Adam Alexander Carson (born February 5, 1975) is the drummer of the alternative rock band AFI. He and Davey Havok are the two original members left in the lineup.[1] Carson also filled in as drummer for the psychobilly band Tiger Army. His drumming can be found on Tiger Army's Early Years EP as well as their debut album Tiger Army.[2] Carson was also a member of Influence 13 – a band formed by Nick 13, Jade Puget (who joined AFI in 1998), Geoff Kresge (who left AFI in 1996), and two other friends.
Adam Carson was raised in Ukiah, California, along with fellow AFI members Davey Havok and Jade Puget, and former members Geoff Kresge and Mark Stopholese. AFI has been described as a Bay Area band that is "one of the top hardcore/post-punk acts in the San Francisco Bay Area."[3] Carson acquired an interest in music as early as age three, by which time he had amassed a small collection of 45-rpm records.[4] As a toddler, Carson would also drag pots and pans out of his kitchen and assemble them into a drum set.[4]
Carson's aspirations to be a drummer in a band were realized when he was eight or nine years old. He recalls, "I came home from the record store with Def Leppard's Pyromania, as well as a poster of them performing live. I remember listening to the record and looking at the poster on my wall and thinking that being in a rock band must be the best thing ever."[4]
Carson played in his school band when he was in the sixth and seventh grade. Regarding his experience, he said, "I played the drums (surprise, surprise) and had hot pink drumsticks and thought I was totally rad. I thought because I owned a drum set and could play a rock beat that I knew everything there was to know. I got sent to the office a lot for messing around with the trombone players, and when we had substitutes I organized mass switching of instruments by the class. I think I ended up with a tuba at one point."[4] However, he also believes his time in the band was misused, stating "I kind of wish I had paid more attention because I can't read music and know very little about scales and that type of thing. I quit band when the teacher called me a flake. I think he was pissed because I didn't want to join marching band, and I was pissed because he turned me down for jazz band and they had a drum kit. Even though I was a screw-up, I think being in the school band was educational and affected me positively."[4]
Adam Carson met future bandmate Davey Havok in the fifth grade. It was not until high school that the two became friends and started AFI. While still in high school, Davey Havok, Mark Stopholese, and Vic Chalker formed AFI in November 1991. Stopholese suggested his friend, who was Adam Carson, to be drummer since he owned a drum set. Chalker was soon replaced by Geoff Kresge, and AFI subsequently recorded their debut EP, Dork. Regarding the first AFI practice, Carson recalls: "The first practice was pretty funny because no one knew how to play at all. I remember my dad was in the garage and spent like an hour trying to get the bass and guitar in tune. We didn't even know how to tune anything. I think we tried to play Angry Samoans and Germs covers. There really wasn't any chemistry at that time—it came a little later."
AFI briefly split in 1993 after each of its members graduated high school and attended different colleges. Carson attended UC Santa Cruz, while Havok and Stopholese attended the UC Berkeley and the University of Southern California (USC), respectively.[5] In December of that year, the band reunited and played a show for approximately 200 fans at the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma, California. Encouraged by their enjoyment and success at the show, AFI became a full-time band.
On August 3, 2013, Carson married British model Eirinie Hamil. The couple have two daughters together, Luka Lily Carson, born on April 22, 2017, and Selah Marigold Carson, born on April 17, 2021.[6][7]
Their first full-length, Answer That and Stay Fashionable was released August 11, 1995, on Wingnut Records, and was produced by Tim Armstrong. AFI were soon after signed on to Nitro Records, Dexter Holland of The Offspring's label, and released Very Proud of Ya, their second album. Carson is the one who conceived the album title and has written the lyrics for the song "Key Lime Pie," (a tribute to one of his favorite foods) and contributed several lines to "Rizzo in the Box.".
