Earth
BIOGRAPHY
Earth was formed in Olympia, Washington by Dylan Carlson. In the early days some of the members of Earth included Slim Moon (later to found Kill Rock Stars), and Greg Babior. The original lineup was two guitars, vocals, and various old analogue synths. After moving to Seattle, Slim Moon and Greg Babior exit… Dave Harwell and Joe Preston join the group. With this lineup Earth records in Portland, Oregon at Smegma Studios with Mike Lastra. Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) and Kelly Canary (Dickless) both contribute vocals to this session. Sub Pop becomes interested after seeing Earth perform live and agree to release the Portland sessions as the Extra Capsular Extraction EP. The release is now legendary for its ultra heavy and slow mammoth riffing, taking Sabbath and the Melvins to a entirely slower sub-level!
The lineup strips down to a two piece (Dylan and Dave) when Joe Preston is asked to join the Melvins. Earth record their next album Earth2 in August 1992 at Avast studios with Stuart Hallerman at the helm. Many consider this record a definitive statement of the drone triumphant. Others merely see it as the inevitable result of the damage downers do to perception of time and duration. Whichever the case. its influence is absolutely undeniable. If it wasn’t for this album bands like Sunn0))) wouldn’t even exist! Shortly after the release of Earth2, Dave leaves Earth.
In Autumn 1993 recording begins on Phase3: Thrones and Dominions. Joining Dylan for these sessions is Tommy Hansen (formerly of The Fartz and Crisis Party) and Ian Dickson on guitars. Phase 3 is finished a year later with Rick Cambern on drums for one track and finally released by Sub Pop in April 1995. Ian Dickson becomes a permanent member of Earth. In February ‘96 two new members are added to the group; Shawn McElligot on lead guitar and Mike McDaniels on drums. The group travels to Studio 45, (which happens to be in the old Colt guns manufacturing plant) in Hartford, Connecticut to record with Mike Deming. Pentastar (In The Style Of Demons) is a result of the Connecticut sessions and is released July 23rd 1996 on Sub Pop. This is an Earth ROCK album. Bass, drums, guitars and (some) vocals, it is the most “traditional” sounding Earth album recorded. After the release of this album the “group” disbands and Earth/Dylan Carlson go on hiatus.
Earth becomes active once again with the addition of Adrienne Davies on drums unveiling its new cleaner, sparser, and more improvisational style. In September of 2002 Earth embarks on a week long tour of the east coast performing as a drums and guitar duo for the first time. With renewed vigor and new direction Earth releases their first studio album in 9 years. With each album released, Earth has progressed and diversified their sound, pushing all boundaries of preconceived perceptions. Hex; or Printing in the Infernal Method was absolutely no exception.
For Earth’s 2007 release Hibernaculum, a lineup consisting of Adrienne, Don Mcgreevy, Jonas Haskins, Steve Moore and Greg Anderson, assembled by Dylan, deliver a focused brooding sound akin to the Hex material. The audio CD was accompanied by a DVD documentary of the band filmed by renowned artist Seldon Hunt, and featured many interviews with Dylan Carlson and live footage of the group’s 2006 European tour.
The Bees Made Honey In The Lion’s Skull is in some ways a follow up to Hex, it’s their first album of entirely new material since 2005 and like Hex, we see the band once again continuing it’s evolution.