S. Carey

Sean Carey is a Wisconsin-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who, in addition to releasing a series of well-received chamber folk records as S. Carey, is well known as the drummer and pianist for indie pop group Bon Iver. Carey’s solo career began in the 2010s with releases like Range of Light (2014) and Hundred Acres (2018). The deeply introspective Break Me Open appeared in 2022.
A native of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Carey began playing drums at the age of ten and later sought a degree in classical percussion at University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire. After graduating, he joined Justin Vernon’s Bon Iver project and became a full-time collaborator, acting as drummer, pianist, and supporting vocalist. During this time, he began developing his own compositions, which meld classical elements with indie folk and rich harmonies.
Conceived and composed on the road and executed during tour breaks with Bon Iver, Carey’s first solo outing under the moniker S. Carey combined a traditional rock band setup with elements of chamber pop, fusion, and jazz drumming. The meditative and cinematic All We Grow was released by Jagjaguwar in August 2010. An EP called Hoyas appeared in 2012, followed by his second LP, 2014′s Range of Light, a work of enchanting chamber folk inspired by the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Nature, a central theme in Carey’s brand of orchestral Americana, was again reflected in his 2015 EP Supermoon. Returning in 2018, Carey focused on a more minimalist approach on the warmly introspective Hundred Acres.
Another four years passed before Carey returned with his fourth solo effort. A typically reflective collection that ruminates on love, fatherhood, and vulnerability, Break Me Open was released by his longtime label Jagjaguwar in April 2022. ~ James Christopher Monger & Timothy Monger