Eerie Von (born Eric Stellmann; August 25, 1964) is an American musician best known as the original bassist for the heavy metal band Danzig. His preferred bass is the

Fender Jazz Bass The Fender Jazz Bass (often shortened to ''J-Bass'') is the second model of Bass guitar, electric bass created by Leo Fender. It is distinct from the Fender Precision Bass, Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midrange a ...

Early life

Eerie Von was raised in

Lodi, New Jersey Lodi (; ) is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 24,136, As a child he gained an interest in drawing and art. He grew up listening mostly to

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

and 50s

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

music. Eerie Von began playing the drums and taking lessons at 8 years old. He attended Lodi High School with future

Misfits Misfits or The Misfits may refer to: Film and television * ''The Misfits'' (1961 film), a film starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift * ''The Misfits'' (2011 film), a Mexican film * ''The Misfits'' (2021 film), an American ...

guitarist

Doyle Doyle is a surname of Irish origin. The name is a back-formation from O'Doyle, which is an Anglicisation of the Irish (), meaning "descendant of ''Dubhghall''". There is another possible etymology: the Anglo-Norman surname ''D'Oyley'' with agglu ...

, who introduced Eerie Von to the punk rock music of the Misfits. It was in high school that he assumed "Eerie" as his nickname.

Career

Rosemary's Babies and Misfits

Eerie Von became interested in photography in 1978. He would later strike a friendship with

Glenn Danzig Glenn Allen Anzalone (born June 23, 1955), better known by his stage name Glenn Danzig, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, film director, and record producer. He is the founder of the rock bands Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig. He owns t ...

and the Misfits, becoming the band's photographer in 1981. Eerie Von was the drummer for the

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

band

Rosemary's Babies Rosemary's Babies was an American hardcore punk band formed in Lodi, New Jersey, Lodi, New Jersey in 1980. Its members included J.R.(Vincent C Paladino) - vocals, Post Mortem (Robert Montena) - bass, CA Richie (Craig Richardson) - guitar, and Eer ...

from 1980 to 1983, recording drums on the ''

Blood Lust ''Blood Lust'' is the second studio album by British band Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats. It was released in 2011 through Killer Candy Records, and later through Rise Above Records. Background and production Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats member ...

'' EP and the '' Talking to the Dead'' compilation album. Eerie Von was once asked to join the Misfits as a drummer, but declined, choosing to remain with Rosemary's Babies. Although never an official Misfits member, in 1986 Eerie Von performed bass and drums on several tracks which eventually appeared on the band's ''

Collection II ''Collection II'', also known as ''Misfits II'', a compilation album of songs by the American punk rock band Misfits. Released on November 14, 1995, it serves as a companion album to the band's previous compilation, ''Collection I''. Both compi ...

'' compilation album in 1995. Eerie Von's close association with the Misfits led to him providing the liner notes to the Misfits box set in 1996.

Samhain and Danzig

After the Misfits broke up, Eerie Von and Glenn Danzig discussed forming a new band and began rehearsing together. This would lead to Eerie Von becoming the original drummer for Danzig's band

Samhain Samhain ( , , , ; gv, Sauin ) is a Gaelic festival on 1 NovemberÓ hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Myth Legend and Romance: An Encyclopaedia of the Irish Folk Tradition''. Prentice Hall Press, 1991. p. 402. Quote: "The basic Irish division of the year ...

, before quickly switching to bass guitar after being shown how to play the songs by Glenn Danzig. He remained with Samhain from 1983 to 1987, recording on the albums ''

Initium ''Initium'' is the 1984 debut album by American deathrock band Samhain, released on lead singer Glenn Danzig's independent record label Plan 9. In various interviews, Danzig stated that the album's title, which translates from Latin to Engli ...

'', ''

November-Coming-Fire ''Samhain III: November-Coming-Fire'' is the second studio album by American deathrock band Samhain. It was released in February 1986, through lead singer Glenn Danzig's independent record label, Plan 9. Background ''November-Coming-Fire'' ...

'' and '' Final Descent'', and also the ''

Unholy Passion ''Unholy Passion'' is the first EP and second overall release by American deathrock band Samhain, Glenn Danzig's band after the disbanding of the Misfits. According to bassist Eerie Von in his photographic book ''Misery Obscura,'' the album was ...

