Sean Carey, also known as S. Carey, is an American musician from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, best known as the drummer and supporting vocalist of indie folk band Bon Iver. He is a two-time Grammy Award winner for his work with the band. In August 2010, Carey released his first solo album, All We Grow, which he began working on in 2008 during hiatuses from performing with the band.
Background Carey grew up in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. As the child of a singer and a music teacher, he has been immersed in music his entire life. He was raised listening to James Taylor, The Beach Boys, and Bruce Hornsby. At the age of ten he learned to play the drums and developed a deep love of jazz percussion after hearing his oldest sister perform in the middle school jazz band.
In 2007, Carey graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire with a performance degree in classical percussion. That same year, upon hearing through mutual friends that Justin Vernon was planning on forming a band (Bon Iver), Carey listened to For Emma, Forever Ago on MySpace until he had learned all the songs. Said Carey:
After singing a few songs backstage, Vernon and Carey realized how good their voices sounded together. Vernon asked Carey to play the show with him that night, and officially signed him to the band later that same evening.
Solo career and debut album Carey's solo career came about semi-accidentally. After each month-long stint of touring with Bon Iver, Carey would return to Eau Claire for three weeks. During his time at home, Carey would record songs and experiment with layering sounds together.
Carey recorded most of the music on All We Grow by himself with few exceptions. Jeremy Boettcher (bass), Nick Ball (guitar), and Bon Iver bandmate Mike Noyce (viola) played a large percentage of the music that Carey could not. Sean's sister Shannon Carey provided background vocals on two tracks, and Aaron Hedenstrom and Chris Thompson provided miscellaneous musical support.
The song "In the Dirt" appears in the last scene of the episode "The Dig" from the Season 7 of the TV series House M.D. and also in the last scene of the episode "What Went Wrong" from season 3 of the TV series The Good Wife.
Carey produced and appears on Owen's ninth album The King of Whys.
Carey provided backing vocals for many tracks on Sufjan Stevens' 2015 album Carrie & Lowell, and was featured by name in the demo version of the track "Eugene" released on the 10th anniversary edition of the album.Carrie & Lowell (liner notes). Asthmatic Kitty. 2015.
Comparisons have been drawn between Carey's harmonies and those of Brian Wilson in his 2004 album Smile. His music has also been likened to that of Sufjan Stevens, Fleet Foxes, Iron & Wine, José González, Steve Reich, and Talk Talk.
Performances From September 8 to October 3, 2010, S. Carey toured North America with Swedish folk singer Kristian Matsson, otherwise known as The Tallest Man on Earth. During that time, the group performed fourteen times in Vancouver, Seattle, California, Arizona, Texas, Toronto, Montreal, New York City, Pennsylvania, and Washington DC. When asked what it was like touring with Matsson, Carey responded:
S. Carey performed at CMJ 2010, and was considered "the most buzzed-about act of the day." He spent a great deal of the summer of 2011 opening for David Bazan before joining the Bon Iver tour as band director and one of two drummers.
Awards Award Year Category Work ResultGrammy Award2012 Record of the Year "Holocene" by Bon Iver Best Alternative Music Album Bon Iver by Bon Iver Best New Artist Bon Iver 2020 Album of the YearI, I by Bon Iver Best Alternative Music Album Record of the Year "Hey, Ma" by Bon Iver
Discography Albums Title Album details All We Grow Released: August 24, 2010 Formats: LP, CD, digital download, streaming Label: Jagjaguwar Range of Light Released: April 1, 2014 Formats: LP, CD, digital download, streaming Label: Jagjaguwar Hundred Acres Released: February 23, 2018 Formats: LP, CD, digital download, streaming Label: Jagjaguwar Break Me Open Released: April 22, 2022 Formats: LP, CD, digital download, streaming Label: Jagjaguwar Shadowlands Released: September 15, 2023 Formats: LP, CD, digital download, streaming Label: Libellule Editions
EPs Title Album details Hoyas Released: May 8, 2012 Formats: EP, CD, digital download, streaming Label: Jagjaguwar Supermoon Released: February 17, 2015 Formats: EP, CD, digital download, streaming Label: Jagjaguwar Watercress Released: October 3, 2025 Formats: LP, Digital download, streaming Label: Jagjaguwar
References
External links Official Bon Iver website