ABOUT

Christian Carlson grew up in a musical family and discovered his love for drumming at the age of eight when a close family friend began to teach him how to play African, Brazilian, and Afro-Cuban percussion instruments.  During this time Chris joined fifth-grade band, learning basic snare drum technique and how to read music.  Chris moved with his family to Seattle, WA when he was twelve years old and it was there that he received his first drum-set and started taking private lessons. During this time Chris also was active in the public music programs of his junior high and high school, joining the jazz and concert bands as well as competing in the Washington State Solo and Ensemble Competitions. 

In high school Christian joined his first band, Orange.  Unlike most first bands, this group was comprised of professional Seattle musicians.  Orange was a unique group that blended elements of jazz, funk, rock, and blues with pop hooks and catchy arrangements.  Orange toured around the country playing in California, Colorado, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Oregon, Montana, and all around the greater Seattle area.  Chris left the band when decided to attend Berklee College of Music after receiving a scholarship.

At Berklee Christian was able to hone his sound and musically grow by leaps and bounds.  During his sophomore year, Chris was chosen by the Percussion Department Faculty to receive the Evans Drumhead Scholarship.  At Berklee he studied under the guidance of master drummers: Dave Dicenso, John Ramsey, Kenwood Dennard, Jamey Haddad and Steve Wilkes.  In May of 2009 Chris earned his Bachelors Degree in Professional Music with an emphasis in Performance, Music Business, and Composition. 

After graduating from Berklee Christian moved to in Seattle, WA where he plays drums professionally and teaches private lessons.  He is active with several bands and also plays regularly at Mars Hill Church.  More recently, Chris had the honor of sharing the stage with legendary jazz/fusion musicians Jimmy Haslip (bass) and Jeff Lorber (keys) at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley.  He also has been working in the studio on several projects including a new album by singer/songwriter Amber North that is due for release in March of 2011.

Christian strives to play many different genres of music because he knows that being a diverse artist is of the utmost importance.  His first priority is to serve the music, playing with honesty, passion, and direction.  Please contact Christian if you would like to use him for lessons, gigging, or sessions.