Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall
5/14 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
5/15 – Northampton, MA @ Pearl Street
5/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Café Live
5/17 – Alexandria, VA @ The Birchmere
5/22 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
5/23 – Monterey County, CA @ Lightning In A Bottle Festival
5/27 – San Luis Obispo, CA @ Slo Brew
5/29 – Pomona, CA @ The Glass House
5/30 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Mint
5/31 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up
6/4-6/7 – Ozark, AR @ Wakarusa Music Festival
6/13 – Asheville, NC @ New Mountain Theatre (Amphitheatre)
6/18 – Greensboro, NC @ Carolina Theatre
6/19 – Charlottesville, VA @ The Jefferson Theatre
6/20 – Hedgesville, WV @ Mad Tea Party Festival
7/3-7/4 – Quincy, CA @ High Sierra Music Festival
7/16 – North Plains, OR @ Northwest String Summit
7/18-7/19 – Vancouver, Canada @ Vancouver Folk Music Festival
The Slow Food Movement has been gaining traction around the world in recent years with its renewed interest in taking the time to think about and improve the way we treat our bodies, our local ecosystems and the Earth around us at large. Rising Appalachia has dubbed their general outlook, their approach to the band and the world at large the Slow Music Movement, and I can’t think of a more appropriate analogy for the band’s story.
Sisters Chloe and Leah Smith grew up in Atlanta with a musician mother and a sculptor and painter father. Immersed in the arts at an early age, this creative upbringing clearly made an indelible impact on the sisters’ mentality, both artistically speaking and in their basic philosophy. Valuing art over commerce, maintaining a staunch D.I.Y. aesthetic and possessing an absolute refusal to compromise their beliefs or their music is at the very heart of what Rising Appalachia is all about.
From their alternative touring practices focusing on environmental consciousness over ease, to their enchanting blend of Appalachian folk and world music, to their activism; Rising Appalachia talk the talk in a way that few other bands do. For instance, just yesterday the band finished a spring tour in support of their recently released and positively gorgeous new album Wider Circles where the group traveled by train to each gig. Combining such outright, no excuses social consciousness with their enchanting sound, it’s easy to see why so many people are getting on board with what the sisters are preaching.
Equally influenced by African music, Southern folk and traditionally African American music, Rising Appalachia is very much “of the South.” Not the South of stereotypes so often lazily bandied about by media at large, but the South I grew up in: a joyous, all-together-now celebratory place where the melding of cultures is reflected in everything from food, to clothes, to music. That intersection of influences is what makes their brand of “gypsy folk” so intoxicating, as it’s clear the band’s travels to places like Bulgaria, Hungary, Czech Republic and Columbia has clearly informed both their sound and their impressively worldly perspective.
With Biko Casini (world percussion) and David Brown (stand-up bass, baritone guitar) backing them more than ably, the Smith sisters have carved out a place in the music world on their own terms. At times sultry, at times politically poetic and always soulful, Rising Appalachia has created a world all their own. A fantastic train of gypsy minstrels singing for their supper, cutting through the country on a midnight train speeding towards enlightenment and a higher purpose.
Not only could the entire music industry take a lesson or six from the band; all of us could stand to have more of the Rising Appalachia train of thought in our lives. And with music this uniquely entertaining, why not jump on board?
Rising Appalachia Tour Dates
4/23 – Radford, VA @ Radford University
5/8 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
5/10 – Pawtucket, RI @ The Met
5/11 – Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall
5/14 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
5/15 – Northampton, MA @ Pearl Street
5/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Café Live
5/17 – Alexandria, VA @ The Birchmere
5/22 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
5/23 – Monterey County, CA @ Lightning In A Bottle Festival
5/27 – San Luis Obispo, CA @ Slo Brew
5/29 – Pomona, CA @ The Glass House
5/30 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Mint
5/31 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up
6/4-6/7 – Ozark, AR @ Wakarusa Music Festival
6/13 – Asheville, NC @ New Mountain Theatre (Amphitheatre)
6/18 – Greensboro, NC @ Carolina Theatre
6/19 – Charlottesville, VA @ The Jefferson Theatre
6/20 – Hedgesville, WV @ Mad Tea Party Festival
7/3-7/4 – Quincy, CA @ High Sierra Music Festival
7/16 – North Plains, OR @ Northwest String Summit
7/18-7/19 – Vancouver, Canada @ Vancouver Folk Music Festival
