Carbon Leaf is planning to unplug at this weekend’s Wolf Trap shows, giving audiences a long look at its indie rock roots. Since taking a step back and amicably departing from Vanguard Records in 2010, the band has been on fire, releasing “How the West Was One” and “Christmas Child” last year before making “Live, Acoustic … and in Cinemascope!” That album will be available in May 2011. Now the bandmates are planning another release this year. Such a ramped-up release schedule was one of the reasons the bandmates wanted to return to indie status.
“Right now we’re trying to get some studio time down,” said vocalist Barry Privett. “It’s still pretty early to tell [what the sound on the new album will be], but we’ll lay it down and see what direction we go in. Some of it will depend on the collective mood of the band.”
| IF YOU GO |
| Performer: Carbon Leaf |
| When: 8 p.m. Friday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday |
| Where: The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635 Trap Road, Vienna |
| Details: Both shows sold out at press time; 877-WOLFTRAP (965-3872); wolftrap.org |
By all accounts, that mood will likely be joyful. Since the Richmond-based band’s 2004 major-label debut, “Indian Summer,” it was almost easy for the members to forget to enjoy their ever-growing fan base because of constant touring. Though the band’s 2009 album, “Nothing Rhymes with Woman,” was met with great fan and critical acclaim, the band was frustrated by the pace of the major label, which Privett said could take two years to complete a record that would then be released on the label’s timetable.
The band has also used its newfound freedom to change its concerts, performing more acoustic shows in the past year than in the years before.
“Before we were doing hybrid acoustic-electric shows,” Privett said. “The last couple shows have been seated, acoustic. We left the electric amps in the trailer and just used all acoustic instruments, no electric guitars. It’s fun for the guys to get back to that [organic] level, and it’s fun for the fans. Overall, all of the fans like a contrast [between acoustic and electric shows].”
Revisiting songs in their original form combined with the new freedoms afforded by their independent status has allowed the bandmates to refocus a lot of their energies, perhaps even reworking some back material and presenting it in various mediums, said Privett.
“We are definitely always looking for that,” he said of new ways to release songs. “You never know what [songs] will pop up, both new and from our back catalog. Right now we’re looking at the year ahead and developing a game plan. It will include a lot of touring and it’ll be a nice time to focus on [writing] music.”
