We got a chance to sit down with the group before their show at the Recher Theater on Thursday, September 15 to see how they are handling their newfound success.

I know that you have been touring for the past several months. What is it like to be back near your hometown?
Barry Privett: It’s funny because we are never hear that long, but it’s certainly nice to get home. Of course, we played up in DC last week and that was awesome. We love coming to the Recher, hopefully some people come out. It’s certainly always fun because you’re on the road so much and you’re always trying to build fan bases in new places, so to come back home and have people recognize your songs is a good thing.

Terry Clark: You can spread out a little bit and go back into the catalogue and play some old songs that maybe you wouldn’t play far from home. The crowd, especially here in DC, which is sort of home, is amazing and the energy is awesome. A lot of cities that were new to us, they might know a few songs and the energy is high for a couple of songs.

Do you prepare your set list differently for this kind of show than you would when you are opening for Blue Traveler or Jason Mraz?
TC: Being an opening slot definitely changes the feel of our set compared to tonight’s headlining set. We get to stretch out and play some older stuff and have some fun. If you are playing for a predominantly new audience and you’ve only got 45 minutes, we generally play what we think is our best 45 minutes.

BP: What we’ll probably end up doing actually is keeping a staple set and probably start rotating in some new material to try out just for our benefit. Maybe play one new song we are working on a night just to get it out there and practice a little bit. When you’re on the road so much, you don’t have time to write, so you’ve got to fight for time. Not that people will know because everything will be new to them.

Do you guys get along pretty well on the road?
BP: Considering you are pretty much like this the whole time whether you’re onstage, whether you’re in the van, whether you’re eating, whether you’re in the hotel room. So everyone has their moments and you kind of learn to respect people’s space when they’re not in a good mood.

Let’s talk a little bit about your newest CD, “Indian Summer.” It was your first album released under a record label. Was the process different for you this time around?
BP: Well actually, it wasn’t because we recorded it as another independent project and only when it was finished did we work out a deal with Vanguard Records. So there was really no label at the time of recording it. In fact, it was very similar to the way we did our last album, “Echo Echo,” which worked with the same producer, John Morand. So we had that working relationship going into “Indian Summer.” We were a little less prepared going into “Indian Summer” because the songs weren’t hashed out and we were trying to arrange things. It was very experimental, which is cool, but ultimately timely and costly.

Do you feel like your sound has evolved over time? It seems like you are going away from the Celtic sound some fans are used to and more toward a pop sound.
BP: It’s close to our old sound. We didn’t really start out that way. It was kind of an evolution in and of itself. We’re just experimenting and not afraid to try new things, not afraid to leave things for a while. When we wrote for “Indian Summer,” half of them kind of had that Celtic feel, but they weren’t really inspired or inspiring to us. They just weren’t the best songs and we had to choose what felt the best. This is kind of a new direction for us, it was more accessible, the lyrics were more forthright and, like you said, it’s probably more of a pop sound because of that. To me, it seems like the songs had more emotional resonance than trying to come up with the next “Boxer” just because.

How exactly would you define your sound then?
BP: Just a rock band with a lot of influences from folk to pop to rock music. We’re just a rock band that will throw anything in if it seems inspiring.

Do all of you come up with ideas for songs?
BP: Yeah, these guys all write musical ideas, then they’ll give it to me and I’ll work on the lyrics. Then we’ll kind of regroup and fill in the holes and rearrange some things.

Is there a new CD in the works?
BP: We’re writing now and we will probably go in the studio this winter. I’m not quite sure what the schedule for the release is going to be yet. Definitely song writing this fall and recording this winter.

Are you starting to feel the success at all? Are you starting to feel like rock stars?
BP: Rock star? Give me a break. We would need to get a lot bigger to feel that kind of buzz. For us, to get out and get people to show up is still kind of a mystery in most of the country. We’re still really working hard to kind of fill in the gaps and certainly playing gigs like the 930 Club and Recher are nice. Five years ago, we couldn’t get an opening gig, so we are certainly thankful and humbled by that. Once you get out on the road and figure out how big the world is and how much work you need to do, it really kind of keeps you humble.

Photo by Karen Morgan

What are your goals right now?
BP: You can’t really preordain, you’ve just got to get out and play and hopefully your stuff appeals to people. Getting out this past year has really been tremendous for us as far as building up a fan base in a short amount of time. This past year we have seen more progress than we have seen in five years.

TC: Right now we’re in a stage where we have to work. We’re making a living, but barely, and if we stop touring for any amount of time it’s really hard on us financially. What would be really nice is to get to a much better place financially so that we can support our families and have some health insurance. Not feel like you have to work 250 nights a year playing and then write and record a record too. You know, have a little time for your sanity in there as well.

Has this past year been a tough transition for you this past year?
BP: IT’s been a little tough just because we’ve been playing so much. Your lives are getting a little more complicated than they were straight out of college when we first started. People are starting to get married, have families and all, it becomes more of a challenge. It’s not an easy lifestyle.

TC: It’s tough to be gone for six weeks whether you’re married or not.

Interviewed by Joel Murphy, September 2005. For more information on Carbon Leaf or to hear a sample of thier music, visit their website.