Multi-instrumentalist Carter Gravatt once famously described Carbon Leaf’s wide-ranging sound as Brazilian Polka Metal, and while the Virginian band’s sonic spectrum isn’t quite that broad, the members have indeed embraced a number of styles in crafting their own singular approach. Carbon Leaf began nearly two decades ago when the original five members were students at Virginia’s Randolph-Macon College where they rehearsed in the school’s auditorium and played house parties and college functions.
After graduation, the band relocated to Richmond and honed its Bluegrass/Celtic/Rock/Folk hybrid, building a fan base by playing East Coast clubs and recording albums for the group’s label, Constant Ivy Music. By the third album, 1999’s Ether-Electrified Porch Music, Carbon Leaf had managed to sell 10,000 copies of its first three releases, a respectable number for a completely independent band.
Carbon Leaf plays 20th Century Theater Wednesday. Go here to read Brian Baker's full Sound Advice.
