Written by: Jen Dan
World folk/roots music project Rising Appalachia is the fruitful product of sisters Leah and Chloe who grew up in the urban environment of Atlanta, Georgia. When they were growing up, their mother (who played the fiddle) passed along the traditions from the Appalachian Mountains to her daughters.
When Leah and Chloe began creating their own music, they blended Old World instrumentation (claw hammer banjo, fiddle, world percussion) with elements of the modern hip-hop movement that was coming out of Atlanta.
Rising Appalachia latest single, the rhythmic, lyrically powerful, and recorded-live “Occupy”, keeps the spirit of Appalachia alive while also embodying the essence of the African-American spiritual “Soon I will be Done”.
On “Occupy”, the sisters’ vocals intertwine as they fervently exclaim the lyrics. They are accompanied by dynamic percussion, rubbery, low-tone upright bass, and jumpy hand drums.
The sonics and concept are applied thematically to the Occupy movement, with the sisters declaring that we should all “occupy” the different areas of our lives – “occupy your healthcare, …occupy your public schools, …occupy your basic rights…” in order to create a more humane and connected America. The sisters keep the track cutting-edge by adding these timely and relevant reference points, and an appreciative audience voices their approval throughout the song.
“Occupy” can be found of Rising Appalachia’s upcoming album, Alive, which arrives on September 29th. The LP is made up of live highlights from the act’s performances over the past two years touring around the US, Canada, Europe, and Latin America.
Find out more about Rising Appalachia
https://www.facebook.com/RisingAppalachiaMusic/
https://www.instagram.com/risingappalachia/
