Rising Appalachia

Rising Appalachia plays National Sawdust in New York, NY, as part of a North American tour. This folk concert is for anyone drawn to harmony-rich roots music, Southern string-band traditions and songs that carry a conscience, and it will suit longtime followers as well as people hearing the band for the first time. The sisters Leah Song and Chloe Smith lead the evening.

The band makes music where Southern folk traditions, New Orleans swamp culture and Atlanta's street spirit meet. They are known for seamless harmonies, songcatching and storytelling. They have released ten albums and toured through North America, South America, Europe, the Celtic Isles and Australia, playing everywhere from the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Red Rocks to NPR's Tiny Desk. Along the way they have built a devoted grassroots following, traveling to communities big and small by train, horseback, bio-diesel bus and sailboat.

What to Expect

The tour is centered on the band's album Trade My Troubles, which comes from a quieter, more introspective place. It is described as a soft light of a record, with songs that celebrate rest, renewal after burnout, and replenishment in the wilds and in tradition. The sixteen-song collection opens and closes with two nods to the sisters' ancestral lineages: a traditional Irish traveller song and an Appalachian fiddle tune. Between them are songs about motherhood, moonlight, heartbreak and birdsong.

Expect the layered vocals, storytelling and sense of community that have defined Rising Appalachia's live shows. The album features guests Aoife O'Donovan, Ayla Nereo, Bonnie Paine and Brittany Haas.

About Rising Appalachia

Rising Appalachia is a folk duo founded by the sisters Leah Song and Chloe Smith in the early 2000s. Raised in Atlanta and steeped in the musical traditions of the American South, they blend Southern soul, Appalachian string-band traditions and international roots music into a politically engaged sound rooted in environmental activism and cultural preservation. Their instrumentation draws on fiddle, banjo, guitar and upright bass, with layered vocal harmonies shaped by gospel, work songs and mountain ballads.

What sets them apart from the mainstream Americana revival is the explicit place they give to social justice themes, traditional medicine practices, and partnerships with Indigenous and immigrant communities. They have consistently placed themselves within the Slow Music Movement, a philosophy that emphasizes sustainable touring.

The Place

National Sawdust is the venue for this concert, in New York, NY, United States.