| Eerie Von | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Eric Stellman |
| Born | August 25, 1964 New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Gothic rock, heavy metal, hardcore punk, blues, country |
| Occupations | Musician, photographer, artist |
| Instruments | Bass, drums, vocals, guitar, keyboards |
| Labels | Ghastly |
| Associated acts | Danzig, Samhain, Rosemary's Babies, Misfits |
| Website | www.eerievon.com |
Eerie Von, born Eric Stellman on August 25, 1964[1] is a musician best known as the original bassist for the metal band Danzig. Eerie Von's preferred bass is the Fender Jazz.[2]
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Eerie Von was raised in Lodi, New Jersey.[1] As a child he gained an interest in drawing and art.[1] He grew up listening mostly to Elvis Presley and 50s rock and roll music.[3] Eerie Von began playing the drums and taking lessons at 8 years old.[4] He attended Lodi High School with future Misfits guitarist Doyle,[5] who introduced Eerie Von to the punk rock music of the Misfits.[3] It was in high school that he earned the "Eerie" nickname.[3]
Eerie Von became interested in photography in 1978.[3] He would later strike a friendship with Glenn Danzig and the Misfits, becoming the band's photographer in 1981.[3] Eerie Von was the drummer for the hardcore punk band Rosemary's Babies from 1980 to 1983, recording drums on the Blood Lust EP and the Talking to the Dead compilation album. Eerie Von was once asked to join the Misfits, but declined, choosing to remain with Rosemary's Babies.[6] Although never an official Misfits member, in 1986 Eerie Von recorded bass on several tracks appearing on the bands Collection II compilation album.[7] Eerie Von's close association with the Misfits led to him providing the liner notes to the Misfits box set in 1996.[8]
After the Misfits broke up, Eerie Von and Glenn Danzig discussed forming a new band and began rehearsing together.[3] This would lead to Eerie Von becoming the original drummer for Danzig's band Samhain, before quickly switching to bass guitar after being shown how to play the songs by Glenn Danzig.[9] He remained with Samhain from 1983 to 1987, recording on the albums Initium, November-Coming-Fire and Final Descent, and also the Unholy Passion EP. Samhain then changed their name to Danzig, who he played bass with from 1987 to July 1995, appearing on the albums Danzig, Lucifuge, How the Gods Kill and 4, and also the Thrall: Demonsweatlive EP.
Eerie Von currently works as a solo performer. He released the instrumental album Uneasy Listening in 1996. He followed this with two gothic rock albums, 1999s The Blood and the Body and 2004s Bad Dream No.13. In 2006, he released the punk rock album That's All There Is. The dark country-style album Kinda Country followed in 2009. Eerie Von also formed the short lived blues rock band, Bighouse, along with former Danzig soundman Rick Dittamo.[10] Eerie Von has had much underground success with his "Fiend Art", which showcases his disturbing themes on canvas. Misery Obscura, a book compiling photographs taken by Eerie Von throughout his career, was released in 2009.[11] In January 2010, Eerie Von performed an acoustic set at Generation Records in New York City with Lyle Preslar and Mike D'Antonio in support of Misery Obscura.[12]
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