A former East Coast punk found his latest musical inspiration immersed in Whidbey’s abundant nature.

Michael Winters and his instrumental band, Green Leader, are debuting their first full-length album, “Trails” with a performance and fundraiser for the Whidbey Camano Land Trust at 7 p.m. on Sept. 6 at the Thirsty Crab Brewery in Clinton.

Admission is free but Green Leader hopes to raise $500 in donations for the Land Trust, at which point a private donor will match that total.

“We genuinely want to give back to this community that we’re a part of,” Winters said, “and give back to these people that spend so much time and so much effort and so much energy preserving all of these incredible spaces across Whidbey.”

Formed recently on South Whidbey, Green Leader, a four-piece band also including bassist Eric Jones, percussionist Si Fisher and drummer Iain Kennedy, “blends funk, soul, R&B and psychedelia” over nine tracks of outdoorsy tunes on “Trails.” Winters, guitarist and producer at the band’s forefront, considers the album a “love letter” to the island.

“That was the genesis of it,” Winters said. “I wanted to go immerse myself in these natural spaces and use that as a source of inspiration to write these songs.”

Winters fell in love with the South End upon visiting family in Langley and working remotely allowed him to promptly pack his things and move from Seattle to Clinton in 2020. A vibrant music scene — including rap, jazz and indie folk groups — as well as the scenic views are what drew him to the area.

“I was looking for a place to buy some property and put down roots, and was looking for a cool art scene, was looking for cool people,” he said. “And it just clicked.”

Music’s importance in Winter’s life cannot be understated. He grew up playing in punk bands in Pennsylvania, then studied music production and audio engineering after high school. Winters is converting a building on his current property into a music studio; once that project is completed, he plans to use the space to showcase local musicians.

“The long-term plan is not just to make music of my own, but also to continue to help grow the music scene here on Whidbey,” he said. “There’s a lot of talent.”

Winters first considered starting a band during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although he put out a call for bandmates on Drewslist at that time — through which he met Kennedy — he was not ready to commit until he accumulated a “portfolio of work” or the “rocky” demos that eventually became the foundation of the more leisurely “Trails.”

Luckily, Kennedy was still eager to join when Winters called him out of the blue a couple years later to gauge his interest. Winters happened to meet Jones during an open mic at Cozy’s Roadhouse in Clinton and connected with Fisher through Facebook.

Green Leader recorded “Trails” in a guest bedroom in Winters’ house and played its first show in April of 2025.

As the band now has set members, Green Leader’s next album — which they will begin working on this winter — will be more of a collaborative effort. Winters would also like to create a compilation album of South Whidbey musicians in the near future.

Green Leader’s debut album, “Trails,” is available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Pandora and YouTube. All of the money from album sales on Green Leader’s Bandcamp will be donated to the Whidbey Camano Land Trust. More information about Green Leader can be found at greenleadermusic.com.

After their show on Sept. 6, catch Green Leader’s next performance at the Bayview Farmers Market on Oct. 11.