In addition to work with Tin Huey in the 1970s and Tom Waits from the 1980s onwards, Carney also recorded or performed with Dieselhed, Marc Ribot, the B-52's, Elvis Costello, Jonathan Richman, Les Claypool, St. Vincent, Stan Ridgway, Medeski Martin & Wood, Jed Davis, Bill Laswell, Griddle, and HowellDevine, among others.

In 1981, Carney was one of the lead members of the Swollen Monkeys, along with Mars Williams later of the Psychedelic Furs : the group released an album that year Afterbirth of the Cool produced by Hal Willner.

Carney released several solo albums and was a member of the Oranj Symphonette with fellow Waits alumni Joe Gore and Matt Brubeck.

[4] He also headed up San Francisco's Carneyball Johnson, playing on saxophones, Turkish clarinet, piccolo, trumpet, percussion and vocals.

He recorded and performed with Black Francis in 2008 a score for the silent film Der Golem (1920), he guested with Yo La Tengo and Medeski Martin & Wood for live shows in 2010 and 2011.

He recorded on a T Bone Burnett-produced project the Ghost Brothers of Darkland County with Marc Ribot and Elvis Costello, as yet unreleased.

Carney died on December 17, 2017, at the age of 61, from head injuries sustained falling down steps in his home in Portland, Oregon, the previous day.