Tag: gratitude

Rising Appalachia Offer an Uplifting Anthem to the Power of Appreciation

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Rising Appalachia‘s “Thank You Very Much” is an uplifting anthem, an homage to gratitude, and an expression of human experience. Sisters Leah Song and Chloe Smith, the constituents of Rising Appalachia, released this song seemingly out of the blue, but that has only deepened its impact since release. The song swirls in a rhythmic, entrancing manner that feels like a manifestation of reflection and contentment. Their song comes on unassumingly and grows patiently before fading away, coming and going like an epiphany of comforting truth.

“It moved into a wider place of gratitude…into a song that speaks as an anthem for us, to the so many radical and wild humans who have stepped in and helped make this music soar, and to the long road that we all walk together towards home. It is a testimony to the simple power of appreciation,” Leah Song says about the song’s creation and development. Coupled with the new release is the announcement of a brief fall tour that will find the duo performing in Appalachia and Florida. Listen to “Thank You Very Much” below.

WATCH: Hollow Coves, “Blessings”

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Artist: Hollow Coves
Hometown: Gold Coast, Australia
Song: “Blessings”
Album: Blessings EP
Release Date: June 11, 2021
Label: Nettwerk Records

In Their Words: “‘Blessings’ is a song of gratitude. It’s about recognizing the little blessings that life has to offer. If we don’t take a moment to acknowledge them, we can often miss them. Practicing gratitude is known to be good for mental health, yet anxiety and depression seem to be more and more prevalent in our generation. I think we are just too distracted to stop and take time to practice gratitude. We hope this song helps people realize that there are blessings all around if you just look up and take the time to think about how much we have to be grateful for.” — Ryan Henderson and Matt Carins, Hollow Coves

Photo credit: @Leniflashes

WATCH: Jonah Tolchin, “The Grateful Song (Thanksgiving)”

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Artist: Jonah Tolchin
Hometown: Princeton, New Jersey
Song: “The Grateful Song (Thanksgiving)”
Label: Yep Roc Records

In Their Words: “I’ve found that there is a lack of opportunity to express gratitude in our culture. It’s my impression from observation that people may sometimes think that expressing gratitude outwardly is cliché or too ‘New Age-y.’ We live in an age of cynicism, and for understandable reasons. However, without the capacity to be truly grateful for the simple blessings of our life such as clean water, food to eat, friends, family, a roof over our head, love, the beauty of nature, etc., it is my belief that these things (and life in general) can be easily taken for granted.

“It’s a practice to maintain an energy of gratitude. The intention of the ‘sing-along’ style chorus of this song was for people at shows to be given that opportunity to generate the spirit of gratitude within themselves and as a collective. It may sound funny, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to be grateful. This song is a tool for myself to tap into that every time I sing it.” — Jonah Tolchin

WATCH: Caroline Spence, ‘I Can’t Complain’

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Artist: Caroline Spence
Hometown: Nashville, TN / Charlottesville, VA
Song: “I Can’t Complain”
Album: Spades & Roses

In Their Words: “I was a fan of the artwork of Jane Beaird — aka Quiet Creature — on social media and loved the videos she would post of her painting. I found it fascinating and satisfying to see the process of how she makes her art. I wanted that for this video because that simple act of painting — the concept of building something beautiful out of nothing, of going from black and white to color — fit perfectly with the sense of grounded wonder in the song.

Writing this song made me late to a party on New Year’s Eve, 2015. It was the year that my first record came out and the first year I got to spend most of my time making and playing music rather than working other jobs. I was feeling reflective and thankful, and this is what came out. I knew I wasn’t exactly where I wanted to be, but I was close to the road I wanted to be on, and that realization filled me with overwhelming gratitude. I play this song most nights at the end of my set as a way to settle back into myself and realize what a gift it is to be on a stage singing any song for anybody.” — Caroline Spence

Photo credit: Kate McGaffin