Rising Appalachia is an American folk and world-music ensemble founded by sisters Leah Song and Chloe Smith. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia, the sisters grew up around Southern music, storytelling, dance and social activism. They began performing together in the mid-2000s, initially singing and playing fiddle, banjo and percussion on porches, at community gatherings and on the streets of New Orleans.
Their music blends Appalachian folk, old-time fiddle and banjo traditions, Americana, blues, soul, spoken word and global influences gathered through travels in places such as Ireland, Bulgaria, Italy and Colombia. The group’s vocal harmonies remain its defining feature, supported by acoustic instrumentation and intricate rhythms.
Leah Song commonly performs on banjo, fiddle, guitar and percussion, while Chloe Smith contributes fiddle, banjo, guitar and clarinet. The expanded ensemble has included multi-instrumentalist Duncan Wickel, bassist and guitarist David Brown, and percussionist Biko Casini.
Rather than following a conventional record-label model, Rising Appalachia developed an independent, community-oriented approach to touring. The group coined the term “Slow Music Movement” for its efforts to make touring more environmentally and socially sustainable—working with local farmers, artists, poets, herbalists and nonprofit organizations at concerts.
The sisters’ earliest recordings were intimate and largely acoustic. Albums such as Scale Down and The Sails of Self established their mixture of traditional songs, original compositions and socially conscious lyrics.
Their audience expanded considerably with Wider Circles in 2015. The album included some of their best-known songs, particularly “Medicine,” “Rivermouth,” “Lean In” and “Novels of Acquaintance.”
The Joe Henry-produced Leylines arrived in 2019. Featuring guest appearances by Ani DiFranco and Trevor Hall, it developed a more polished ensemble sound while linking Appalachian, Irish and West African traditions. The album reached No. 22 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart.
In 2021, Rising Appalachia released the introspective and experimental The Lost Mystique of Being in the Know. This was followed by the concert recording Live from New Orleans at Preservation Hall and the 2024 covers collection Folk & Anchor.
Music
2006: Leah and Chloe
2007: Scale Down
2010: The Sails of Self
2012: Filthy Dirty South
2015: Wider Circles
2017: Alive
2019: Leylines
2021:The Lost Mystique of Being in the Know
2022: Live from New
2024: Folk & Anchor
2026: Trade My Troubles