Carrie Brownstein Biography

Fast Facts

• Rolling Stone Magazine named her band Sleater-Kinney's song "Dig Me Out" as one of the 50 greatest guitar songs of all time, and in 2006 was named their highest-rated female guitarist of all time
• Graduated from The Evergreen State College with a degree in Sociolinguistics in 1997
• Began playing guitar at the age of 15, learning chords from her classmate, Sunny Day Real Estate frontman Jeremy Enigk
• Quote: "I'd gone through so many phases as a kid with my interests that my parents put their foot down with guitar․ So [it was]․․․the first thing that I had to save up my own money for․․․maybe that was the whole reason that I actually stuck with it․"
• Quote: "Music has always been my constant, my salvation․․․music put a weapon in my hand and words in my mouth it backed me up and shielded me, it shook me and scared me and showed me the way; music opened me up to living and being and feeling․"
• Best known as a former member of the riot-grrrl band Sleater-Kinney and as the co-creator, writer, and star of "Portlandia․"
• Formed the band WILD FLAG in 2010 with fellow Sleater-Kinney member Janet Weiss, with their self-titled debut album coming out in September 2011
• The majority of "Portlandia" is improvised, with only a basic script outlined a week before shooting starts, which itself often changes on set
• Wrote for the NPR blog "Monitor Mix" from 2007 to 2010, which concerned her thoughts on the state of music and popular culture