Carbon Leaf

Coordinates	52°3′0″N6°5′55″N
Name	Carbon Leaf
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Richmond, Virginia
Country	United States,Canada
Genre	Pop rock/Folk rock
Years active	1992–present
Label	Constant Ivy Music Vanguard Records
Url	www.carbonleaf.com
Current members	Barry Privett Terry Clark Carter Gravatt Jason Neal Jon Markel
Past members	Palmer Stearns Devin Maguire Brian Durrett Scott Milstead Jordan Medas

Carbon Leaf is a five-piece rock band from Richmond, Virginia that is known for their Celtic / Bluegrass rock that was featured more prominently on their early releases on their own label, Constant Ivy Music. Their more recent albums, since signing to Vanguard Records in 2004, are more mainstream rock, though they still retain the influences of their Virginian music scene roots. On March 20, 2010 in a radio interview on WCNR the band announced that they are leaving Vanguard Records with the aim to release music more frequently and via media other than CD.

Band members

Barry Privett: Vocals, penny whistle, acoustic guitar, bagpipes

Terry Clark: Electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals

Carter Gravatt: Acoustic, electric mandolin, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12 string guitar, lap steel, bouzouki, bodhran, loops, effects, vocals, violin/fiddle

Jason Neal: drums, percussion

Jon Markel: Electric bass, Upright bass

Former band members

Palmer Stearns: Bass

Devin Maguire: Bass

Scott Milstead: Drums, percussion, vocals

Nick Cain: Lead Guitar

Jordan Medas: Electric bass, bowed and double bass, vocals

1992–2004: The Constant Ivy Music years

Carbon Leaf got their start at Randolph-Macon College in Virginia in 1992 practicing in an auditorium on campus. Their next step was playing backyard parties, mixers, fraternity, and sorority parties. Shortly after everyone graduated they moved to Richmond, Virginia. From Richmond, they played the college circuit in Virginia and up the East Coast before moving on to clubs. Their style is not "Brazilian Polka Metal", despite the joking claims of guitarist Carter Gravatt (B., David. 2002).

Meander, their first album, was released in 1995. The first songs Carbon Leaf wrote, including "One Day" and "Country Monkee" are on the album.

Shadows in the Banquet Hall, released in 1997, includes "Flood," "Wolftrap and Fireflies," and "Attica's Flower Box Window." An award winning video was made for "Flood."

Ether~Electrified Porch Music (1999) is the first album with Jordan Medas as the bassist and contains "Home" and "American Tale." The band had sold over 10000 copies of their first three independent CDs by late 1999, released on their own label, Constant Ivy Music.

Echo Echo was released in 2001 with "The Boxer" as the first track. In January 2002 Carbon Leaf won the first-ever American Music Awards Presents the Coca-Cola New Music Award for "The Boxer." As part of winning they performed "The Boxer" live on the AMAs, becoming the first unsigned band to perform at the awards show. Following this appearance, "The Boxer" entered regular rotation on radio stations including Washington, DC's DC101 (WWDC 101.1 FM). In May 2002 the band members gave up their day jobs in order to dedicate more time to the band and touring. The hidden bonus track "Dear" from their Echo Echo CD was originally written to play over the closing credits and on the soundtrack of the Kevin Hershberger civil war film Wicked Spring. Barry Privett also starred in the film.

In January 2003 Carbon Leaf gave permission for fan-made recordings of their concerts to be included in the Live Music Archive, a part of the Internet Archive. Various concerts are available from 2000 to present in lossless formats SHN or FLAC and the lossy format VBR MP3, with the majority coming from the years 2002 - 2004. 5 Alive!, Carbon Leaf's first live album, was released in the summer of 2003. The album was recorded over five concerts during the autmn and winter of 2002 with the track list assembled to match a concert playlist.

In September, 2003, Carbon Leaf won the Pontiac Vibe Summer Sound off resulting in "The Boxer" being played in Pontiac Vibe commercials on MTV and VH1.

2004–2010: The Vanguard Records years

In Spring 2004, Carbon Leaf signed with Vanguard Records, part of the Welk Music Group and in July of that year released their album, Indian Summer. "Life Less Ordinary" rose to number 5 on the Adult Album Alternative charts and 29 on the Hot AC Charts. Carbon Leaf performed "Life Less Ordinary" on the November 30, 2004 episode of The Dr. Phil Show. "What About Everything?" rose to 25 on the AAA charts. Indian Summer has been ranked in the top 10 by KMTT in Seattle, and number 40 out of the Top 50 Albums of 2004 by WXPN in Philadelphia. The album was produced by John Morand and David Lowery. The video for "Life Less Ordinary" debuted on January 5, 2005.

In June 2006, an interview with Carbon Leaf guitarist Terry Clark was chosen as the cover feature for the inaugural issue of The Green Room magazine. On September 12, 2006, the band released Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat. According to their blog, it was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, and mixed in collaboration with producer Peter Collins and Trina Shoemaker. The title track was featured in the October 30, 2006 episode of ABC's What About Brian. Tom McCormack began touring with Carbon Leaf, playing keys and accordion.

In memory of the lives lost in the Virginia Tech shootings, Carbon Leaf played at Sudflood 2007. All proceeds went towards the memorial fund for the victims and their families.

