Earth (American band)

Earth is an American rock band based in Olympia, Washington and led by the guitarist Dylan Carlson.[1][7] Initially active between 1989 and 1997, their early work is characterized by distortion, droning, minimalism and lengthy, repetitive song structures; their 1993 debut album Earth 2 is recognized as a pioneering work of the drone metal genre.[1][3] The band resurfaced in the early 2000s, with their subsequent output reducing the distortion and incorporating elements of country, jazz rock, and folk.[3] Earth's current lineup consists of Carlson and drummer Adrienne Davies.

Earth
Two band members performing live on stage in 2009
Earth perform live in 2014: Dylan Carlson (left) and Adrienne Davies.
Background information
OriginOlympia, Washington, U.S.[1]
Genres
Years active1989–1997, 2003–present
Labels
Members
Past members
 
Websitethronesanddominions.com

Biography

Dylan Carlson founded the band in 1989 along with Slim Moon and Greg Babior, taking the title "Earth" from Black Sabbath's prior name. Carlson has remained the core of the band's line-up throughout its changes.

Carlson was a close friend of Kurt Cobain, who sang lead vocals in the song "Divine and Bright", from a demo included on the re-release of the live album Sunn Amps and Smashed Guitars. Because police had twice confiscated guns from Cobain inside a single year, Cobain had Carlson purchase a shotgun for him on March 30, 1994. Cobain told Carlson the gun was for protection. Cobain would use the shotgun to kill himself six days later.[8][9]

Earth 2 was described as a "milestone" by Terrorizer's Dayal Patterson, which he described as "a three-track, 75 minute deluge of feedback and distorted guitars that marked the blueprint for what Carlson at the time coined 'ambient metal'".[3] The band went on hiatus after the release of Pentastar: In the Style of Demons due to Carlson's personal problems, including heroin addiction, rehabilitation, his connection to Kurt Cobain's death, and incarceration.[3] Carlson attributed the break primarily to his heroin addiction:

At one point, music was everything to me. Then suddenly it wasn't and something else was there, and that was something destructive and damaging. Heroin is part of your life - you don't function without it. It's not like, "I need to get it to write," it's at a much more fundamental level to your existence, like, "I need it to get out of bed."[3]

Earth reappeared around 2000[3] with a markedly different sound. Its music was still drone based, slow-paced, and lengthy, but it now included a drummer and featured strong elements of country music. Remarking on the stylistic change, Carlson was quick to point to the continuity with Earth's previous sound:

Earth performing live in Hamburg in 2009; from left to right: Steve Moore, Don McGreevy, Adrienne Davies and Dylan Carlson.

In 2001 I started writing again. Originally I had thought it would be something radically different and if it had been I probably wouldn't have stuck with the name. I thought about doing something different at first, but no matter what I do there's always going to be certain elements that are the same, like the slow tempos and repetition. So for whatever reason, I can't help myself - it was still Earth.[3]

The press release for Hex; Or Printing in the Infernal Method (2005) stated the band's music shows "the influence of country guitarists/songwriters such as: Duane Eddy, Merle Haggard, Roy Buchanan and fuses it with the vibe of epic visionary composer: Ennio Morricone."[10] The press release for The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull (2008) referenced "the more adventurous San Francisco bands of the late 1960s and 1970s, and the more spiritually aware and exciting forms of Jazz-Rock from the same era".[11] The press release for Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I describes "inspiration from both British Folk-Rock bands the Pentangle and Fairport Convention".[12]

Members

Current

Former

  • Slim Moon – vocals
  • Greg Babior – guitar
  • Joe Preston – bass guitar, percussion
  • Ian Dickson – guitar, bass guitar
  • Dave Harwell – bass guitar
  • John Schuller – bass
  • Sean McElligot – guitar
  • Michael McDaniel – drums
  • Jonas Haskins – baritone guitar
  • Steve "Stebmo" Moore – electric piano, trombone, acoustic grand piano, Hammond organ, Wurlitzer electric piano
  • Lori Goldston – cello
  • Karl Blau – bass guitar
  • Angelina Baldoz – bass guitar (tour only)
  • Don McGreevy – bass guitar
  • Bill Herzog – bass guitar
  • Brett Netson – guitar

Timeline

Discography
Main article: Earth discography

Studio albums

Collaborations

  • The Bug & Earth: Concrete Desert (2017)

See also

References
  1. Bush, John. "Earth". Allmusic. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  2. Masters, Marc (September 10, 2007). "Interview: Earth". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  3. Patterson, Dayal (November 2005). "A Spell in the Wilderness". Terrorizer (137): 18–19.
  4. Cantor, Dave (2019). "Earth come full circle on Full Upon Her Burning Lips". Chicago Reader. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  5. Reid, Mike (July 8, 2015). "Holy Sons (Emil Amos) joins Earth for American tour; Earth reciprocates with Emil Amos-shaped clouds". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  6. Bath, Tristan (September 1, 2014). "Earth - Primitive and Deadly". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  7. Scanlon, Tom (July 6, 2007). "Rocker made hard choices, is back to music and life". Seattle Times. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  8. Witter, Brad (June 16, 2020). "Inside Kurt Cobain's Final Days Before His Suicide". Biography.com. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  9. "Dylan Carlson's written statement to the police". The Smoking Gun. Archived from the original on February 19, 2007.
  10. "EARTH - "Hex; Or Printing In The Infernal Method"". Southernlord.com. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  11. "Earth - The Bees made honey in the Lions Skull". Southernlord.com. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  12. "Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons Of Light 1". Southernlord.com. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  13. Sodomsky, Sam (March 6, 2019). "Earth Announce New Album Full Upon Her Burning Lips, Share Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
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