The CARLEANS are a New England-based acoustic trio that has been charming audiences

from intimate house concerts to festivals and performance halls for nearly a decade. Singer- songwriters Jim Carpenter and Sarah MacLean along with upright bassist, Corina Malbaurn have been building followers from Maine to Texas with Jim's driving, percussive acoustic guitar, and Sarah's sultry to soulful vocals. The duo's vast repertoire of original compositions encompasses the diverse rhythms of americana, cajun, bluegrass, Latin, and Texas folk. Their performances, at once raw, thought-provoking, and humorous, will rise in groove and energy to excite an audience to its feet to dance. Their fourth album entitled Melodrama, was released in July 2023 to a sold out crowd at the Knickerbocker Music Center in Rhode Island.

 

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PERFORMANCES

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The CARLEANS have toured throughout the country and shared stages with the likes

of The Subdudes, Mipso, The Birds of Chicago, Marcia Ball, Hooray For The Riff Raff, Walt Wilkins, Sarah Borges, The Wolff Sisters, Donna the Buffalo, and The Preservation Jazz Band . . . performing in such renowned venues as Daryl’s House NY • Ossipee Music Fest ME • Kate Hepburn Theater CT • Isis NC • Neutral Ground NOLA • Infinity Hall CT • Blue Plate Radio Show TN • Providence Folk Festival RI • The Southern TX • Skinny Pancake VT • Proclamation FL • The Buzz Mill TX • Frank Brown Songwriting Festival FL • The Narrows RI • Eugene O’Neil Theater CT • Awendaw Barn Dance SC • Cafe 9 CT • and Lulu’s in AL.

AWARDS
"The CarLeans' more serious sonic narratives resonate in the context of such tunesmiths as Guy Clark, Robert Earl Keen, and Townes Van Zant — that's not hyperbole — the songs are also typified by a haunting literary quality that echoes the tone and traditions of Harry Crew or Eudora Welty." - Rick Koster, The Day

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DISCOGRAPHY

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Drowning Moon • Forgotten Pages • Retrospective • Melodrama

 

AWARDS

 

Sarah with sister Rachel won a 2013 Whalie Award for their CD 'Other Side of Loving Me' (produced by Jim Carpenter).

Jim Carpenter is the winner of Chicago's Lake County Songwriters Competition and was a finalist in the South Florida Folk Festival, Boston Rose Garden Competition, and the Nashville CMT Song Contest.  He won four Whalie Awards.

 

 

INFLUENCES
 

jason isbell, gillian welch & dave rawlings, lyle lovett, civil wars, allison krauss, kim richey, lucinda williams, kathleen edwards, mark knopler, patty griffin, over the rhine, the duhks, buddy & julie miller, secret sisters, kelly willis & bruce robison, lyndi ortega & champagne james