PureVolume

Barry Privett: Words & vocals
Carter Gravatt: Acoustic & electric mandolins, acoustic & electric guitars, 12-string guitar, lap steel, bouzouki, loops & effects, vocals
Jordan Medas: Electric bass, bowed & double bass, vocals
Scott Milstead: Drums & percussion, vocals
Terry Clark: Electric & acoustic guitars, vocals

Virginia-based quintet Carbon Leaf is currently writing and recording in Virginia and Nashville, and will be releasing their 2nd Vanguard Records release this coming September.

The band's fifth studio album, Indian Summer, released in July 2004, marks Carbon Leaf's most profound musical transformation to date since the release of Echo Echo, their critically acclaimed independent cd that won the band an American Music Award in 2001.

The sound has toughened and deepened on Indian Summer. The dynamic range is wider, and the songs hang on hooks that you won't easily get out of your head. The lyrics are more candid than ever; singer/lyricist Barry Privett's unique way with metaphor and word selection draws from the heart of his own experiences, whether in love or in his broader embrace of life.

The band's decision to bring its indie days to a close and sign its first label deal with independent label Vanguard Records has proven to be a great step forward. The label's staying power and artist-friendly reputation provide the perfect complement for the band.

Rewind a couple of years. With the intense touring after the AMA broadcast, the band needed to look towards recording their next album. With being on the road 250-300 days a years, the trick was finding the time to do it. Sales for Echo Echo were closing in on fifty thousand copies since the AMA broadcast-- heavy numbers for an indie album -- and fans were asking for more. The band decided it was time to release something while working on the new cd, so in 2003, while on the road, the band recorded and released 5 ALIVE!, a double CD of live tracks and a handful of new originals that expanded on their studio work and allowed a glimpse into their dynamic live shows.

As the seed of Indian Summer was germinating, 5 Alive! bought some time to put together an album that would reflect developments in the band since Echo Echo.

As they began sifting through instrumental ideas that Privett could flesh out with lyrics, the guys sensed that their style had broken past the stereotypes that some had imposed on them. "People kept saying we were a Celtic rock band," Privett says. "There was definitely some of that on the last couple of albums and even in some of our new songs. But we were gravitating toward other ideas. We wrote 21 songs for Indian Summer, and the strongest of those songs felt a lot fresher to us because we the time had come for us to explore again, not rehash what we had already done."

Between segments of its tour the group gathered at its basement studio in Richmond to cut the best of these songs as two-track demos. "We realized that they were becoming simpler in some ways," Privett continues. "The chord structures, the tempos, and the rhythms were more accessible; the vocal parts were more melodic. This made me want to make the lyrics accessible, more 'on your sleeve,' too. It used to be my rule that every line had to be unique. I'm really proud of what I wrote for the second or third album, but it was also a little elusive. This time I wanted to say what I wanted to say more directly."

To achieve that combination of craft, honesty, and clarity, Privett focused on the common theme that has meaning for everyone. "It was time to face the theme I had tended to avoid musically - love," he says. "I'd never earnestly tried to write about it until Echo Echo. I guess I avoided it until I felt ready. When you're a kid you don't have a lot of wisdom, so you end up writing stuff that's been said a thousand times already. I've at least learned enough now to finally draw from real places. The challenge was to approach it from a different angle. For me, that meant not being afraid to sound earnest and emotional."

The rest of the band noticed the change immediately. "His lyrics absolutely blew me away," says Carter Gravatt. "That's how I reacted to 'What About Everything.'

That song circles around a litany of questions: "What about when buildings fall? What about that midnight phone call?" Answers aren't spelled out; instead, enlightenment emerges through the asking itself. Elsewhere on Indian Summer a more affirmative spirit asserts itself, with humor on "This Is My Song," more gently on "Let Your Troubles Roll By," with exuberance on "Raise The Roof," "Changeless," and especially on "Paloma," which builds to a lyric hook -- "now you're free" -- that pretty much says all that Privett means to say.

"'Paloma' is one of the most literal songs I've ever written," he reveals. "It's about a real person; the name isn't made up. Jordan created that bass line a year and a half ago; it has this great flavor, but I couldn't attach anything to it, and would always put it away after growing repeatedly frustrated by it. Then all of a sudden, we were driving to a show in Charlottesville and something clicked and I had a place to go with it because in the interim I had come into somebody's life and experienced this thing that became 'Paloma.'" I spent several hours on the steps by the train tracks finishing the song and we played it out that night. I had to read it from a notebook and it was all out of key because I wasn't used to the melody. A girl in the front had to hold the notebook for me during the whistle part. There's a recording of that somewhere and you can hear me say, "Here, hold this!'"

After working out arrangements, Carbon Leaf regrouped at Richmond's Sound of Music Studios and began polishing these eleven tracks to perfection. Even at this stage surprises happened: Acoustic guitar replaced the mandolin as the lead instrument in the first single, "Life Less Ordinary." "This Is My Song" morphed from a power ballad in 4/4 to an up-tempo gallop in 6/8 whipped by a great guitar hook from Gravatt. A bridge suddenly appeared in the middle of "Grey Sky Eyes." Verses were stretched out or shortened as an inspired Privett improvised or jotted down fresh lyrics.

Producer John Morand and executive producer David Lowery, co-owners of the studio, joined the team. Each has strong credits in the industry: Former Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven frontman Lowery has produced Counting Crows, Joan Osborne, and FSK, while Morand's studio credits include Sparklehorse, Lauren Hoffman, Magnet, and Honor Role. Each understood that the best way to work with this reinvigorated band was to offer input at crucial moments but mainly stay out of its way and let events take care of themselves.

After finishing the Indian Summer sessions, Carbon Leaf came to a crossroads: release it through the indie channels that had served the band well or look for a label. "We'd done five albums on our own and pushed that as far as it can go," Privett explains. "Obviously, anyone goes with a label in hopes of getting a wider audience and a little more muscle. But because of who we are and what we've worked for independently, our label had to be committed to artist development -- a rarity these days."

As far as the band was concerned, that narrowed the field down to one. "The people at Vanguard are music-minded above all," says Terry Clark. "They're autonomous; they're a large indie. We talked with other bands that worked with them and kept hearing the same positive reports. And it's neat to be with a company that's got that much history. In fact, after we'd signed I went through my dad's old 45s and found a bunch of Vanguard releases from the sixties."

All of which leads Carbon Leaf to its most significant milestone since that precedent-breaking AMA appearance. With Indian Summer life rearranges itself around this band -- new opportunities, wider exposure, fresh musical perspectives. Yet among the five members the critical elements of camaraderie and creativity endure.

"It's been a lot more intense these past few years," Privett says. "We've always toured a lot, but now we're doing more stops than ever at radio stations and record stores -- three appearances in a day sometimes. We're committed to that. But as for the rest of it, nothing has changed. We're working hard and doing what we do, just as we always have. The work keeps you honest."