Musicians young and old often talk about the moment — that shining moment — when they knew their group became a thing.
It happens right away for some, from the moment the right set of musicians play together in a basement for the first time or when they really hit their stride and there happens to be a record label exec sipping a beer at a worn counter nearby.
For others, like Richmond-based Carbon Leaf, whose 25th anniversary tour makes a stop in Lynchburg on Friday, the moment wasn’t so sudden and the story is in no way glamorous.
“It took us probably eight years before we finally felt like we were at a point where we were making steam,” frontman Barry Privett says during a phone call last week as he reminisces about finding the band’s signature Celtic-tinged roots-rock sound.
“Part of that was trying to find our sound. Just solidifying what worked and what didn’t, and that took a couple of albums. We’ve evolved just by kind of doing and trying and failing at things and not having it blow up in our face.”
The seeds of Carbon Leaf were first planted in the early ’90s at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, where Privett, who was a student at the time, says the group got its start playing fraternity parties.
Even after finding a sound, Carbon Leaf didn’t hit it big until “The Boxer,” the lead song off the 2001 album “Echo Echo,” earned the band an American Music Award (AMA) for new music and a chance to play live on the show.
“We’d kind of done the regional band thing and were saying, ‘This is kind of where we are. Maybe we wind this exercise down,’” the frontman says. “… We flew home from that whole thing and said, ‘Well, we’re going to have to get serious.’ So, we started working around the clock.”
Since then, it’s been an ongoing adventure for band members, joining and eventually ditching a major record label all while performing with acts like OAR, Blues Traveler and the Avett Brothers and rocking their own tours.
“People, when they come to a concert, they want to be able to experience the music and I think Carbon Leaf shows [are] a great way to do that,” says Jonathan Slye, whose company Lynchburg's Party produced Friday’s show at Phase 2.
“[They have] the ability to slow things down and just show off their sheer vocal talent and unique sounds of the mandolin and guitar and drums … while also [delivering] unique, high, up-tempo performances that allow people to experience the music in a new way.”
Over the last few years, Carbon Leaf has spent time re-recording and re-releasing the three records it put out under former label Vanguard Records, which the band split from in 2010.
This has not only helped Carbon Leaf regain control of its music, Privett says, “it was a chance to go … back to the original idea we abandoned in our haste to get it out, and revisit some things.”
Now that the band once again owns its entire catalogue, Privett says Carbon Leaf has plans to release “Gathering,” its first new album since 2014, in late spring.
“Hopefully, it’s going to be a concept kind of in pieces over the next three or four years,” he adds. “I’m excited about it and think it’s a fresh approach.”
Before the show at Phase 2, Privett talked about 25 years, the upcoming record and his creative muse.
What does 25 years feel like for you?
“As you go, things evolve and your goal is to just get better and more efficient and kind of stay in a creative space. That’s always a struggle, but I feel like we’re doing well and we still have fans that come see us. As we take stock in our 25th year, [I’m] just really thankful we can say that. It feels good to be able to say that after 25 years, you have a career in the music industry ‘cause there’s a very small percentage of musicians that can make a living doing it.”
In what way do you think Carbon Leaf has evolved over 25 years?
“One thing that’s helped us evolve is that ability to learn how to be resilient. We couldn’t buy help when we were younger. We didn’t have mangers looking at us or even booking agents looking at us. We had to do a lot of stuff ourselves as a result and because of that when there were some times that got really hard, that would have broken most bands … we were able to pick up the reins and say, ‘We know how to do this and we will keep our heads down and get through it.’”
Carbon Leaf is planning to release its first new songs since 2014. What can you tell me about them?
“The ‘Gathering’ title comes from 2015 where the band took some time off the road. We only played, like, 25 shows and I basically sent a message out saying the band’s going to be doing some wool gathering, which is kind of an old phrase to mean we’re taking time to do some things we need to do that you don’t get to do when you’re on a really intense tour, learning new things, looking for new inspirations and things like that. Kind of the gathering of yourself, re-centering.”
What would you say is your muse after 25 years?
“For me, following your muse is really about showing up every day and letting your muse know you’re there as opposed to waiting to be inspired. … I’ve got a whole notebook of muses. That doesn’t mean they’re really revealing themselves every day, but I know that they’re there and more importantly, the inspiration is going to be easier to get the more consistent I am in showing up to do the work.”