RISING APPALACHIA: Leah and Chloe

Rising Appalachia

Leah and Chloe

© 2005 rising appalachia (783707218908)

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An eclectic approach to traditional Appalachian roots music,...with rustic fiddle/banjo tunes, contagious energy, and beautifully soulful sister harmonies.

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

reviews

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  • the twang is the thang
    author: Mike D

    Drop-dead gorgeous... I've started buying it to give to people :)

  • author: Kimberly Moody

    Amazing talent from these two ladies!! I fell in love with their music and voices!Such soul!

  • hmmmm
    author: alex livingston

    an ascending syncretism of revolution and evolution, but with roots deep enough to keep you from rolling back down the hillside. and, at times, the harmony almost renders singing bowls unnecessary. point being: the album connects past with future, makes right now the perfect place to be, and left me totally blissed out.

  • Cannot get enough of this CD
    author: Kevin Baldwin

    I accidentally stumbled across Rising Appalachia looking for the documentary Razing Appalachia. Glad I did. This disk is awesome. These girls have serious and special talent. Their music reminds me of the music from back home in WV. Rising Appalachia as well as the mountains I grew up in will always have a special place in my heart.

  • soul sisters
    author: Annabee

    This music is soulful, sonorous, and sometimes silly. It moves me, makes me want to move back to Asheville and the rollicking music scene.

  • digging this cd
    author: meghan
  • Wow
    author: Jamie

    Love this group. Saw them in Bristol Tn, They are a very powerful and very entertaing group. You rock the stage my friends. Love this group.

  • I love the Music that you all guys play... My favorite is "Nobdy's Fault"
    author: tori williams

    I Love the music that you guys play.. My favorite is "Nobody's Fault" it really show how beautiful your voices truly are. I think that what you guys are doing is great and I would Never change a thing. I will definetly buy every Album ya'll put out...

  • author: erin

    love it! todd barnett introduced me and now i have passed it on! i love god soulful music, thanks!

  • Phenomenal! Great songs, stellar musicianship.
    author: Tom Mayo

    I love this CD. It's earthy and real, and hypnotically sexy at the same time. Leah & Chloe's voices blend so effortlessly, and the banjo playing is sublime -- which can rarely be said about any banjo! A great way to decompress after a hard day at work. Pop this CD in and be transported to the Appalachians. My commutes seems almost too short with this cd in the player ;)

  • WONDERFUL!!!!!
    author: Melin

    Great CD - read a review in a magazine and definitely not disappointed!!

  • captures the beauty of Appalachian Music
    author: Nick

    this is the first CD i've bought from CD Baby and it went perfectly. This CD captures the beauty of Appalachian Music

  • author: tara taylor

    this was my 5th purchase. I love to share this moving music. It is heartfelt all the way through

  • It is a powerful CD
    author: TC

    This CD is authentic, real, moving. It comes very close to capturing the sound of Lea and Chloe live.

  • author: ali

    very beautiful renditions of sweet old mountain songs.

  • Excellent CD!
    author: Jenny Sanders

    These ladies rock!!

  • author: Kelly O

    Beautiful tunes and harmony that blew me away, I knew when I heard the women sing on myspace that they would be an instant favorite and they are... I even may have one of their songs play when I walk down the isle on my St. Patricks Day wedding. Many blessing entrance their music and spirit. Perfection.

  • author: Crystal

    Amazing!!!! got it about a week ago - and haven't stopped listening to it! My kids (7 and 2) both love it too and dance around the living room and sing along to a lot of the songs. LOVE it!

  • Very upspirited music coming from a solid background
    author: wabu

    Refreshing and enlightening with a spur of youthfulness. A CD containing music from the past but with the future present. Well worth the indulgence.

  • unbelieveably mesmerizing
    author: kristin

    this cd blows me away....like angels singing. this is totally the soundtrack to my life, enchanting....

  • Awesome porch-sittin' tunes!
    author: Big Dan

    Good ole laid back tunes--just the perfect background for sittin' and sippin' on those summer evenings with the whippoorwills or katydids as accompaniments. Love the toe-tapping bango pickin and fiddlin!

  • the music is as beautiful as they are!!!
    author: brandon

    that appalachian/old timey kind of music is awesome and Leah and Chloe can bring it. it's a great disc and well worth the purchase. greasy coat is my favorite tune on the disc.

  • Sensual innocence, spontaneous virtuosity - superb!
    author: Columbine

    Caramel pecan crunch music dipped in rich semisweet tradition and rolled in laid-back mischief! Neatly and transparently produced, this excellent CD lets you listen right down to the bones of this duo's homegrown genius. You don't have to be an Appalachian music aficionado to appreciate the warm, steady joy that reverberates through these delightful songs. Two thumbs and two big toes up.

  • great music!!
    author: cindy hammond

    I love this music. I saw the girls in Charlotte and wondered if the CD would be as good as in person. It is great. I work at a dentist office and we have played it over and over. Thanks girls great music

  • Lush Sister Harmonies and Dark Mountain Tunes
    author: Devon Leger

    This old-time sister duo from Georgia have just released a stellar debut album and seem poised to bust into the neo-trad folk movement that’s swiftly gathering national steam. Having grown up hearing and playing old-time Appalachian folk music, Leah and Chloe Smith have put together an album of favorite songs that sound like they’ve had a lifetime to work out in their heads and hands. Featuring twin banjo or banjo/fiddle instrumentation as well as trumpet, jaw harp and djembe, there are small elements of fusion in the songs but such a deep connection to musical roots that they can’t be faulted for wanting to expand the sound of old-time music. Having the trumpet match the banjo and fiddle melody on “Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss” is an excellent touch and goes to show that there are plenty of overlooked instruments that sound great playing old-time tunes. “Greasy Coat” is my favorite track, the haunting harmonies and twin banjo picking showcases the darkest side of mountain music, while my wife loves “Say Darlin’ Say”, a gorgeous version of the lullaby “Hush Little Baby”. Leah & Chloe have released an album with a unique sound and I hope that they get the recognition they deserve for their vision of old-time music in the 21st century.

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