Carbon Leaf is a familiar presence in Bethlehem.

The band performed at the Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks in 2024, “Celtic Classic” in 2004, and Musikfest Cafe in 2012 and 2025.

The band had a concert at The Sellersville Theater in April.

The group’s Aug. 21 free concert at the Union Terrace Amphitheater, Allentown, was the first of a long tour.

Carbon Leaf’s music cannot be classified into a category, although the closest definition might be the catch-all term Americana. The band’s website calls the group an “indie folk rock staple.”

“We play diverse instruments and styles of music. It can confuse a lot of people. Each song is different,” says Carbon Leaf lead singer Barry Privett in a phone interview from his home in Richmond, Va.

Privett says there were four or five Celtic songs out of 14 on the band’s 2001 release “Echo Echo.” One of the songs, the opening track, “The Boxer,” had a regular rotation after the band played it at the American Music Awards.

The band’s best known song is “Life Less Ordinary,” a melodic rock tune from the 2004 album “Indian Summer,” that became a mainstream radio hit.

The lyrics branch out from standard themes. Privett says, “Hopefully people can appreciate that they are more sophisticated and nuanced, even inspirational.”

The title track from their latest release, 2024’s “Time is the Playground,” includes the lyrics: “Time is the playground/And the high-rise cityscape fades/As the conversation’s winding down/As the engine vibrates/It threads me like a needle.”

“Time is the Playground” is Carbon Leaf’s 15th studio album. The band recorded three albums for Vanguard  and then left the label, re-recording them to regain the copyrights.

While the band was on the Vanguard record label, MP3s of its songs were included on new Dell personal computers, which introduced many fans to the group.

In 2002, Carbon Leaf was the first unsigned band to play the American Music Awards after winning the first-ever American Music Awards Presents the Coca-Cola New Music Award for “The Boxer.”

Privett recalls: “There were a couple of thousand tapes submitted. It was narrowed down to 800, then 100, then 50, and we kept making the cut. Finally, five bands got to compete in front of Dick Clark and go on a national tour.”

In 2002, Carbon Leaf won the “Pontiac Vibe Summer Sound Off,” with “The Boxer” being played in Pontiac Vibe commercials on MTV and VH1.

The band wrote and performed the music for the 2010 animated feature film “Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey!” Says Privett:

“Jack Johnson did the music for the first film. We got a call from the studio for the second. They were using our music [‘Life Less Ordinary’] as a placeholder for the second one. They liked it so much, they kept it and asked us to do most of the soundtrack.”

One appearance Privett recalls as “very strange” was on the “Dr. Phil” talk show:

“That was a long time ago. I think he was doing a segment about indie music. Carter could not be with us, so we went on as a foursome.  I think we were the only band that was ever on his show.”

Carbon Leaf formed in 1993 at Randolph Macon College in Virginia. Three of the five members are original: Privett, Terry Clark, guitar, and Carter Gravatt, guitar, mandolin, and other instruments. Jon Markel, bass, has been with the band for nearly 20 years, and Jesse Humphrey, drummer, for almost 10 years.

Carbon Leaf does not have a special meaning, says Privett:

“We didn’t have a name for our first gig. Carbon Leaf came out of my mouth, and the woman who was promoting the concert put it on a poster.”

Fig for a Kiss opened the Union Terrace concert. The Celtic group performed at Musikfest and will be at Celtic Classic, Sept. 25-27, Bethlehem.

ArtsQuest presents the free Union Terrace concert series, which began in 2025. This year, the five Friday night monthly series began May 22. It concludes Sept. 11 with Little Lies: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac.

Carbon Leaf, Fig for a Kiss, 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. Aug. 21, Union Terrace Amphitheater, 200 S. Saint Elmo St., Allentown. Free. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets.