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Carbon Leaf, the definitive top 10 songs

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Photo by Elmo Tham

Virginia natives and Philly favorites Carbon Leaf have been serving up their unique brand of alt-country, Celtic, and folk-infused indie rock for 20 years. We put together a list of our top ten Carbon Leaf songs - it was no easy task given their extensive catalog. Here are our favorites in no particular order:

What About Everything: The song that first introduced us at Root Down In The Shadow to Carbon Leaf, from their album Indian Summer that received heavy rotation on AAA radio and introduced them to a world-wide audience.

Block of Wood: Poignant lyrics offering comfort after the loss of a family member: “In the ash I found an ember, something warm to help remember, a block of wood that used to be, a strong tall family tree.”

The Boxer: An encore staple – a raucous, Celtic-infused rocker that won the band an American Music Award in 2002.  The song that EVERYONE knows!

Tombstone vs. Ashes: Your body is merely a vessel - spiritual musings on how to deal with it once it’s no longer needed.

Photo By Elmo Thamm
On Any Given Day: A string section and rollicking guitar riff kick off this playful tune. The syncopated vocal melody hooks you in.

Desperation Song: A live favorite, quintessential Carbon Leaf with mystical pennywhistle melodies and a driving sing-along chorus.

The War Was In Color: A powerful tribute to our fallen war veterans.

Two Aging Truckers: Their Americana-flavored take on “Stand By Me” - “My yoke is, your yoke is, resting on our shoulders and we share the weary load.”

Unknown Bride: Our surprise wild-card on the list, it isn’t part of the live set. But this deep track is undeniably picturesque and moving.

One Prairie Outpost: Another track from Indian Summer - a weary ode to life as a touring band on the road.

Check out our selections on our Spotify playlist. If we missed a song that’s in your top ten, go ahead and add it:


Carbon Leaf plays World Café Live on December 5th at 8:00 PM, with local country songstress Jillian Jacqueline opening the show.

http://tickets.worldcafelive.com/event/750195-carbon-leaf-philadelphia/

 http://www.carbonleaf.com/

 http://www.jillianjacqueline.com/

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