To begin with, Carbon Leaf is one of the best independent bands out there today, their lyrics are complex and highly emotive while their music not only defies categorization but is all-inclusive of nearly every genre you can think of. In my book, they are one of the few groups that can surprise and delight me with each and every album they release, and I’m willing to bet that most of you have never heard of them. Well, you can change that by trying to score one of the sold out tickets at One Longfellow Square in Portland Wednesday, Nov. 10, or checking them out online. The quintet made up of Terry Clark on guitars, Carter Gravatt on stringed instruments, Jon Markel on bass, Jess Humphrey on drums, and Barry Privett on lead vocals and wind instruments will be laying down beat there. I first interviewed Privett back in the early 2000s when Carbon Leaf came to Portland in support of their “Indian Summer” album, so when I learned about that performance down at OLS, I just had to reconnect after nearly two decades. I called Privett to see how he and his band are doing.

Privett: We’re bouncing our way into Dallas at the moment, there’s a little traffic but otherwise we’re doing well. We’re just on the road and setting up the big top every night.

Q: Well, it’s been a while since last we talked.
Privett: When was that?

Q: Around 2004 or 2005, something like that. But you guys seem to be still going strong, especially considering what we’ve all gone through lately.
Privett: It was a rough year for everybody, for sure. I mean, we had everything booked for 2020 back in 2019, obviously we had to cancel and ended up rescheduling them four different times, but finally getting out here and doing something is a start anyway, you know what I mean? It’s not perfect but we’re doing whatever we can, trying to use an abundance of caution and make the place as safe feeling as possible.

Q: To prepare for this chat, I went on your website (www.carbonleaf.com) and found a plethora of concert videos when helped in getting refamiliarized with your band. Do you have something new, music-wise, that you’re out supporting now?
Privett: We do, I’ll have to send you a link while I have you. I have to multi-task as my window for doing anything other than setting up shows is extremely limited.

Q: I can believe it, for sure!
Privett: I just sent you a Soundcloud link to the new album, it’s called “The Hunting Ground” and it’s the second of four in the “Gathering” series that we’re releasing. These are five-song EPs, or micro albums, as I call them, that we had recorded and put out as the pandemic was in kind of full-swing. We were really supposed to tour behind that last year and then we were slated to have a new and different album out this year, but this pandemic has kind of kicked everything down the field, unfortunately. Anyway, we’re touring behind “The Hunting Ground” now and enjoying the learning and the playing of these songs out in real time now.

Q: Have you ever performed at One Longfellow Square before?
Privett: We have not, it’ a pretty smaller space, right?

Q: Yes, and you’ll be able to see the whites of everybody’s eyes there, too.
Privett: That’s cool. We certainly do kind of more intimate acoustic shows and it’ll be our first time there. We usually do the Port City Music Hall but, unfortunately, that was a casualty of the pandemic, from what I understand, it’s a real shame. Do you have any new information on that?

Q: No, I don’t. I’m hoping someone will reopen it, live music venues have taken a hit recently and that area could use as many venues as possible.
Privett: Well, I’m just thankful that there’s a place that we can play in-town on this tour. That closing was a bummer because it was always an annual stop for us.

Q: Now, as I’ve told you before, I’m a huge fan of your band since “Meander” which came out in 1996,the lyrical and musical growth you guys have undergone in all those years and albums since is frankly as amazing as it is exciting. I see it as Carbon Leaf is constantly evolving as a band, is that a fair assessment?
Privett: Yeah, it was either by accident or on purpose (chuckle), I’m not sure as to which degree, but I certainly am hopeful that we’ve evolved since “Meander” (laughter). You know, at this point, I want to write songs that resonate with me really more than anything so that if we do end playing another 20 years, I’m excited to play the songs and then, hopefully, people resonate with that, you know what I mean?

Q: Yeah, I do.’
Privett: And with the guys, such good musicians as they are and diverse with their instrumentation and the genres that they like to kind of lean into, it makes my job as a lyricist and vocalist a lot easier because there’s a lot of different places to go sonically. Having a fresh landscape for a canvas, you know, it’s always different and exciting to start adding in the details.

Q: Well, it’s great that you’re getting back to Maine and I think you’ll enjoy One Longfellow Square even with its smaller space.
Privett: Well, to me a full room, no matter what the size is, is good show, and a smaller, intimate room always brings with it some surprises and is rewarding in a lot of ways, but we’ll be ready (chuckle).

Q: I don’t doubt that in the least! Is there anything, Barry, that you’d like me to pass on to the folks reading this article?
Privett: Well, I would like to thank people for the support Portland has given us over the years. It’s really satisfying to play whenever we can, wherever we can, so we just hope we can get back soon and do it again, and a bit more regularly, having that year off was a little disorienting when you’ve been doing it for 28 years, ya know?

Lucky Clark, a 2018 “Keeping the Blues Alive” Award winner, has spent more than 50 years writing about good music and the people who make it. He can be reached at luckyc@myfairpoint.net if you have any questions, comments or suggestions.

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