Carbon Leaf w/ Giving Tree Band

Even though Carbon Leaf forge their unique sound by using a legion of oddball instruments like bagpipes, mandolins and bouzoukis, their style is assuredly not “Brazilian polka-metal,” as guitarist Carter Gravatt has joked, but rather a dynamic blend of Celtic-rock and bluegrass that has taken on some pop-rock wrinkles over the years. The band achieved surprising success early on as an indie band with their 2001 single “The Boxer,” which helped them land a record deal with Vanguard Records. Citing frustrations with the delays and restrictions of being on a major label, the band left Vanguard to independently release its 2010 album How the West Was One.