"The Bones,” (Maren Morris, Hozier) was an unsuspecting cover for us, a song that first caught my attention as the godmother to an amazing little 6 year old, and she belted out its lyrics over and over again. We are and have always been big fans of Hozier, an Irish folk gentleman, so where he sings we pay attention. Maren Morris's fierce voice cuts straight through to get anyone singing at the top of their lungs. As we listen more and more, the lyrics are what really drew us to this song, their simple meaning, both metaphorically and in actual architectural terms are inspiring. "The house won't fall when the bones are good,” aka, you need a strong foundation to build anything: love, trust, a relationship, a house, a village, a city, a faith. The architecture at the ground level has to be sturdy to hold the whole thing up. So many stories crumble without that foundation, and that in and of itself feels like a meaningful thing to sing about right now, as we as a people feel wobbly.
For these reasons the song really hit hard, and it felt like an obvious one for Rising Appalachia to take on. We admit, at first the band wasn't sure if we could make it work, perhaps it was too upbeat for us. But after one round with the string band ensemble , it instantly felt like it was written for us. The banjo and the guitar interact so beautifully, and the fiddle just lifts it right up. The harmonies feel alive and honest, the drums hold down the heartbeat, and the song has a feeling that is irresistible. It's a pleasure to sing this song, to belt out the lyrics loudly and fully, encouraging the listener to take their foundation seriously. To hang on during hard times, and know that we can each come out on the other side. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Folk & Anchor is a collection of covers. All arrangements by Rising Appalachia
Produced by Leah Song & Chloe Smith
Recorded and mixed Julian Dreyer, Echo Mountain
Mastered by Jason Richmond, Independent Mastering
Photography and videography Earthbased Media www.earthbased.media/
Album design by Leah Song, Chloe Smith
Vocals: Leah Song, Chloe Smith
Banjo: Leah Song
Acoustic Guitar: David Brown
Bass: David Brown
Fiddle: Duncan Wickel, Chloe Smith
Cello Duncan Wickel
Percussion: Biko Casini
Trumpet: Branden J Lewis
Bodhran: Leah Song
Harmony vocals: Duncan Wickel, David Brown