User:Ekonopasek/sandbox

Bill Carey is an American songwriter, musician and producer. He has had a long a varied career as a writer, guitarist, vocalist, recording engineer and producer.

Carey has been a key member of several independent bands in the US and England, beginning in 1978 with The Art Holes - a seminal band in the Tampa, Florida Punk scene of the late 1970’s, which included such bands as The Straight Jackets, A New Personality and The Shades. By 1980, with a few lineup and name changes, the Art Holes had morphed into the Stick Figures, who released an EP on their own Green label in 1981. (Walter Salas-Humara of the Silos covered the Carey-penned song ‘September’ from this EP on his 1988 album Lagartija . The band relocated to New York City in 1981 to begin work on an LP, but never completed the recording and split up shortly after arrival.

En route to New York, Bill Carey and David Bowman (also of the Art Holes and Stick Figures) joined Lee Warren (ex-Art Holes) and George Poscover in their band NEMB, releasing the 7” single Torture/The Middle Room on Green records in 1981.The break up of The Stick Figures and NEMB led to the formation of King of Culture in NYC in 1981. King of Culture existed in various permutations through 1984, releasing a single during that time. The band different times included Mark Dumais of Crash, and Kurt Ralske, later to join Crash with Dumais and Carey prior to forming Ultra Vivid Scene in 1986, and Jesse Hultberg of 3 Teens Kill 4.

Dumais created the NYC based independent label Justine, which released singles by Crash, Nothing But Happiness, the Woods (all recorded and produced by Carey) and Ultra Vivid Scene. The release of the Crash singles Almost and Don’t Look Now led to a record deal with UK based Remorse label. Carey (now a member of the band on guitar, as well as producer) recorded the Crash album I Feel Fine in the summer of 1986. The band relocated to London in 1986 to support the album release. A follow up single was recorded in early 1987 and released later that year. One of Crash’s first gigs in the UK was supporting My Bloody Valentine in Manchester in October of 1986, and they regularly played at the Camden Falcon and other London.

Carey remained in London following the breakup of Crash, and after a brief stint augmenting the House of Love on guitar, formed Something Pretty Beautiful with Joss Cope. The band signed to Creation Records, releasing two records (CRE066 & CRE074) and touring with various Creation bands including Primal Scream, The House of Love and My Bloody Valentine.

Following the demise of Something Pretty Beautiful, Carey remained active as a recording engineer, producer and songwriter until 1998, completing a never released album under the name Gone Walkers in 1992. At this time Carey was also a partner in Sonica - a South London recording studio where he worked as an engineer with a variety of artists, including Jerry Dammers, Lush, Cradle (a project of Terry Bickers of the House of Love) and My Bloody Valentine.

In 2012, Carey returned to music in Florida, writing recording and playing locally with Gone Walkers and Agent 13. Agent 13 released an independent single (Rock and Roll Comes at You (Out of Nowhere) / Lethal Dose) in March 2015.

Discography:

The Stick Figures EP (Green Records: Green001: 1981)

NEMB Torture/The Middle Room single (Green Records: Green003: 1981)

King of Culture Know How/Cut Shut single (Green Records: Green005: 1983)

King of Culture - Insincerity (track on Glass Records compilation Shadow and Substance 1984)

Crash - I Feel Fine (LP) (Remorse: REMLP2 1986)

Crash - Bright Coloured Lights (Remorse 1987)

Something Pretty Beautiful - Freefall (Single) Creation (CRE066 1988)

Something Pretty Beautiful - Freak Outburst (EP) Creation (CRE074 1989)

Agent 13 - Rock and Roll Comes at You (Out of Nowhere) (Single) (2015)

Production credits:

Stick Figures (EP) (Green Records: Green 001 1981)

A New Personality Eyes - (Single) (Green Records: Green 002 1981)

The Woods Miracles Tonight (Single) (Justine: JUS 003 1985)

Nothing But Happiness (Single)

Nothing But Happiness - Detour (LP) (Remorse: REMLP1 1986)

Crash - Almost (Single) (Justine 1985) (Remorse 19860

Crash - Don’t Look Now/ International Velvet (Single) (Remorse; LOST 2 1986)

Crash - I Feel Fine (LP) Remorse: REMLP2

Crash - Everything Under the Sun (LP) (Compilation) (Justine: JUSTCD1 1992)

The Windmills - The Day Dawned on Me (Single) STS: STS2 1988

Melody Group - 7 Songs (Mini-Album) Matinee: MATCD007

Engineering Credits:

My Bloody Valentine: Sugar (Single) (1989)

Cradle - Baby Yaga (LP) Ultimate: TOPPLP042 1996

Cradle - Second Nature (Single) Ultimate: TOPP039 1996

Simon Walker - Waiting Rooms (LP) Rough Trade 1997