Carrie Rachel Brownstein (born September 27, 1974) is an American musician, writer, actress, and comedian. She first came to prominence as a member of the band
Excuse 17 before forming the punk-indie trio
Sleater-Kinney. During a long hiatus from Sleater-Kinney, she formed the group
Wild Flag. During this period, Brownstein wrote and appeared in a series of comedy sketches with
Fred Armisen which were then developed into
Emmy and
Peabody Award-winning satirical comedy TV series
Portlandia.
Sleater-Kinney has since reunited and Brownstein is touring with the band as well as in support of her new memoir during 2015.