I happened upon an excellent band on Myspace called Rising Appalachia. After hearing the song "Scale Down" from the album of the same title autoplay on their music list, I have to admit, I was absolutely hooked. After some further research and sampling, Scale Down has now become one of my personal must have albums of the year. Rarely do I get an inkling of a band that has the potential to get BIG, and this band has high potential to blow it up and become a household name, especially with the surge of traditionally influenced sounds popping up on the radio.

Rising Appalachia is driven by sisters Leah and Chloe with Forrest Kelly joining as percussionist, and they have done a magnificent job of melding the old with the new. Unusual Rootsy instrument combinations meld like hot lead while driving melodies pull you into the sound. Pinning down their influences, however, is an entirely different story, and that is one of the reasons I really dig their sound. Their vocal range is wide, versatile and unique, and their ability to experiment and evolve is certainly an indicator of great things to come.

In one track, "Whiskey Blues", a Juke Joint swagger evolves and marries with the rustic harmonies of traditional Mountain Sirens. The very sexy "That Old-Fashioned Morphine" takes you on a jazz implosion with a sultry grit like Ella Fitzgerald's.

My pick of the litter is "The Blackest Crow", a traditional Appalachian breaking heart song (or as I grew up, calling it a Pining Song), returns with the drone of a fiddle underneath the sister harmonies that is reminiscent of the old Post Civil War era Mountain Music, and brings to mind the lonesome wails of folk traditionalists Jean Ritchie and Ginny Hawker. This is by far the truest and best rendition of the song I have ever heard (and believe me, I have heard many). If you are easily moved by music, you will be reaching for the Kleenex with this song.

The spoken word poetry found in "Scale Down" is driven by an urban beatbox backing, and the words have the power to motivate even the laziest environmental politico into action. In my head, I kept wondering how awesome the result would be if Rising Appalachia ever paired (or trio'd, rather) up with Ani Difranco for a collaboration.

Of any music you hear this year, Rising Appalachia is certain to be the most original. Check this band out, they're a great example of the renaissance happening in today's Appalachia.

Labels: music, musicians, review, Rising Appalachia