Bio

Brooklyn-based bassist Eddie Carlson has been hailed by Greg Kot as “McCartney-esque,” presumably for both his thoughtful, beautiful basslines and his hectoring, pedantic manner in the rehearsal room. (Interestingly, McCartney has been awarded an MBE, while Carlson has earned only an MBA.) Since 2009, Carlson has been the bassist in Wesley Stace’s backing band, The English UK, alongside guitarist/keyboardist David Nagler and drummer Patrick Berkery. In that capacity, he has recorded two LPs, most recently 2026’s Meisterwerk, One Last Heist ("delightfully warm and stylistically sophisticated" (PopMatters)), and performed at nearly 100 editions of Wesley Stace’s Cabinet of Wonders, a cabaret-style multi-artist show which The New Yorker called “one of the finest nights of entertainment this city has to offer.” As the Cabinet bassist, he has played with a nearly implausible array of musicians, including Eric Andersen, Fred Armisen, Tracy Bonham, Edie Brickell, David Bromberg, Rosanne Cash, Dave Cousins, Marshall Crenshaw, A.J. Croce, Evan Dando, Dean and Britta, John Doe, Tanya Donelly, Steve Earle, Craig Finn, Dom Flemons, Eleanor Friedberger, Juliana Hatfield, Sophie B. Hawkins, Kristin Hersh, Robyn Hitchcock, Peter Holsapple, Ethan Iverson, Bill Janovitz, Garland Jeffreys, Gary Louris, Mac McCaughan, John McCrea, Ian McLagan, Stephin Merritt, Anaïs Mitchell, Ryan Miller, Isaac Mizrahi, Paul Muldoon, Aaron Neville, Joan Osborne, Ben Ottewell, Steven Page, Graham Parker, Nina Persson, Vicki Peterson, Grant-Lee Phillips, Terry Reid, Adam Schlesinger, Brinsley Schwarz, Mike Scott, G. E. Smith, Jill Sobule, Bridget St. John, Chris Stamey, Stew, Syd Straw, Teddy Thompson, Andrew VanWyngarden, Suzanne Vega, Tony Visconti, Loudon Wainwright III, and Craig Wedren.

Carlson began his career in Chicago. Highlights of his time as Poi Dog Pondering’s bassist include sold-out shows at the Aragon Ballroom, The Vic, Ravinia, and Red Rocks (opening for the DMB) and the double live album Liquid White Light. He is the bassist on the first four Aluminum Group records, most notably the 1998 magnum opus, Plano. He worked with the excellent and affable producer Brad Wood on Diane Izzo’s One and appeared on two episodes of WXRT’s Sound Opinions.

Carlson made his network television debut on the December 4, 2023, episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers, performing “Radio Free Europe” with Michael Shannon, Jason Narducy, and “friends.” He is the bass player in the comedy special Dave Hill: The Pride of Cleveland.