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. 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. 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.

Biography

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." Carson acquired an interest in music as early as age three, by which time he had amassed a small collection of 45-rpm records. As a toddler, Carson would also drag pots and pans out of his kitchen and assemble them into a drum set. 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.

Career

Between 1993 and 1995 AFI released several vinyl EPs (Behind the Times; Eddie Picnic's All Wet; This Is Berkeley, Not West Bay; AFI/Heckle; Bombing the Bay; Fly in the Ointment) independently.

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.".

thumb|left|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, 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.

thumb|right|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. 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. "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 2002, AFI left Nitro Records. A&R Luke Wood signed them to DreamWorks Records. Their first album for the label, Sing the Sorrow, was released in 2003. The songs "Girl's Not Grey", "The Leaving Song Pt. II", and "Silver and Cold" had some Billboard chart success and exposed the band to even larger audiences. They were nominated in the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards for the MTV2 award category for the "Girl's Not Grey" video, which came to be their first VMA.

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.

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

Drums and hardware

  • Drum Workshop

Toms (depth x width)

  • 18" x 24" bass drum
  • 9" x 12" rack tom
  • 14" x 16" floor tom
  • 16" x 18" floor tom

Snares (depth x width)

  • 6.5″ x 14″ Pork Pie (Brass)
  • 5.5″ x 14″ Ayotte "Keplinger" (Steel)
  • 5.5″ x 14″ Ludwig "Black Beauty" (Brass)
  • 6.5″ x 14″ Legend (Maple)

Sticks

  • Vater "Power" 5B (primarily)

Cymbals

  • 22″ Zildjian A Custom Ping Ride
  • 22″ Zildjian Z Custom Power Ride
  • 22″ Zildjian A Ride
  • 14″ Zildjian Rock Hi-Hats
  • 15″ Zildjian K Bottom
  • 15″ Zildjian Quickbeat Bottom Hi-Hat Combo

Drum heads

  • Remo coated Emperors (toms and snares)
  • Remo Powerstroke III (bass drum)

Discography

With AFI

Studio albums

  • Answer That and Stay Fashionable (1995)
  • Very Proud of Ya (1996)
  • Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes (1997)
  • Black Sails in the Sunset (1999)
  • The Art of Drowning (2000)
  • Sing the Sorrow (2003)
  • Decemberunderground (2006)
  • Crash Love (2009)
  • Burials (2013)
  • AFI (2017)
  • Bodies (2021)
  • Silver Bleeds the Black Sun... (2025)

With Tiger Army

  • Tiger Army (October 26, 1999, Hellcat Records)
  • Early Years EP (October 8, 2002, Hellcat Records)

References