Indie rock band Carbon Leaf will be playing a live show in the Maintenance Shop on Wednesday, Oct. 9, supported by country singer Logan Brill. 

Hosting the group again after a performance roughly five years ago, the M-Shop aims to broaden its spectrum of visitors by hosting bands like Carbon Leaf.

“Booking shows that a wide variety of our students will love is always a goal of ours,” said Sam Thompson, co-director of the M-Shop. “With the Carbon Leaf show, we knew we would be seeing much more of a public draw. We are always excited to put on shows that our staff and Ames residence will come out for.”

Carbon Leaf’s musical style is a mesh of Irish, Appalachian and country sounds. 

“It’s kind of like acoustic-based rock,” said Carbon Leaf lead singer Barry Privett. “It’s got influences of bluegrass, Celtic and folk woven together.”

The band originated in Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va., in 1992.

“We played around campus during our undergrad years, and when we graduated we decided to keep playing,” Privett says. “It snowballed into a full time job. The weekends turned into three or four day weekends. The spiral just kept getting bigger and bigger, and finally we found ourselves touring all the time and we haven’t looked back.” 

Carbon Leaf has released several albums over the years under the independent label Constant Ivy Music, and for some time under Vanguard. 

Their best-known song is the Irish folk ballad “The Boxer,” which made them the first unsigned band to play on the American Music Awards.

Ghost Dragon Attacks Castle is the group’s latest album, released last February. 

“It was an exercise in a genre,” Privett said. “It was fun to explore the Celtic musical territory a little bit. It was more for the fans; we didn’t take it to radio. It was a lot of fun to make.”

Carbon Leaf is currently polishing another album, Constellation Prize, to be released sometime in the near future.

“[Constellation Prize] has more of a folk and bluegrass kind of style. It deals with themes of life, death and community; the things that keep us going on planet earth. It’s music on the different forms of love and friendship in our lives,” Privett said.

Privett is aware ISU students may not be familiar with Carbon Leaf, but encourages to give their unique brand a shot.

“You can expect some really good music and a chill time, take a chance on a band you’ve never heard before,” Privett said. 

Carbon Leaf will perform backed by Logan Brill on Wednesday, Oct. 9, in M-Shop at 8 p.m. (doors will open at 7:30).

Tickets are available in person at M-Shop or online at midwestix.com. Student cost is $8, and $15 for everyone else, with a $2 upcharge the day of the show.

You can visit carbonleaf.com to learn more about the band or to purchase music. Their albums are also available on iTunes.