'' 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 ''Thrall-Demonsweatlive'' is an EP by American heavy metal band Danzig. It was released in 1993 on Def American Recordings and has been certified Gold. Music and recording The EP is split into two sections. The first section, ''Thrall'', consi ...

'' EP.

Solo

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. 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. In January 2010, Eerie Von performed an acoustic set at Generation Records in New York City with

Lyle Preslar Lyle Preslar is an American musician best known for being the guitar player and songwriter for the hardcore punk band Minor Threat. Before that, he was the vocalist for The Extorts, who later became State of Alert after he quit. Despite not perfo ...

and

Mike D'Antonio Michael D'Antonio (born May 19, 1973) is best known as the bass guitarist and founder of Massachusetts metal band Killswitch Engage and of the band Overcast. Career D'Antonio's writing influences include old New York Hardcore bands like Cro-Ma ...

in support of ''Misery Obscura''. Eerie Von was the co-host for ''Under the Gun with Candy Gunn'', a weekly radio show broadcast on Radio Free Nashville, from its inception in 2012 until July 2013. Eerie Von is currently planning to release a new book and documentary, both titled ''Misery Perfectum'', and he is working on a sixth solo album.

Discography

Rosemary's Babies

* 1983: ''

Blood Lust EP ''Blood Lust'' is an EP recorded from 1982 to 1983. This red 7" vinyl EP includes a 3-second intro followed by 10 songs with an average length of 58 seconds for a total play time of 10:41. The Bergen County borough of Lodi, NJ was the spawning ...

'' * 2004: '' Talking to the Dead''

Misfits

* 1995: ''

'' (Some songs either featured overdubs by, or were entirely recorded by, Glenn Danzig and Eerie Von) * 1996: '' Misfits Box Set''

Samhain

* 1984: ''

'' * 1985: ''

Unholy Passion EP ''Unholy Passion'' is the first EP and second overall release by American deathrock band Samhain, Glenn Danzig's band after the disbanding of the Misfits. According to bassist Eerie Von in his photographic book ''Misery Obscura,'' the album was ...

'' * 1986: ''

'' * 1990: '' Final Descent'' * 2000: '' Samhain Box Set * 2002: '' Samhain Live '85–'86''

Danzig

* 1988: '' Danzig'' * 1990: '' Danzig II: Lucifuge'' * 1992: '' Danzig III: How the Gods Kill'' * 1993: ''

'' * 1994: ''

Danzig 4 ''Danzig 4'', also titled ''Danzig 4P'', is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Danzig. Released in 1994, it was the band's final album on American Recordings, and the last to feature the original lineup of John Christ (guita ...

'' * 2001: ''

Live on the Black Hand Side ''Live on the Black Hand Side'' is a double-disc live album by American heavy metal band Danzig. It was recorded at various shows between 1992 and 2000 (including Danzig's infamous Halloween '92 show at Irvine Meadows, CA), and was released in ...

'' * 2007: ''

The Lost Tracks of Danzig ''The Lost Tracks of Danzig'' is a compilation album by American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Danzig (band), Danzig. The set showcases a number of previously unreleased Danzig songs, ranging from the band's first recording sessions in 198 ...

Solo

* 1996: '' Uneasy Listening'' (with Mike Morance) * 1999: '' The Blood and the Body'' * 2004: '' Bad Dream No.13'' * 2006: '' That's All There Is'' (as SpiderCider) * 2009: '' Kinda Country''

Others

* 1998: ''The Black Bible'' by Various Artists (Contributed the track "Cinerarium Waltz") * 2000: ''The Darkest Millennium (A Gothic, Industrial, and Synth Pop Collection)'' by Various Artists (Contributed the track "An Investment in Hate") * 2000: ''Darken My Fire: A Gothic Tribute To The Doors'' by Various Artists (Contributed the track "The Spy") * 2001: ''Darker Shade of Goth'' by Various Artists (Contributed disc one) * 2005: ''Pledge Your Allegiance...To Satan!'' by Various Artists (Contributed the track "The Bone Drone")

References

External links

Eerie Von's official websiteEerie Von's Fiend ArtGhastly Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Von, Eerie 1964 births Living people American punk rock bass guitarists American male bass guitarists Horror punk musicians Danzig (band) members People from Lodi, New Jersey American people of German descent Guitarists from New Jersey American male guitarists Samhain (band) members 20th-century American guitarists