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Sisters Leah Song<\/strong> and Chloe Smith<\/strong> lead Rising Appalachia<\/strong>, a renowned folk\/world music group whose music is as intriguing as it is hard to classify. Their eighth album, Wider Circles<\/em>, has just been released, and the group (also featuring percussionist Biko Cassini<\/strong> and bassist\/guitarist David Brown<\/strong>) appeared onstage in their current hometown at Asheville, North Carolina’s New Mountain Theatre (Amphitheatre Stage) on June 13.<\/p>\n To the uninitiated, the group’s name suggests Americana. But even a quick listen to one of their songs reveals that such a term would be far too limiting. \u201cWe actually \u2013 years and years ago \u2013 wanted to change the name,\u201d says Leah. \u201cBecause we did want to be exploring roots music and folk music from all around the world. We even put in some effort to change [our name].\u201d 2008’s Evolutions in Sound: Live<\/em> re-branded the group as R.I.S.E.<\/strong> \u201cBut our collective fan base sort of put their foot down and said, ‘No. You should stick with it; there’s a legacy that’s important for you to hold onto. You’re redefining what Appalachia[n music] means to the mountain culture.’ They really didn’t want us to let go of that. It was part of our initial identity; we had folk traditions in our upbringing.\u201d<\/p>\n She elaborates. \u201cSeveral generations [of our family] have studied and played Appalachian fiddle. We were also brought up in this wonderful, urban metropolis of Atlanta, with all that that includes. So we had the idea that we could rise out of the traditions, and see how they mixed. The name Rising Appalachia was an attempt to redefine that tradition, and to figure out all the other ways in which we have a folk tradition. So we have found the name limiting, but we have also found it a really, really valuable part of our pursuits.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur mom is a folk fiddler; our father is as well,\u201d Leah notes. \u201cAnd they both have been playing in contra dance bands and old time jam circles since we were babies. There was music in our house five days a week. And then on weekends, we’d attend a lot of old time folk studies; we’d go to fiddle camps; contra dances. We were very, very much musical. My mom started a sort of gospel\/Appalachian\/jazz singing group, a 12-woman project. They rehearsed at our house.\u201d So in many ways, Rising Appalachia was predestined, an extension of the family tradition. Leah and Chloe were going to do something<\/em>. They certainly weren’t going to grow up and go off to law school, now, were they?<\/p>\n Leah does see Rising Appalachia’s raison d’\u00eatre<\/em> as very connected to her family tradition. She connects it to \u201chow we were raised, and the stories we were given.\u201d And the way they were raised does reflect itself in the group’s music and overall outlook. The sisters attended Atlanta’s inner city Henry W. Grady High School, a multicultural institution in which they were the minority. \u201cIt informed both of our approaches to music and to social justice,\u201d Leah says, noting that local events, activities and gathering places all reflected the influence and character of many cultures. \u201cThe local farmer’s market represents 250 countries, and many, many languages. So we grew up with this incredibly vibrant relationship with diversity, in an urban community that represented so many cultures. Atlanta has strong black leadership, and incredibly powerful international business owners. Where we grew up was wonderful to be part of a community that had that many different perspectives: religious, educational, economic.\u201d<\/p>\n She doesn’t view that community through rose-colored glasses, however. “It wasn’t perfect,” she stresses. “It wasn’t without strife. But there’s a really strong collective mentality. And in hindsight, I realize now what an unusual upbringing that was. And it’s something that we’re always trying to bring into our social and musical awareness. And we encourage our audiences to really think about what justice and equality look like.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/risingapp01.jpg\")
<\/center>The sisters’ parents both have strong roots in the arts. The idioms in which they work differ somewhat from what Rising Appalachia does, but there is a common thread running through all of it. \u201cWe have one of those family dynamics that is really treasured,\u201d observes Leah. \u201cAnd it’s pretty rare. We were raised in a very modest, lower-middle-class, hard working family. We went to public school, and we played on all of the community sports teams.\u201d But she says that there was always a strong foundation in art and culture. Leah characterizes her parents as \u201cbig jazz record-playing, NPR-listening people.\u201d That common thread of the family\u2019s everyday life was part of shared meals, discussions and debates. \u201cHolidays weren’t necessarily built around ‘stuff.’\u201d The focus was, she says, more about sharing the product of some or other creative expression.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/risingapp02.jpg\")
<\/center>\u201cWell,\u201d laughs Leah, \u201cyou never know! My sister actually thought she would go into entertainment law. And I think I was going toward [becoming a] college professor or some sort of social justice activism. Music was just a permanent part of our expression; I don’t think we ever thought it would be a career choice. It would always have been a [life] soundtrack, a front porch project. But we didn’t go into this at any point saying, ‘Yeah! Let’s make a band!’\u201d<\/p>\n