Sisters Leah and Chloe Smith, known musically as Rising Appalachia, are proud to announce their new full-length album Leylines, releasing May 3rd, 2019, and the album’s first single “Harmonize” releasing today. Leylines, the band’s seventh studio album, was produced by Joe Henry—the album title alluding to the concept of invisible lines believed to stretch around the world between sacred spaces, bonded by a spiritual and magnetic presence. That deep sense of connection is key to understanding Rising Appalachia as a whole. The video for “Harmonize”, the first single from Leylines, premiered today at Rolling Stone. “We wrote ‘Harmonize’ as a love song and a rite of passage into a higher form of that love,” Rising Appalachia note. “It’s about the calling forth of truth, inspiration, fantasy, and honesty from the depths of a person.” Rolling Stone says the track “highlights their brand of acoustic folk and the natural vocal interplay.” Watch/listen here.
For the ten-day recording session in Marin County, CA, Rising Appalachia called on legendary producer Joe Henry, along with longtime band members David Brown (stand-up bass, baritone guitar) and Biko Casini (world percussion, n’goni) and two new members, West African musician Arouna Diarra (n’goni, talking drum) and Irish musician Duncan Wickel (fiddle, cello) to bring new life to the band’s blend of world music laced with their own southern roots, creating an inviting folk album. Although Leah and Chloe Smith consider their voices as their primary instrument, Leah also plays banjo and bodhran on the album, while Chloe plays guitar, fiddle, and banjo. Special guests on Leylines include folk hero Ani DiFranco, soulful songwriter Trevor Hall, and jazz trumpeter Maurice Turner.
Leylines runs the gamut with standout songs, all of which are freshly inspired and inspiring. “Cuckoo” brings together banjo, West African n’goni, and Irish fiddle, to tackle the old-time Appalachian fiddle tune with a driving fervor. The uplifting and simple “Sunny Days” brightens the day with no more than the Smith sisters’ blend of voices and basic backbeat hand claps for percussion. Rising Appalachia’s “longtime favorite” Ani DiFranco contributes her legendary vocal stylings to “Speak Out”, a musical urge to protect the American South’s diversity, culture, and environmental wealth from the negative impact of consumption and capitalism in its modern age.
“With some of our original songs, it’s a reflection of the times. We’re folk singers and we consider this a folk album, so there’s a lot in there. There’s word of politics, of being women in the music industry, as well as a lot about our lives on the road.” Last year, the band released a duo version of “Resilient”. NPR praised the track as an “uplifting, original folk anthem” and Rolling Stone called their sound “Protest music for the modern age bolstered by delicate, skillful musicianship and otherworldly vocal harmonies.” A full-band version of “Resilient” can be heard on the new album.
Rising Appalachia has toured British Columbia by sailboat, traversed the U.S. and Europe by train, and engaged in immersive cultural exchange programs in Bulgaria, Ireland, and Southern Italy, as well as Central and South America—not to mention the countless miles in their tour van. Tour highlights include Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco, Music Hall Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York, Boulder Theatre in Boulder, Colorado, and the Showbox in Seattle, Washington. The band’s routinely packed rooms around the globe are a testament to their self-built success and extremely loyal fan base, with no small degree of stubborn independence.
For more information, please visit http://www.risingappalachia.com/. The band will showcase this weekend at Folk Alliance International in Montreal, for a list of appearances please click here. Pre-order (digital, cd, or vinyl) Leylines here.
Track listing:
I Believe In Being Ready
Harmonize
Speak Out (Featuring Ani DiFranco)
Love Her In The Mornin’
Shed Your Grace (Featuring Trevor Hall)
Sadjuna
Make Magic
Sassafras
Sunny Days
Cuckoo
Indigo Dance (Featuring Maurice Turner)
Resilient
