Rising Appalachia hits the road this
spring, from the south to the west to the northeast and all over in
between! After -22 temperatures and 60 mph winds this winter, I am
stoked as a fiddle to catch the soul-spirit, razzity folk-hearted jam
in Portland, Maine again. Sisters Lea and Chloe throw down and flow a
lulling warmth in their music with a smooth kind of friction, like
elegant but tribal, spiritual but dirty, vocals both haunting and enchanting, music both Southern but global, old
world but new. It all grooves and grinds together in an entrancing
melodic haze punctured by rolling rhythms, soul-dripping voices, and
“LISTEN THE FUCK UP” lyrics.
Rays of Sandstone drummer Ben Rayborne
introduced me to Rising Appalachia and Nahko Bear on Southeastern
travels last winter, and I've been hooked since. My alienation to
modern music dissolved; the music so spoke to what I was feeling in
sound and intention, after YEARS of not hearing any new music that
sparked me up. Truly I'm picky and have no patience for radio
indie-pop or the soberest kid's Macbook dubstep. But I have seen both
Rising Appalachia and Nahko Bear and Medicine for the People this
past year, and totally have my show calendar marked to see both bands
again.
Rambling bongos and bouncy banjos,
the three friends I brought to the July 2014 show in Portland
actually danced as hard as I did (which usually only occurs
with a drug-induced endeavor.) But there were no drugs—can't even
remember drinking, and we were skip-dip-hoppin' with the high
swing-around energy of a hoedown, then wiggle-wham wormed into the
deep, low bass notes that follow you creeping “Downtown” through
a dark alley to swerve your limbs like snakes. These ladies and their
high energy band raised my auric plane into a sunrise over the Blue
Ridge parkway and sent it falling fast but featherly all at once.
That alpine mountain soul-jam is gonna rage Wakarusa this year, hot
damn. And it's a lot of things, but mostly magic when artists hook
you somewhere no other music can take you. I'm sure as hell not gonna
miss what's next. Check the dates and make sure y'all don't either!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOsEvYBLo7I&list=UURmxz4fw_LzwQF19LKXgRVg&index=1
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