Sickie Wifebeater

Eric Carlson
Also known as	Sickie Wifebeater
Born	May 22, 1958
Origin	Seattle, Washington
Genres	Rape rock, heavy metal, punk rock
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	1970s–present
Associated acts	The Mentors, Sickie WifeBeater's 4F Club XXXperience, Northwest Breeders Jesters of Destiny, Mentorhawk
Website	Sickie Wifebeater at MySpace
Notable instruments
1964 red Gibson SG 1965 red Gibson SG Early 1980s silver Boogiebody Stratocaster 1970s black Ventura Les Paul Copy

Eric Carlson (born May 22, 1958, in Seattle, Washington) is a founding member and lead guitarist of American heavy metal band The Mentors. Under the stage name Sickie Wifebeater, Carlson started The Mentors in Seattle in 1976 with bass guitarist Steve Broy (Dr. Heathen Scum) and singer/drummer Eldon Hoke (El Duce) who attended Roosevelt High School together.

Wifebeater's playing style when soloing (with hand above and over the fretboard) is one of the things that gave the Mentors' guitars a unique sound. His signature sound is fluid with alternating bottom-heavy crunch with fast-noted metal runs.

When performing, Wifebeater wears a black executioner’s hood, according to a Guitar World article "probably to avoid public beat-downs by pissed-off feminists and offended prison guards".

Wifebeater plays or has played the following guitars

Sickie Wifebeater uses a 1978 or 1979 Marshall MKII 100 Watt Lead with checkerboard speaker cabinets. Originally, he used the fullstack as pictured on the Get Up and Die album cover but in later years he mainly ran it as a halfstack.

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