San Diego Reader: Carbon Leaf

Carbon Leaf’s lead singer and lyricist Barry Privett speaks with Matthew Lickona of San Diego Reader about the origins of “California Gold” from Time Is The Playground.

Inspiration comes in all forms. For Carbon Leaf’s Barry Privett, it came during a family vacation, when he heard his nephew noodling on guitar in the next room. That riff became “California Gold,” a song inspired by his nephew’s move from Virginia to San Diego.

“I kind of used the storyline of my nephew’s life at that moment as inspiration,” says Privett. “He had a girlfriend in college here in Virginia, and she got a really good job with an accounting firm in San Diego. And he was like, ‘Well, what do I do? Do I stay here and pursue a job, or do I pack up and follow her out there?’ A couple of months later, he packed up and went and made it work.”

Privett shares the story behind the song in a new interview with San Diego Reader.