In August 2007, Scott Milstead was replaced by Jason Neal on drums. In August 2008, Jordan Medas left the band to pursue a teaching career. He was replaced in October 2008 by Jon Markel.

The band released their seventh studio album, Nothing Rhymes with Woman, on May 19, 2009. On June 30, 2009 Carbon Leaf was the featured band at Red Rocks' Film On The Rocks.

The producers of were using an acoustic version of "Life Less Ordinary" as a placeholder in the film. The request to license it snowballed into wanting to licensing additional songs and ultimately a request that Carbon Leaf do the majority of the soundtrack.

Carbon Leaf has opened for many acts, including Dave Matthews Band, Something Corporate, O.A.R., and David Gray, and have toured with Jason Mraz, Blues Traveler, Great Big Sea, Jump, Little Children, Matt Nathanson, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, The Avett Brothers, and Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers.

In January 2010 Carbon Leaf was one of the bands to join Sister Hazel's floating Music festival The Rock Boat 10.

2010–present: Return to indie status

The band announced in a radio interview on WCNR on March 20, 2010 that they were amicably parting with their label, Vangaurd Records, with the intent to record and release music on their own schedule by embracing the lack of distribution and use the internet to get their music out. Barry Privett said, "I don't know if the label knows or not but we're leaving the label." He continued by saying, "As of this point we're going to be an independent band again. We're tired of waiting ... two years to make a record and then you know waiting for six months for a setup and then you know having it be fully dependent on a label's schedule." Barry Privett described the songs as "encompassing both the joy and melancholy of the season." As of July 2010 the band was going through the footage and mixing of the audio. Their management company confirmed that the DVD is expected to be released in early 2011 and that a new album will follow in the spring of 2011.

Discography

Studio albums and EPs

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"| Year ! rowspan="2"| Album details ! colspan="5"| Peak positions |- style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="35"| US ! width="35"| US Rock ! width="35"| US Heat ! width="35"| US Indie ! width="35"| US Internet |- | 1995 | align="left"| Meander

* Released: January 1, 1995

Label: Constant Ivy Music

| — | — | — | — | — |- | 1997 | align="left"| Shadows in the Banquet Hall

* Released: October 1, 1997

Label: Constant Ivy Music

| — | — | — | — | — |- | 1999 | align="left"| Ether~Electrified Porch Music

* Released: November 1, 1999

Label: Constant Ivy Music

| — | — | — | — | — |- | 2001 | align="left"| Echo Echo

* Released: March 31, 2001

Label: Constant Ivy Music

| — | — | — | — | — |- | 2004 | align="left"| Indian Summer

* Released: July 13, 2004

Label: Vanguard Records

| — | — | — | 53 | 12 |- | 2006 | align="left"| Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat

* Released: September 12, 2006

Label: Vanguard Records

| 170 | — | 3 | 12 | 12 |- | 2009 | align="left"| Nothing Rhymes with Woman

* Released: May 19, 2009

Label: Vanguard Records

| 136 | 41 | 3 | — | — |- | 2010 | align="left"| How the West was One

* Released: July 6, 2010

Label: Constant Ivy Music

| — | — | — | — | — |- | 2010 | align="left"| Christmas Child

* Released: November 16, 2010

Label: Constant Ivy Music

| — | — | — | — | — |- | colspan="10" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart |- |}

Live Albums

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"| Year ! rowspan="2"| Album details ! colspan="4"| Peak positions |- style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="35"| US ! width="35"| US Rock ! width="35"| US Heat ! width="35"| US Indie |- | 2003 | align="left"| 5 Alive!

* Released: August 12, 2003

Label: Constant Ivy Music

| — | — | — | — |- |- | colspan="10" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart |- |}

Singles

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"|Year ! rowspan="2"|Title ! rowspan="2"|Label ! colspan="3"| Peak positions |- style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="35"| US AAA ! width="35"| US Adult Contemporary ! width="35"| US Adult Top 40 |- |rowspan="2"|2001 |I Know The Reason |Constant Ivy Music | — | — | — |- |The Boxer |Constant Ivy Music | — | — | — |- |2004 |Life Less Ordinary |Vanguard Records | 5 | 29 | 30 |- |rowspan="2"|2005 |What About Everything |Vanguard Records | 25 | — | — |- |Let Your Troubles Roll By |Vanguard Records | — | — | — |- |2006 |Learn To Fly |Vanguard Records | — | — | — |- |2007 |Comfort |Vanguard Records | — | — | — |- |2009 |Miss Hollywood |Vanguard Records | 33 | — | — |}

Awards

2000 - First Place, Unsigned Music Video, Internet Underground Music Archive, IUMA(for "Flood")

2002 - First ever American Music Awards Presents the Coca-Cola New Music Award for 2001

2002 - First Place, Rock Category, International Songwriting Competition

2003 - Pontiac Vibe Summer Soundoff Campaign Winner

References

Bibliography

Blue Tint Magazine

External links

Vanguard Records

Carbon Leaf at The Rock Boat

Category:Musical groups from Virginia Category:Music of Richmond, Virginia Category:Live Music Archive artists