An interview with Carbon Leaf
by Dawn St John

 

     On March 12, 2002, we attended a Great Big Sea concert. At this show, the opening band absolutely blew us away. I remember turning to Oliver at one point and saying that we'd already gotten our money's worth, and the opener was only halfway through their set. We haven't even seen the headliners yet. That opener was Carbon Leaf, and we've seen them probably close to fifteen more times in the intervening four years. As such, it's no surprise that we chose them as our very first band to feature in The Green Room. We've watched them progress from "Best Unsigned Band in America" in 2002 to getting signed to Vanguard Records in 2004. We bought their 4th (and then most recent) album, Echo Echo, at that first show in 2002 and progressively worked our way back through their catalog until we had all four, each being autographed by the band at the shows where we procured them. We bought 5 Alive and Indian Summer (the band's first live album and first album with Vanguard, respectively) each near their release dates, then brought them to the next show for autographing on site.

     The band has been working on a 7th album (including 5 Alive) and is about to embark on a summer tour. We were fortunate enough to be able to catch up with guitarist Terry Clark via e-mail for this interview.

The Green Room: So you've been in the studio, recording a new album. What's different in this album from the previous ones? Are there any specific themes addressed in the songs, which fans should listen out for? Any special features?
Terry Clark: The new CD is still in the works and the puzzle pieces are still falling into play, so it's hard to make any bold statements about it at this point. It doesn't even have a name yet! I can say that I am really happy with the way things are coming together and that listening to the roughs makes me smile!

TGR: How does the songwriting process work for you guys? I know you all work together, but how does it work specifically?
TC: The band comes up with a musical idea, records it and then gives it to Barry. Barry puts all of the ideas on his iPod and then writes lyrics and vocal melodies as he is inspired to do so. After Barry has had his way with the songs, we all get together and see what we can do to make things better.


Carbon Leaf are: (left to right) Scott Milstead, Jordan Medas, Terry Clark, Carter Gravatt
and Barry Privett. Photo by Karen Morgan.

TGR: This one is for all of you, individually: what one CD is almost always in your CD player (or a few favorite MP3s always in iPod playlists)?
TC: Terry: Neil Young - Harvest
Barry: does not have time to listen to music for fun
Jordan: Sting - Dream of the Blue Turtles
Carter: Wilco - Kicking Television: Live in Chicago
Scott: Death Cab for Cutie - Plans

TGR: Another for each of you: what's your favorite song to warm up with?
TC: Terry: Olivia Newton-John - Physical
Barry: warms his voice up singing to Indian Summer
Carter: Pantera - Cowboys From Hell
Jordan: Rush - Red Barchetta
Scott: Medeski, Martin & Wood - Strance of the Spirit Red Gator

TGR: The Green Room is about not only music, but environmental issues as well. What one piece of advice would you give to our readers about how to make the Earth a cleaner place?
TC: Be responsible for yourself and your actions. This applies to most things in life!

TGR: You guys played at EarthFest 2005 in Boston - what was that like? Will you be playing there again in the future?
TC: It rained all day, but we still had an amazing time. The best part was seeing a lot of friends in other bands that we hadn't seen in a long time. We also played the after-party and that was a lot of fun too. We would definitely play EarthFest again if given the opportunity.

TGR: We've personally been listening to you and attending your shows for about 4 years now, and we've watched you grow more popular and seemingly more confident each time. Where do you see the band in another 4 or 5 years?
TC: Hopefully we will keep progressing and growing as musicians, writers and people. It would be nice to make a good living from playing music and not to worry about things like health care!

TGR: How do the band members balance their home life with the chaos of life on the road?
TC: It's tough! We are all lucky to have amazing families and friends who are extremely supportive.

TGR: When you're not touring or recording, does the band get together for regular rehearsals, or see each other socially, or do you try to take a break from each other when the opportunity allows?
TC: We are all friends, so we do see each other socially when we are off tour. It's kind of nice to get together andnot talk about the band! That said, a little time away from each other is good too though! I have a rehearsal space at my house, so we also get together to write and practice.

TGR: What little-known artist would you like to see featured in The Green Room?
TC: Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers.

     Our heartfelt thanks go out to Terry and the rest of Carbon Leaf for taking time out of their very busy recording schedule to speak with us. We look forward to catching up with them again later this month. See the July issue for photos and a review of that show, and check the tour schedule on their website, to see when they'll be playing near you!

Background photo by Karen Morgan.