Live at Levitt: Spotlight on Carbon Leaf

Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night during the summer, SteelStacks hosts free concerts as a part of their Levitt Pavilion Summer Concert Series. These are well attended by the Lehigh Valley community. On the night of May 31s, the lawn in front of the Levitt Pavilion stage filled up quickly with an audience excited to see Carbon Leaf, a folk-rock band from Virginia. Carbon Leaf is a quintet band that was founded in Virginia in 1992. The band’s music embodies a balance between energetic rock music and folk comfort, at times offering a Celtic feel in its bouncy rhythms. Its current members include three of the original band members, Barry Privett, Carter Gravatt, and Terry Clark, as well as two newer members, Jon Markel and Jesse Humphrey. This Virginia band gained popularity in 2004 with their album Indian Summer. According to their website CARBON LEAF, the band cherishes independence and community, yet felt they had lost it while being signed to a record label. This prompted them to leave the label and to produce music independently. Since parting with their label in 2010, Carbon Leaf has continued to produce music and maintains a loyal following.  

In an effort to maintain their commitment to authenticity and independence, the band began the Gathering series, which is made up of 4 albums that center community building and human connection. The first album of the series debuted in 2018, and its sequel followed in 2020. The rest of the series is still yet to be released. Importantly, the Gathering grapples with the band’s “ever-conflicting desires for unity and independence,” emphasizing a shared desire to be a part of a community while also wanting to maintain a commitment to their personal selves. These albums allowed Carbon Leaf to return to their roots without disregarding the fanbase that remains in the wake of their separation from their label.

On the night of their recent Bethlehem concert, the lawn was completely full, and many people could even be seen standing around the edges of the pavilion. In the crowd there were entire families, young couples, and groups of friends buzzing with energy. While adults chatted, children played, and laughter could be heard all around.

Pictured: A close look at the stage where Carbon Leaf is performing. In front of the stage, there are members of the audience dancing along to the music.

Beginning at 7:30, Carbon Leaf’s set balanced high energy rock music with lighter folk sounds. In a pocket of space right in front of the stage, audience members both younger and older could be seen dancing and clapping their hands, participating in the carefree environment and having fun. The front-man of Carbon Leaf, Privett, pointed out children dancing and danced along with them. The band’s love for community rang through Levitt Pavilion as they interacted with the crowd and thanked them many times throughout the concert. 

Towards the end of Carbon Leaf’s set, Privett gave a short speech articulating how grateful the band was for the fantastic turnout as well as providing information about the rest of their North American tour. At the end of this speech Privett took a moment to introduce a song that is important to him titled “Everything’s Alright Mama” from one of their more recent albums. Importantly, the song’s main message is to provide reassurance to those facing disappointing changes in life. For example, Privett sings, “The dark drips down as if it was coffee / Everything’s alright mama / Caterpillars came and ate the house away / Everything’s alright.” Here, it is clear that Carbon Leaf maintains an encouraging positivity in the face of adversity and urges its audience to do the same. “Everything’s Alright Mama” resonated with the audience on Friday night. While the song was playing, a respectful quiet moved through the crowd as they listened attentively. Some could be heard singing along while others swayed to the music. After the song ended Carbon Leaf continued to play a few more songs, switching to higher energy rock music. The crowd jumped right back into dancing as the emotional moment faded. Looking like a classic rock concert, Carbon Leaf closed the night in a rainbow of flashing lights, electric guitar, and loud cheering. 

Pictured: A full view of the large crowd attending Carbon Leaf’s concert at Levitt Pavilion.

The Levitt Pavilion Summer Concert Series showcases Bethlehem’s commitment to providing its community with accessible activities that are suitable for all ages. The impressive turnout on Friday night likewise highlights the demand for and appreciation of these free concerts from  Bethlehem locals. The concert series, and bands such as Carbon Leaf, provide an opportunity for members of the community to have fun during the week without having to spend any money. 

To find out more about Carbon Leaf, head to their Instagram page Carbon Leaf (@carbonleaf) • Instagram photos and videos, and to learn more about upcoming concerts at Levitt Pavilion visit Concerts — Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks.  

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