Carla Azar

Carla Azar is a musician and a member of the band Autolux, and former member of the bands Ednaswap and Wendy and Lisa. Azar is a multi-instrumentalist but is known primarily for playing the drums. She also plays glockenspiel, xylophone, mellotron, piano, and bass guitar. Carla is celebrated among fans for her powerful performances -- often with her eyes closed.

Wendy and Lisa

Former Prince and the Revolution bandmembers Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman tapped Azar's drumming and percussion talents for their 1987 self-titled debut album. Credited first as an accompanying musician, Azar became an official band member with a 1989 followup, Fruit at the Bottom, and remained with the band through their third release, Eroica, in 1990.

Ednaswap

Azar was a member of the Los Angeles-based band Ednaswap. She played with the band for their first two albums, their eponymous debut album and Wacko Magneto. She was replaced by Scot Coogan for the band's third and final album and tour schedule.

Autolux

Autolux formed in 2000 in Los Angeles, California. Azar met Eugene Goreshter while scoring Nobel Prize winner Dario Fo's play Accidental Death of an Anarchist. Azar met Greg Edwards when Ednaswap, toured with Edwards' former band Failure and Local H. In August 2000, Autolux made their debut, playing two shows at the Silverlake Lounge. On March 1st, 2001, the band released a self-produced EP entitled Demonstration. It contained five songs recorded on an 8 track in their rehearsal space.

After impressing legendary producer T-Bone Burnett during a performance, Autolux signed to DMZ, a small label created by Burnett and the Coen Brothers.

In May 2002, Azar fell from a stage after Autolux had opened for Elvis Costello. Her elbow was shattered, and she was told she would "probably never play drums again." However, due to an experimental surgery involving 8 titanium screws, she made a full and complete recovery. (Picture: )

In 2002, Azar and Josh Klinghoffer supported Vincent Gallo's as his tour band in support of his record When. Besides drums, Azar also played guitar and mellotron on the tour.

Azar has also contributed drums to a number of other artist's records, including T-Bone Burnett's 2005 album The True False Identity and John Frusciante's 2005 album Curtains.

In January 2008, Azar entered the studio along with Polly Jean Harvey, John Parish, Eric Drew Feldman and Giovanni Ferrario, to provide drums on the follow-up to Harvey and Parish's 1996 collaboration "Dance Hall At Louse Point" .

Discography

Wendy and Lisa

• Wendy and Lisa (Columbia Records) (1987)
• Fruit at the Bottom (Columbia Records) (1989)
• Eroica (Virgin Records) (1990)

Ednaswap

• Ednaswap (East West Records) (1995)
• Chicken EP (Island Records) (1996)
• Wacko Magneto (Island Records) (1997)

Autolux

• Demonstration (2001)
• Future Perfect (DMZ) (2004)

Appears on

• Trampoline by Joe Henry (Mammoth Records) (1996)
• Vagabundo by Robi Draco Rosa (Sony Latin) (1996)
• Come to Where I'm From by Joseph Arthur (2000)
• Fan Dance by Sam Phillips (Nonesuch Records) (2001)
• Mad Love by Draco Rosa (Sony - Columbia) (2004)
• A Boot and a Shoe by Sam Phillips (Nonesuch Records) (2004)
• Curtains by John Frusciante (Record Collection) (2005)
• The True False Identity by T-Bone Burnett (DMZ) (2006)

? by Jubilee (Buddyhead Records) (2008)