Spring Break
'Rising' act a Celtic-Bjork mix
ANNA RODRIGUEZ For The Red & Black
Issue date: 2/15/07 Section: Out & About
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Rising Appalachia's show at the Melting Point Friday may pose a challenge to first-time listeners: Pinpointing the group's sound is a task not even its members can do easily.
"We were actually just discussing this a second ago," said Leah Smith, who, along with sister Chloe Smith and percussionist Forrest Kelly, form Rising Appalachia.
Playing with Moira Smiley and Voco
When: 8 tonight
Where: Melting Point
Cost: $8
More Information:
www.risingappalachia.com and www.myspace.com/risingappalachia"We're a middle ground between The Be Good Tanyas and Ani DiFranco," Leah said. "With percussion like Bjork or Tom Waits, with stomping and beating on whiskey flasks."
Genres rarely talked about in the same sentence come together in Rising Appalachia's work.
"There's some vintage jazz and experimental junk percussion," Leah said. "But the foundation is in mournful traditional Appalachian music."
Leah also described the music as African-influenced and drum heavy.
Michael Francis, who runs online radio station Internet Radio From Tuolumne (county), was looking for new music to feature on a show for the station and found Rising Appalachia while searching for Celtic music on Myspace.
The group, he said, seems to blend Celtic, bluegrass and blues "like a good brewer blends malt" with the different influences complementing each other.
"While the music is not that strict as far as the genre goes, neither is the station, so they fit right in," Francis said.
Diversity is an ongoing theme in both the group's music and live show.
The three members use a variety of instruments, including the banjo and jaw harp, and usually include one or two songs in a foreign language plus one sung a cappella in their set.
"It's really kind of like a variety show. We're working toward a broad appeal," Smith said.
"We were actually just discussing this a second ago," said Leah Smith, who, along with sister Chloe Smith and percussionist Forrest Kelly, form Rising Appalachia.
RISING APPALACHIA
Playing with Moira Smiley and Voco
When: 8 tonight
Where: Melting Point
Cost: $8
More Information:
www.risingappalachia.com and www.myspace.com/risingappalachia
Genres rarely talked about in the same sentence come together in Rising Appalachia's work.
"There's some vintage jazz and experimental junk percussion," Leah said. "But the foundation is in mournful traditional Appalachian music."
Leah also described the music as African-influenced and drum heavy.
Michael Francis, who runs online radio station Internet Radio From Tuolumne (county), was looking for new music to feature on a show for the station and found Rising Appalachia while searching for Celtic music on Myspace.
The group, he said, seems to blend Celtic, bluegrass and blues "like a good brewer blends malt" with the different influences complementing each other.
"While the music is not that strict as far as the genre goes, neither is the station, so they fit right in," Francis said.
Diversity is an ongoing theme in both the group's music and live show.
The three members use a variety of instruments, including the banjo and jaw harp, and usually include one or two songs in a foreign language plus one sung a cappella in their set.
"It's really kind of like a variety show. We're working toward a broad appeal," Smith said.
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