Adam Carson in studio with Jade Puget (background) during the recording of Black Sails in the Sunset
After several tours in support of the album Very Proud of Ya, Kresge decided to leave the group. His spot was filled by Hunter Burgan for the remaining Very Proud of Ya tour dates. Burgan went on to help AFI record Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes (1997) and was invited to become the full-time bassist.
After recording the A Fire Inside EP (1998), Stopholese left the band and was replaced by Jade Puget, former member of Influence 13 and vocalist Havok's close friend. The band then recorded Black Sails in the Sunset (1999), a musical turning point which introduced AFI fans to a much darker sound,[8] mixing the band's original hardcore roots with dark romantic influences.
The All Hallows EP (October 5, 1999) explored the horror punk genre touched upon on Black Sails, featuring artwork and lyrics containing Halloween themes. The EP spawned the single "Totalimmortal", a track later covered by The Offspring for the Me, Myself and Irene soundtrack. It received a fair amount of radio play and exposed AFI to larger audiences.
Adam Carson performing in Columbus, Ohio, in 2009
Carson played drums on the psychobilly band Tiger Army's debut album Tiger Army. Bandmate Davey Havok and Rancid's Tim Armstrong also contributed backing vocals to the album. The album was released on October 26, 1999.
On September 19, 2000, AFI released The Art of Drowning, which debuted on the Billboard charts at number 174, and peaked at number 9 on the Heatseekers chart.[9] It continued to touch base with the horror punk genre, but expanded into styles that were a departure from previous works. The album brought the band unprecedented success in the underground scene, selling in excess of 100,000 copies.[10] "The Days of the Phoenix" was released as a single and video and had some moderate mainstream success, garnering the band more TV and radio airplay.
In June 2006, AFI's seventh studio album, Decemberunderground, was released on Interscope Records. The album's first single "Miss Murder" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Charts. The release reflected the continually changing and growing fan base of the band, and the album debuted as No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The album has been certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 copies of the album.[11]
AFI's eighth album, Crash Love, was released on September 29, 2009. The first single from the album, "Medicate", was released on August 25, 2009, and reached No. 7 on the Billboard Alternative Songs Chart. The album yielded a second single, "Beautiful Thieves", which peaked at No. 23. The album was very well received by critics.
AFI's ninth studio album, Burials, was released on October 22, 2013. The album's first single, "I Hope You Suffer" was released July 22, 2013, followed by the release of the album's second single, "17 Crimes" on August 6, 2013.
Carson is involved in a new band called The Reckless Kind (formed in 2011), described as "A 5 piece, heavy soul band." They recently finished recording their debut album, and have played several shows.
Equipment
The following is the complete list of Adam Carson's equipment, as found on AFI News Headquarters[12]
AFI is an American rock band from Ukiah, California, formed in 1991. Since 1998, it consists of lead vocalist Davey Havok, drummer and backing vocalist Adam Carson, bassist, backing vocalist and keyboardist Hunter Burgan, and guitarist, backing vocalist and keyboardist Jade Puget. Havok and Carson are the sole remaining original members. Originally a hardcore punk band, they have since delved into many genres, starting with horror punk and following through post-hardcore and emo into alternative rock and gothic rock.
Tiger Army is an American psychobilly band based in Los Angeles, California. The group was formed in 1996 in Berkeley, California, and its only constant member is singer, guitarist, and lead songwriter Nick 13. The band has released six studio albums and four EPs.
The Art of Drowning is the fifth studio album by American rock band AFI. It was released on September 19, 2000, through Nitro Records.
David Paden Marchand, known professionally as Davey Havok, is an American singer and musician who is the lead vocalist of the rock band AFI, the synth-pop band Blaqk Audio, the hardcore punk band XTRMST, and the new wave band Dreamcar. Among various other ventures, he performed lead vocals for Son of Sam's debut album and for fictional band My Purple Agony in the animated series Harvey Girls Forever!.
