Rising Appalachia at Assembly, Kingston

Rising Appalachia brings its folk concert to Assembly in Kingston, New York, for an evening of harmony-rich Southern folk, songcatching and storytelling. It suits anyone drawn to Appalachian string-band music, roots and world folk traditions, and music that carries a conscience as well as a tune.

Rising Appalachia is a folk duo founded by sisters Leah Song and Chloe Smith. Their sound brings together Southern folk traditions, New Orleans swamp culture and Atlanta's street spirit, and it is known for seamless vocal harmony.

What to Expect

This is a live concert on the band's current tour. Rising Appalachia has released ten albums and played across North America, South America, Europe, the Celtic Isles and Australia, 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.

The tour looks ahead to their album Trade My Troubles, due out in October 2026. It is a quieter, more introspective record, described as a soft light, with songs that celebrate rest, renewal after burnout, and replenishment in the wilds and in tradition. The 16-song collection opens and closes with nods to the sisters' ancestral lineages: a traditional Irish traveller song at one end and an Appalachian fiddle tune at the other. Between them are songs about motherhood, moonlight, heartbreak and birdsong. Special guests on the album are Aoife O'Donovan, Ayla Nereo, Bonnie Paine and Brittany Haas.

About Rising Appalachia

Founded in the early 2000s by sisters Leah Song and Chloe Smith, Rising Appalachia merges Southern soul, Appalachian string-band traditions and international roots music into a politically engaged sound rooted in environmental activism and cultural preservation. The sisters were raised in Atlanta and steeped in the musical traditions of the American South. Their music draws on fiddle, banjo, guitar, upright bass and layered vocal harmonies, with echoes of gospel, work songs and mountain ballads.

What sets them apart from the mainstream Americana revival is the explicit place of social justice themes, traditional medicine practices, and partnerships with Indigenous and immigrant communities. The band has long placed itself within the Slow Music Movement, a philosophy that emphasizes sustainable touring.

The Place

The concert takes place at Assembly in Kingston, New York, in the Hudson Valley region of the United States.