Reviews
Carbon Leaf
Live in Rochester and Buffalo
06/21-22/2006
by Oliver St John
Fresh out of the studio, where they have been recording their upcoming album Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat (due out September 12th), Carbon Leaf are hitting the road again.
We caught them on two shows as they swung through western New York, an indoor performance in Rochester and an outdoor one in Buffalo. As such, we were treated to some of the new material.
The new album tracks given an airing were "Under The Wire", "Learn To Fly", "Texas Stars" and "Comfort", plus the new track "Native America" which will not in fact be on the album.
I got a chance to speak to a number of audience members at the Rochester show - many were comparing notes on how many times each had seen Carbon Leaf live. It is a measure of the band's following that some of those in attendance have seen them perform five or more times. I am no exception to this, having now seen them ten times or more.
The band have left much of their earlier material behind them, and while it is a shame to see classics such as "Home" and "American Tale" depart the setlist, it is also the nature of progress. The Rochester set was spread relatively evenly across the last two albums, Echo Echo and Indian Summer, plus the new material. The Buffalo set was unfortunately shorter, and featured only two of the four new songs listed above, but the band has yet to disappoint, and both sets were packed with the passion and energy that only comes from a band who totally believe in every note they play.
The live shows have come to highlight the best of each band member - from the opening guitar solo by Carter Gravatt to the pounding rhythm section of Jordan Medas (bass) and Scott Milstead (drums), taking in Terry Clark's impassioned backing vocals and rhythm guitar chops as well as Barry Privett's powerful lead vocal along the way.
Carbon Leaf manage to ensure that the shows never get boring - extended jams or unexpected solos in mid-song, sudden shifts to a cappella vocals, and a startlingly powerful Led Zeppelin cover all add an extra richness to the performance.
If you haven't seen Carbon Leaf yet, it's well worth the entrance fee to check them out.