Interview with Terry Clark of Carbon Leaf

Carbon Leaf is pop rock/folk rock band that started at Randolph-Macon College in 1992. Carbon Leaf is a five person band, their band members being Barry Privett, Terry Clark, Carter Gravatt, and Jason Neal. They have produced 7 albums since their formation including Meander, their first album in 1995, and Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat, their most recent album produced in 2006. They are currently with the record label Vanguard Records and tour across the nation. Their website currently has dates of performances in both January and February and is regularly updated. They have won many awards for their music such as the Coca-Cola New Music Award, first place in the rock category for the International Songwriting Competition, and the Pontiac Vibe Summer Soundoff Campaign Winner. They produce their music with instruments such as the guitar, mandolin, drums, percussion, penny whistle, bagpipes, and a few others. We recently had the opportunity to interview Terry Clark the guitarist of Carbon Leaf.

You started off playing at parties and mixers and now perform at immense concerts with well-known artists, how does it feel?

Playing in front of a big crowd is amazing! There is nothing like the feeling that you get when there are a couple of thousand people singing along with one of your songs. That said we still have a great time playing smaller shows. Every year we play a handful of acoustic shows at smaller venues Like the Ram’s Head in Annapolis, MD or Tupelo Music Hall in Londonderry, NH. The small acoustic shows are really special because we are really close to the audience and there is a very intimate connection.

Why do you think the band became so successful?

Songs + Hard work. Our singer, Barry Privett, writes all of our lyrics and I think that he has a very personal style that a lot of people can relate to. I love it when I hear a song on the radio and I think that it’s about me or that the singer is actually talking to me. Barry seems to have that ability to connect with people. From a musical standpoint, we like to keep things interesting, so there are a lot of different sounds and instruments being plugged into the format of a rock song and hopefully this helps the songs stand out a bit. We also have been working pretty hard (busting our asses, actually) for several years.

Having to play numerous shows a year do you prefer traveling or miss staying in one place?

We have been fortunate enough to be home for most of the past year and a half or so. After the last major tour we were kind of burnt out form the road and really needed to take a little time off to write and record. Since 2002 we have always been in a hurry and we really felt rushed doing the last album, Love Loss Hope Repeat. It was time to concentrate on songwriting and not just rush into the studio whether we were ready or not. While we have been home, we have been pretty busy though. I have a rehearsal space / studio set up in my garage and we have spent a lot of time out there.

What was it like to win the Coca-Cola New Music Award? Where did the inspiration come for the winning song “The Boxer”?

It was crazy! Who would have imagined that one day we enter a contest on the Internet and then 6 months later we would be playing on the AMA’s?? The whole experience was bit surreal! For the song The Boxer, Carter wrote the music and then Barry used boxing / boxers as a metaphor for the sparring between a man and a woman.

There have been rumors that a new studio album will be released in 2009, is there any truth to that?

True. The last I heard, we will be releasing the new Album on April 21, 2009. We have also been working on several songs for the Curious George 2 soundtrack, which will be released on DVD in the spring. Hopefully we’ll figure out a way to get those songs out too.

There are also rumors about how the bands name Carbon Leaf was created, is there any story behind it?

There are no great stories… sorry! Barry and I were on a hiking trip to Tennessee and we were brainstorming in the van on the way home. Somehow, “Carbon” and “Leaf” got suck together. Our first show was at a house party the next week and the girl who was having the party put “Carbon Leaf” on the flyers… I guess it stuck!

What is it like to turn on the television and hear your song playing on sitcoms, as well as films?

It’s pretty weird. A few months ago I hear Life Less Ordinary at Home Depot while I was loading bags of mulch into my truck…. It was kind of bizarre.

Are there any performances that are especially unforgettable to you?

There are several that come to mind. The American Music Awards, The Dr. Phil show, our first show at the 9:30 Club in DC, Bumbershoot in Seattle, Friday Cheers here in Richmond, the acoustic shows… they all seem to be memorable.

How do the band members interact with each other? Are you more like brothers or co-workers?

We are definitely more like brothers who fight and disagree, but love each other at the end of the day.

Are there any artists you’ve looked up to? Have you had the chance to play with any of your idols?

I guess that my idols might be ranked in a few different categories of hugeness. My major influence / inspiration is Neil Young and I have met him yet… or the other huge ones like U2 and REM. We have been lucky enough to play with and meet some amazing artists over the years: The Dave Mathews Band, David Grey, Great Big Sea, Blue Traveler, Big Head Todd and The Monsters, Jason Mraz, The Wallflowers, The Counting Crows, John Mayer, etc.

Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians trying to make it big in the music world?

I put together a list of advice a few years ago:

Terry’s Advice to Young Musicians

For The Musician:

1) Practice a lot on your own and with your band. I have also found that playing along to the radio (even to songs you don’t like) is also good way to learn new stuff.

2) Take lessons. Find a good teacher that can teach you about music theory in general as well as your specific instrument.

3) Use your ears and follow your instinct. You know what you like, so don’t be afraid to follow a different creative path if that is what a song needs. Conversely, if you have a feeling that something isn’t working or that it sounds bad, then you are probably right and should approach things differently.

4) Learn some piano. The piano is a great foundation for all types of music, so it will help you with your music theory and in arranging songs for a band. Also, you can use a piano style keyboard controller (I use an M-audio Oxygen 8) plugged into a computer to control all kinds of software – giving you access to sounds a diverse a strings, drums, bagpipes and weird synths.

5) Learn a little (maybe a lot!) about computers and try recording your bands rehearsals into a program like Cakewalk, Protools, Logic, Garageband, etc. This will allow you to a) hear what your songs actually sound like b) make demos to get gigs c) make mp3s to put on the web.

For the Band:

6) Get a good lawyer and don’t sign anything without running it by them first. You don’t need a big shot entertainment lawyer at this stage, just a trusted friend of the family who will give you honest (and cheap!) advice.

7) Start a website and out up free downloads of your songs.

8) Start an e-mail newsletter

9) Buy the best gear that you can get, but

10) beware of credit cards.

11) Ford E350 Vans (with either the V10 or Diesel engine) are great for touring.

Words of wisdom from the rest of the band:

Carter Says: Practice and have fun.

Barry Says: Go to Medical School.

Jason Says: Just Rock.

Jon Says: Work hard and practice your scales.