Performer Magazine - Rising Appalachia

THE MUSICIAN’S RESOURCE MAGAZINE // SOUTHEAST // OCTOBER 2009
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30 OCTOBER 2009 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

Leah and Chloe Smith never
chose to be musicians, music
chose them. From their childhood
upbringing in Atlanta with
parents who exposed them
firsthand to Appalachian folk
songs, jazz and the blues, to
embracing the spoken word and hip-hop scenes
as teenagers at Grady High School, the sisters
were engulfed in music. They did, however,
choose to re-evaluate and reform themselves,
becoming the collective RISE.
Formerly Rising Appalachia, they changed their name “as an
indication of a transformation in space, mission, drive, ideals, voice
and sound,” as their MySpace manifesto explains. The sisters play
banjo and fiddle, but experiment with R&B flavor and are usually
accompanied by percussionist Imhotep. And their performances
can have up to 12 on stage. Their sound is sometimes filled out
by trumpeter Maurice Turner, bassist John Branigan or by the
inclusion of countless instruments like the spoons, washboard
or kalimba (thumb piano). Spoken word artists Gypsy-O and
Teresa Davis often grace their shows. Marcia Jones may do live
art alongside them or they may entice the crowd to dance along
as they shimmy while singing “Booties for Obama.” One constant
is that RISE engages their audience and immerses them in an
experience. They share songs learned while traveling around the
world and dare listeners to venture past their comfort zones and
make deeper connections
them. We’ve never spent seven, nine, 10, 12 months in a studio
recording with Pro Tools and fixing and editing everything.
Everything we’ve ever recorded has been one take or two takes,
live recording, everybody playing at once. It’s not a perfect product
in the land of music, but it maintains a whole lot of personality.
I’d like to hope that some of the flaws and mishaps become ways
that we can maintain humanity.” Though she modestly speaks of
blemishes, their sound comes off as seamless and polished.
Musically, Leah and Chloe are avid philanthropists. When RISE is
on the stage, they perform to elevate humankind, using the power
of their voices and skilled instrumentation to unify, inspire and
move to action. They are connecting people worldwide, whether
singing a Congolese folk song or taking on the perspective of a
post-Katrina man who sees “all this water coming out [his] sink
a world journey, integrating our own flavor through the whole
thing” with these songs.
The original material that RISE delivers is a message that rings
out with vibrancy, delivered in subdued tones. In the spoken
word piece “State Of The Nation,” Leah muses bluntly, “I sent
razor blades and cigar boxes and food kept out in blockades to
the wolves and the foxes…in this nation declaration visitation
intact/that makes itself bigger on the global map/that swims
with the sharks and pummels the shacks/and lays its head down
in the corporate lap.” After lamenting, she goes the extra mile to
enumerate steps to achieving a more just America and paints
a vision of the beautiful future we can expect as a result. “Stop
funding the fight and start funding the farmer…we could educate
our people and bring forth the thunder of a nation so powerful,
OCTOBER 2009 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 31

its tools are in mind/it’s sought for its studies, and trusted in find,
that freedom of speech insures honor in news.”
Such open, unabashed conversation is a deep departure from
their previous works, reflecting the “evolutions in sound,” thought
and action that they have undergone. Their songs have turned
away from the subject of love to focus on loving humanity.
Similarly, their voices and instrumentation have leaped into a new
frontier. Five years ago, this deep changing was initiated by their
involvement with Alternate Roots, an organization bridging arts
and activism. The organization has further propelled the ladies’
advancement by funding a trip to India to be part of the carnival
studies at the International Juggling Convention.
And the more Leah and Chloe become involved, the more
they long to expand. Outside of performing, they’re studying
ethnomusicology and environmental studies, and taking part
in political rallies. They tattoo themselves and develop an
outer image that reflects their lack of limitation. Within their
performances, RISE uses the stage as a means to empowerment.
“As artists now in this modern age,” says Leah, “we don’t so much
have the privilege to do art for the sake of art without connecting
it to some deeper thing.” So they visit school assemblies,
celebrating with the students in a second-line style procession to
end their performance. Or they visit juvenile detention centers
and assist in women’s conferences. They infuse their lifestyle into
hand-packaged cardboard CD cases, printed on with soy-based ink.
Leah says they pass up working partnerships “that may seem like
an uphill battle” to do the “gig that’s much more conscious that’s
“As artists now in this
modern age, we don’t so
much have the privilege
to do art for the sake of
art without connecting it to
some deeper thing.”
-Leah Smith
probably going to pay in potluck food and barters for swimming
pool access.”
From Americana roots to fusers of world music, RISE is currently
to folk music what dap is to a handshake. They have transformed,
transcended and arrived at a place in their journey where they can
both create masterful music and propagate powerful messages,
proving that art and activism are a beautiful and necessary mix.
www.myspace.com/risingappalachia