A TOP American folk band with a huge cult following are to play in Kendal on American Independence Day, in a gig arranged at very short notice by music promoter and record label manager Bill Lloyd.

Rising Appalachia, led by sisters Leah and Chloe and joined by their band - is a melting pot songs, claw-hammer banjo tunes, fiddle, double bass, acoustic guitar, percussion and spoken word.

They have six albums to their credit, and over 15 million hits on YouTube.

Awarded the accolade of 'Green Album of the Year' by The Huffington Post, Rising Appalachia have moved into the forefront of political and environmental activism, campaigning for social justice and sustainable living.

They are independent from the mainstream music industry, but have built up a huge cult following on both sides of the Atlantic.

Promoter Bill Lloyd said: "I am still in shock that they agreed to my suggestion to play in Kendal.

"They are on a European tour and they are only playing 4 other venues in the UK.

"I was the music officer at the Brewery Arts Centre in the 1980s, and I learned then that Kendal is a handy stopover between London and Glasgow, so I cheekily offered them overnight accommodation in a farm cottage, with home-grown food and some peace and quiet, and an intimate gig at Ruskin’s Bar, which is well known for live music.

"I nearly fell off my chair when they accepted! We are now in overdrive sorting out publicity, ticket sales, sound and lights, and organic food, but I am sure it will be worth it. I am using Facebook, so all the details will be found there."

Bill Lloyd runs a music publishing company, Lloyd Music Ltd, with two record labels, classical and folk, from his farm near Kendal. He first came to Cumbria as a forestry contractor using heavy horses, and for three years he was the director of the Kendal Folk Festival and the Kendal Jazz Festival.

Rising Appalachia play in Kendal on July 4.