Rising Appalachia with Paper Wings at The Freight, Berkeley, CA (Night One)

Rising Appalachia plays The Freight in Berkeley, California, with Paper Wings, in a concert billed as Night One of the run. It is a folk concert for anyone drawn to roots music with a conscience: Southern soul, Appalachian string-band tradition and international folk sounds, led by the sister duo Leah Song and Chloe Smith.

What to Expect

This is a live concert, and the music is the heart of it. Rising Appalachia is known for layered vocal harmonies set against fiddle, banjo, guitar and upright bass. Their songs draw on gospel, work songs and mountain ballads, and they carry those forms into a sound shaped by many cultures. Paper Wings joins the evening on the bill.

The duo's music has always been about more than the stage. Their work is politically engaged and rooted in environmental activism and cultural preservation. It is set apart from the wider Americana revival by its open commitment to social justice, traditional medicine practices, and partnerships with Indigenous and immigrant communities. Fans of kirtan, community singing and music with a sense of purpose often find a home in their shows.

About Rising Appalachia

Rising Appalachia is a folk duo founded in the early 2000s by sisters Leah Song and Chloe Smith. They were raised in Atlanta and grew up steeped in the musical traditions of the American South. Over the years they built their reputation on that blend of string-band instrumentation and close sibling harmony.

They have consistently placed themselves within the Slow Music Movement, a philosophy that emphasizes sustainable touring. That outlook shapes how they work as well as what they sing about.

The Setting

The Freight is a music venue in Berkeley, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Night One suits those who want to see Rising Appalachia in a Berkeley room, and it is the first of the nights in this engagement.

Before You Go

Rising Appalachia also invites fans to join their street team. Volunteers put up flyers at favorite local spots such as yoga studios, coffee shops and colleges, and the band sends instructions to those who get in touch with their name, age and city.