Carbon Leaf with Melanie Pierce

Carbon Leaf play HI-FI on Friday, October 16, with Melanie Pierce opening. It's a Richmond, Virginia indie folk rock band that started as a college cover band in 1992 around frontman Barry Privett, guitarist Terry Clark, and multi-instrumentalist Carter Gravatt. They first got national attention with "The Boxer," which won the American Music Awards 2002 New Music Award and made them the first unsigned band to perform before millions on the AMAs.

After three charting albums for Vanguard Records, the group went back to its indie roots, recording at Clark's Two-Car Studio for their own Constant Ivy imprint. They even re-recorded those three Vanguard albums to get the rights back. Now a quintet that includes Jon Markel and Jesse Humphrey, they're a touring mainstay whose live show drifts across Americana, bluegrass, rock, folk, Celtic, and pop traditions. They draw on acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, fiddle, banjo, cello, bass, drums, accordion, penny whistle, and rich vocal harmonies.

Their fifteenth studio album, Time is the Playground, is a 12-song rumination on time, love, and personal growth. That's the latest from a band that's been playing together for over three decades, and they'll be bringing that whole instrumental spread to the stage. Melanie Pierce opens the bill.

Doors open at 7 PM and the music starts at 7:30 PM. HI-FI is inside the historic Murphy Arts Center at 1043 Virginia Ave #4, Indianapolis, IN 46203.