So there I was, watching the rebroadcast of the community access channel’s coverage from the Handcar Regatta. The cameras cut to the porch stage, where two guys strummed and sang in perfect harmony, and one after another, the songs were damn good. How could I have missed them? Well, the Easy Leaves, until now, have been easy to miss. They play on street corners or at small cafes, mostly in western Sonoma County. Their self-titled album should change all that; it’s one of the best local releases in a long while. Bassist Kevin Carducci and guitarist Sage Fifield have a natural rapport, eased by the recording sessions in the Sierra Nevada foothills, where fueled by bacon, eggs, coffee and whiskey, the Leaves laid to tape a down-home collection of excellently written songs that fit somewhere between Jim Kweskin and the Devil Makes Three. Throw on your overalls and help them celebrate its release on Friday, Jan. 8, at the Hopmonk Tavern. 230 Petaluma Ave., Sebastopol. 8pm. $8. 707.829.7300.Gabe Meline
.Jan. 8: The Easy Leaves at Hopmonk Tavern
