As most music fans and musicians are aware, artistic preservation, not to mention self-preservation, demands a little break from time to time to recenter, write, and relax. So, when the wildly popular world-folk group Rising Appalachia announced to their fans that they’d be taking a creative sabbatical from the road and social media in 2024 to work on new music, they were met with nothing but love and encouragement from their long-supportive fanbase. However, Rising Appalachia’s frontwomen, sisters Leah Song and Chloe Smith, were never going to leave their loyal fans hanging for an entire year. Today, the group announced their upcoming album Folk and Anchor; a new collection featuring thoughtful reimaginings of some of Leah and Chloe’s all-time favorite songs. “We grew up immersed in a musical family, and our songwriting and performance have been deeply influenced by so many Americana genres over the years,” says Leah. “We wanted to create a body of work where all those influences could be showcased under one roof.
From Bob Dylan to Beyonce, every song on Folk and Anchor—out May 17th—was carefully selected for the album because each tells a story in and of itself. “But more than that,” Leah says, “they tell a story together, weaving the listener into the sonic tapestries of the roots of Rising Appalachia.” And the tapestries are rich, drenched in Hip-Hop influences from the sisters’ upbringing in Atlanta, Appalachian folk traditions, the formative rise of neo-soul, the deep musical ties in the American South, and much more.
Today, Rising Appalachia released the first single from Folk and Anchor, “The Bones,” originally recorded by Maren Morris and Hozier and released on Morris’s 2019 album, GIRL. “‘The Bones’ was an unsuspecting cover for us,” says Leah, “A song that first caught my attention as the godmother to an amazing little 6-year-old as she belted out its lyrics over and over again.” As Leah and Chloe listened more, the lyrics drew them deeper into the song. “Their simple meaning, both metaphorically, and in actual architectural terms, is inspiring. ‘The house won’t fall when the bones are good,’ a.k.a. you need a strong foundation to build anything: love, trust, a relationship, a house, a village, a city, a faith. The architecture at the ground level has to be sturdy to hold the whole thing up.
For these reasons, the song really hit hard, and it felt like an obvious one for Rising Appalachia to take on,” says Leah. “We admit, at first the band wasn't sure if we could make it work, perhaps it was too upbeat for us. But after one round with the string band ensemble, it instantly felt like it was written for us.” Warm clawhammer banjo and fingerpicked guitar interweave under Leah and Chloe’s blood harmonies, setting the stage for the lift of the fiddle part and the heartbeat of the drums. “It's a pleasure to sing this song, to belt out the lyrics loudly and fully, encouraging the listener to take their foundation seriously,” says Leah, “To hang on during hard times, and know that we can each come out on the other side.
Fans can watch “The Bones” music video today at this link, check out Rising Appalachia’s previously released Folk and Anchor single, Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released,” here, and pre-order or pre-save the band’s new album ahead of its May release here. To get more Rising Appalachia ahead of Folk and Anchor, check out their latest album, Live at Preservation Hall, here. While Rising Appalachia are taking most of 2024 off, the band has a few select tour dates on the calendar. Those can be found below or at risingappalachia.com/tour.
Folk and Anchor Tracklisting:
- The Night We Met (Lord Huron)
- Can I Sleep in Your Arms (Willie Nelson)
- The Bones (Maren Morris and Hozier)
- On and On (Erykah Badu)
- I Need A Forest Fire (James Blake and Bon Iver)
- Texas Hold 'Em (Beyonce)
- I Shall Be Released (Bob Dylan)
Catch Rising Appalachia On Tour:
- Apr. 19 - Summertown, TN - The Sanctuary Summit 2024
- Apr. 25 - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live
- Apr. 27 - Tallahassee, FL - Capital City Amphitheater
- Apr. 28 - St. Augustine, FL - Colonial Oak Music Park
- Apr. 30 - Charleston, SC - Music Farm
- Jun. 8 - Asheville, NC - Summer Solstice Soiree at Salvage Station
- Jun. 22 - Castaic, CA - DisclosureFest 2024
For ticket information, please visit risingappalachia.com/tour.
