Carsie Blanton

Carsie Blanton
Carsie Blanton at Milkboy
Carsie Blanton at Milkboy
Background information
Born
Carson Amanda Blanton

(1985-07-22) July 22, 1985
Luray, Virginia, US
OriginEugene, Oregon, US
Genres
OccupationSinger-songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active2005–present
Websitecarsieblanton.com

Carson Amanda "Carsie" Blanton (born July 22, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist based in New Jersey. Blanton has released eight studio albums and three EPs,[1] all with a pay what you want pricing strategy.[2]

Fresh Air called Blanton "one of those hard-headed open-hearted protestors who can make revolution sound desirable to your body, even if your mind wants to resist it," in reference to her 2021 album Love and Rage.[3]

Early life

Carsie Blanton grew up on a former cattle farm in Luray, Virginia. Her education involved unschooling.[4] She began learning piano at age 6 and playing guitar at age 13.[5] At age 15, she started singing back-up vocals for a touring funk band and took up swing dancing.[6] At age 16, Blanton went to live in a group house with other artists and musicians in Eugene, Oregon.[7]

Career

In 2005, Blanton recorded and self-released her first studio album Ain't So Green, produced by Steve Van Dam of Everything.[8] In 2006, Blanton relocated from Eugene to Philadelphia to pursue her music career full-time.[9] She also began working with manager Bill Eib.[10]

Beginning in 2010, Blanton performed as a support act for The Wood Brothers on multiple tours in the United States, Germany, and in Netherlands.[11] Oliver Wood produced Blanton's 2012 album Idiot Heart.[12] In 2011, she toured with Anaïs Mitchell's Hadestown, playing one of the Fates.[13] That year Blanton also opened several shows on Paul Simon's So Beautiful or So What tour.[14]

In 2012, Blanton relocated to New Orleans, where she lived until moving back to the Philadelphia area in 2020.[15]

In 2019, she released Buck Up, which Ken Tucker, reviewing the album for NPR's Fresh Air, called "delightfully surprising."[16]

In 2020 and 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Blanton supported herself and her band by playing monthly online rent parties.[15] In 2021, Blanton released Love & Rage, an album of "anti-fascist anthems" produced by Tyler Chester.[3][15] Her album Body of Work (also produced by Chester) was released one song per month throughout 2022 and 2023.[17][18]

After the titular single's release in fall 2023,[19] Blanton's album After the Revolution was released in 2024.[20]

Blanton's albums have all been released independently.[1] She receives direct support from her fans on Patreon and Kickstarter.[2] She typically performs live with her trio, sometimes called the Handsome Band,[21] which includes Joe Plowman on bass and Patrick Firth on keyboards.[22]

Her song "Tango Luigi", released in 2026, drew parallels between Luigi Mangione and Violet Gibson.[23][24]

Other activities

In October 2025, Blanton took part in the Global Sumud Flotilla to bring humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. She spent a week in an Israeli prison as a result of her participation.[25]

Carsie Blanton and Joe Plowman at the Southern Cafe in Charlottesville, Virginia, February 8, 2025.

Discography

YearAlbum
2005Ain't So Green
2009Buoy
2010Beau
2012Idiot Heart
2014Not Old, Not New
2016So Ferocious
2019Buck Up
2021Love & Rage
2022Body of Work
2024After the Revolution
2024The Red Album
2026Everything is Great

References

  1. 1 2 Bodin, Richard (February 24, 2026). "Revolution with Music: Carsie Blanton's Art of Resistance". The Hidden Track. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Wolford, Christopher (March 14, 2019). "Chaos, Creation, and Card Games: A Conversation with Carsie Blanton". Split Lip Magazine. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  3. 1 2 Tucker, Ken (April 26, 2021). "Carsie Blanton's Open-Hearted Protest Album Is Equal Parts 'Love & Rage'". NPR.org. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  4. ↑ Norton, Jon (June 2, 2022). "Success looks different than Carsie Blanton imagined". WGLT. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  5. ↑ Danzig, Mayer (February 19, 2019). "Carsie Blanton On Two Lessons Learned and The Time She Almost Quit Music". Twangville. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  6. ↑ Weidling, Joshua (January 28, 2021). "Carsie Blanton – CRAZY TOUR STORIES". Digital Tour Bus. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  7. ↑ Janci, Jenelle (February 22, 2017). "Carsie Blanton to show off independent spirit at Lancaster Roots & Blues". LancasterOnline. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  8. ↑ Carsie Blanton - Ain't So Green, 2005, retrieved July 6, 2026
  9. ↑ "Carsie Blanton On Mountain Stage". NPR. July 7, 2011. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  10. ↑ Takiff, Jonathan (January 27, 2012). "Music: Singer Carsie Blanton, Philly's musical secret, plots her own course". Inquirer.com. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  11. ↑ Gilbert, Andrew (February 27, 2019). "Rising star Carsie Blanton's tour with Wood Brothers hits SF Bay Area". The Mercury News. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  12. ↑ dean (January 18, 2012). "Oliver Wood Shares Carsie Blanton's _Idiot Heart_". Jambands. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  13. ↑ McDonald, Sam (February 15, 2011). "Songwriter Anais Mitchell brings 'Hadestown' folk opera to Norfolk". Daily Press. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  14. ↑ Davis, Hays (December 1, 2011). "Paul Simon still approaches his songs with enthusiasm". The News & Advance. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  15. 1 2 3 DeLuca, Dan (April 17, 2021). "Carsie Blanton and her band threw rent parties to stay afloat in the pandemic. Now they're back with 'Love & Rage'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  16. ↑ Tucker, Ken (March 21, 2019). "Carsie Blanton Is Delightfully Surprising On 'Buck Up'". NPR. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Body of Work (2023), by Carsie Blanton". Bandcamp. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Carsie Blanton's band wants to make you feel better in Boothbay Harbor". The Portland Press Herald. June 3, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  19. ↑ Banks, Breffni (October 17, 2023). "Carsie Blanton Releases Heartening Title Track For New Album 'After The Revolution'". IMRO. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  20. ↑ Wienk, Chris (May 2, 2024). "Carsie Blanton After the Revolution". WEXT Radio. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  21. ↑ "LIVE IN CONCERT: CARSIE BLANTON AND HER HANDSOME BAND". Lincoln Theatre. September 29, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  22. ↑ Forte, Dan (March 8, 2022). "Carsie Blanton". Vintage Guitar® magazine. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  23. ↑ Baker, C. J. (March 12, 2026). "Daily Dose of Protest: Tango Luigi – Carsie Blanton". The Ongoing History of Protest Music. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  24. ↑ Meigs, James B. (April 30, 2026). "Political Violence Is Cool Now". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  25. ↑ Bernstein, Jonathan (October 10, 2025). "An American Singer and Activist on What She Experienced as a Prisoner in Israel". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
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