Jade Errol Puget is an American musician and producer, best known as the guitarist for the rock band AFI, the guitarist/writer for the straight edge hardcore band XTRMST, and the keyboardist/synthesizer operator for the electronic duo Blaqk Audio. Puget is vegetarian and straight edge.
Very Proud of Ya is the second studio album by American rock band AFI. It was released on June 18, 1996, through Nitro Records.
Answer That and Stay Fashionable is the debut studio album by American punk rock band AFI. It was released on July 4, 1995, through Wingnut Records and rereleased on April 22, 1997, through Nitro Records.
A Fire Inside EP is an extended play by American rock band AFI. It was released on September 29, 1998, through Adeline Records. The EP is titled after the band's full moniker, first revealed with their previous album, Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes. The release includes two original songs and two covers. It is the first release to mention Hunter Burgan as a permanent member, and the last to feature founding guitarist Mark Stopholese.
Geoff Kresge is a songwriter, guitarist, bassist, and record producer.
Behind the Times E.P. is an EP by AFI, released on 11 June 1993 on Key Lime Pie Records. It is the band's first EP, and second overall after their split EP with Loose Change earlier in the year.
Eddie Picnic's All Wet is a live EP by American rock band AFI. It was recorded on December 29, 1993, during a show at The Phoenix Theater in Petaluma, California, and released on March 18, 1994, through Key Lime Pie Records. 201 copies were produced on pink vinyl for its first pressing. The second pressing was limited to 100. A reissue, featuring slightly different artwork and remastered tracks, was announced in 2015 and released in 2016 after a pressing delay. The reissue was handled by Atom Age Industries, a company owned by former AFI bassist Geoff Kresge.
This Is Berkeley Not West Bay is an extended play released on June 1, 1994 by Zafio Records. It features AFI, Black Fork, Dead and Gone and Screw 32. There were 2 identical pressings in 1994 and 1995, both on black vinyl. The first was 2,000, the 2nd was 1,000.
Fly in the Ointment is the third extended play released by AFI. It was released on the March 31, 1995, on Wedge Records. Tracks 1–3 were re-recorded for Very Proud of Ya, and "Open Your Eyes" is on the re-release of Answer That and Stay Fashionable but with different vocal tracks and mix.
Decemberunderground is the seventh studio album by American rock band AFI, released on June 6, 2006, through Interscope Records. The album was supported by three singles, "Miss Murder", "Love Like Winter", and "The Missing Frame".
"The Days of the Phoenix" is a song by the American rock band AFI. It was released to radio as the only single from their fifth studio album The Art of Drowning in 2000. On the album's track listing, the song's title is written as "Days of the Phoenix".
"Miss Murder" is a song by American rock band AFI. It was released on April 3, 2006, as the lead single from their seventh studio album Decemberunderground. It was initially scheduled to premiere on LIVE 105 on April 13, 2006; however, it was released early due to overwhelming fan reaction. "Miss Murder" was released to radio on April 25, 2006. It was released in the United Kingdom and Australia on April 24 and July 29, 2006. It was written by Davey Havok and produced by Jerry Finn.
"Love Like Winter" is a song by American rock band AFI. It was released as the second single from their seventh studio album Decemberunderground. "Love Like Winter" was released to radio on September 26, 2006. A music video for the song premiered on TRL on September 26, 2006, and was directed by Marc Webb, who has also directed previous music videos for the band: "The Days of the Phoenix", "The Leaving Song Pt. II", and "Miss Murder". The short version of the music video was released on iTunes along with the live video from I Heard a Voice – Live from Long Beach Arena in December 2006 as an EP called the Love Like Winter EP.
Crash Love is the eighth studio album by the rock band AFI. Produced by Joe McGrath and Jacknife Lee, it was released on September 29, 2009, through Interscope Records.
Burials is the ninth studio album by American rock band AFI. It was released on October 22, 2013, through Republic Records.
Dreamcar is an American new wave supergroup from Los Angeles, California.
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