Castanea

Under the alias CASTANEA, Rising Appalachia’s own David Brown takes to the stage to remix and rework acoustic sounds with nods to the past and present tense prowess. As with bandmates Leah and Chloe, whose southern upbringing instilled love of both old-time music and hip-hop, Brown’s own musical journey had many legs, all of which come to the surface in CASTANEA. Along with the instruments for which he’s best known – the upright bass and baritone guitar – Brown’s skills cross over to turntables and beat making, through which a lush sound emerges that is both reminiscent of early trip hop classics but based in the soulful tones that arise from Appalachia. The name of the project, CASTANEA, like the music, has layers of depth and beauty. Derived from the name of the chestnut genus, it points to a tree that is slowly recovering from the brink of extinction in the eastern forests of North America (castanea dentata). Brown has dedicated proceeds from live sales of Remast towards replanting this tree, a step in ecological and cultural restoration work that gives literal roots to the name Rising Appalachia. The CASTANEA offshoot, with lush beats and a deep guiding vision, is laden with soulful fruit and entrancing potential.