Dylan Carlson
Encyclopedia
Dylan Carlson is the lead guitarist, lead singer, and only constant member of the Drone doom group Earth
.
Carlson was born in Seattle, Washington
, United States
. His father worked for the Department of Defense
, and, as a result, as a child he moved quite frequently, living in Philadelphia
, Texas
, New Mexico
, and New Jersey
, before coming back to live in Washington state. He had first become interested in being a rock musician at age 15, inspired by bands such as Molly Hatchet
, AC/DC
, and Black Sabbath
. He also cites The Melvins
, and composers La Monte Young
and Terry Riley
as major influences on his music. It was in Olympia, Washington
that he met Slim Moon
, Greg Babior, Dave Harwell and Joe Preston
, with whom he would later form Earth. During this time, he would often make "sonic collages" with his then roommate Kurt Cobain
. From 1991 to 1996, Earth had an ever-changing lineup. Carlson attributes a lack of (full-length) studio album recordings from 1997 to 2005 to "legal and drug problems".
During his illness and drug addiction, Carlson bought the shotgun that Kurt Cobain committed suicide with, although Cobain gave the money to feel good. Carlson said he did not believe that Cobain committed suicide at the time, and Cobain said he would use the weapon for self defense.
Carlson was one of the many people interviewed in the Nick Broomfield
documentary
Kurt & Courtney
(1998). He states he regrets appearing in the film, saying "I was misled about his intentions."
Earth (band)
Earth is an American musical group based in Seattle, Washington, formed in 1989 and led by guitarist Dylan Carlson.Earth's music is nearly all instrumental, and can be divided into two distinct stages...
.
Carlson was born in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. His father worked for the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
, and, as a result, as a child he moved quite frequently, living in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, before coming back to live in Washington state. He had first become interested in being a rock musician at age 15, inspired by bands such as Molly Hatchet
Molly Hatchet
Molly Hatchet is an American southern rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1975. They are widely known for their hit song "Flirtin' with Disaster" from the album of the same title. The band, founded by Dave Hlubek and Steve Holland, took its name from a prostitute who allegedly mutilated...
, AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
, and Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
. He also cites The Melvins
The Melvins
The Melvins are an American band that formed in 1983. They usually perform as a trio, but in recent years have performed as a four piece with two drummers. Since 1984, singer and guitarist Buzz Osborne and drummer Dale Crover have been the band's constant members...
, and composers La Monte Young
La Monte Young
La Monte Thornton Young is an American avant-garde composer, musician, and artist.Young is generally recognized as the first minimalist composer. His works have been included among the most important and radical post-World War II avant-garde, experimental, and contemporary music. Young is...
and Terry Riley
Terry Riley
Terrence Mitchell Riley, is an American composer intrinsically associated with the minimalist school of Western classical music and was a pioneer of the movement...
as major influences on his music. It was in Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
that he met Slim Moon
Slim Moon
Slim Moon is the founder of the independent music label, Kill Rock Stars. He also started its sister label, 5 Rue Christine...
, Greg Babior, Dave Harwell and Joe Preston
Joe Preston (bassist)
Joe Preston is a rock bass guitarist and a former band member of Earth, The Melvins, Men's Recovery Project, The Need and High on Fire. Preston has also played with Sunn O))), and has a solo project called Thrones. Joe Preston learned bass from Alexander Giles. In 2007, he joined Harvey Milk in...
, with whom he would later form Earth. During this time, he would often make "sonic collages" with his then roommate Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
. From 1991 to 1996, Earth had an ever-changing lineup. Carlson attributes a lack of (full-length) studio album recordings from 1997 to 2005 to "legal and drug problems".
During his illness and drug addiction, Carlson bought the shotgun that Kurt Cobain committed suicide with, although Cobain gave the money to feel good. Carlson said he did not believe that Cobain committed suicide at the time, and Cobain said he would use the weapon for self defense.
Carlson was one of the many people interviewed in the Nick Broomfield
Nick Broomfield
Nicholas "Nick" Broomfield is an English documentary film-maker. He is the son of Maurice Broomfield, a photographer.Broomfield works with a minimal crew, recording sound himself and using one or two camera operators...
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Kurt & Courtney
Kurt & Courtney
Kurt & Courtney is a 1998 documentary film by Nick Broomfield investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Kurt Cobain, and allegations of Courtney Love's involvement in it...
(1998). He states he regrets appearing in the film, saying "I was misled about his intentions."
External links
- Thrones and Dominions.com - Official website
- Earth's MySpace page
- More images from the Vera Project show by Bruce C Moore
- Extensive Earth audio interview with Dylan Carlson on Jekyll and Hyde, 106FM Jerusalem
- Extensive Earth Interview