Friday, February 26, 2010

Curt Tomasevicz to Win Olympic Platinum

 I don't know Team USA Bobsledder Curt Tomasevicz's Red Mosquito username, but surely he has one.  In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, he has professed some serious Pearl Jam love.



Basically, I love the ’90s alternative/grunge style. I like music with energy and emotion, whether that emotion is hate, love, rage, or sadness. I really appreciate great instrument talent, i.e. great guitar playing. Some people can seem to make a guitar talk and sing. Some of my favorite songs don’t need lyrics, just a long jam session with great guitar.



Before I compete, I listen to Pearl Jam, Rearview Mirror Disc 1. The songs get me going and build my adrenaline. Pushing a bobsled is one big burst of energy, so I need to build my focus to climax at one brief moment. This type of music does that for me.



I play bass guitar and love just jamming and playing for hours to great songs. My dream day would be a jam session with Pearl Jam. Could that be arranged?
Apparently, Better Man and Yellow Ledbetter are on Curt's iPod playlist just prior to take off.  Glad to hear the Pearl Jam is doing their part to add to the USA medal count!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Italy



It looks like Pearl Jam has filled the last of their TBD Europe Dates.


Friday, February 19, 2010

Reading Assignment: Pearl Jam Recommends ...

If you are a reader of our forums, you may have noticed Kevman's attempt to start a Pearl Jam bookclub.  Despite being a board member for my local library, I've never been one for book clubs, but I am for highlighting good books, so here we go.  All of today's recommendations come from Ed.  Will there be future editions featuring recommendations by other band members?  Perhaps.  For now, get your snow boots on.  You're headed to the library.



Ishmael by Daniel Quinn (suspected to be the inspiration for Do The Evolution and recommended by Eddie in Newsletter #19 "Manual for Free Living")




Many a Pearl Jam fan has delved into Quinn's heavy philosophy based on various mentions by Eddie.  It examines mythology, its effect on ethics, and how that relates to sustainability. The novel uses a style of Socratic dialogue to deconstruct the notion that humans are the end product, the pinnacle of biological evolution. It posits that human supremacy is a cultural myth, and asserts that modern civilization is "enacting" that myth.


You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A personal history of our times by Howard Zinn (mentioned in the lyrics of Down and recommended by Eddie in Newsletter #19 "Manual for Free Living")


Since Ed spoke such kind words of Zinn upon his passing this year, it only seems fitting to make mention of his memoir, a favorite of Ed's.



A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (sometimes quoted in Even Flow)


The novel deals with some serious spiritual issues, such as the importance of faith, matters of social justice, and the concept of fate, in the context of an outlandish narrative. Throughout the novel, John and Owen both offer criticisms of organized religion and religious hypocrisy. However, the spiritual dimension is repeatedly emphasized by Owen's foretelling of his own impending death. He is quite certain that he will die because he is an "instrument of God" and thus will serve some good and important purpose. He also believes that he knows the date of his death and that a heroic act on his part will kill him but also save some children. He is a bit unclear, however, about where and how this act will occur.



Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser (recommended by Eddie in Newsletter #19 "Manual for Free Living")



It's obvious that Pearl Jam does a lot of thinking about the environment and food.  Thumbing through back issues of Deep Magazine for reading recommendations, I was reminded that each issue includes a recipe for good, ol' homecooked food provided by either a band member or their chef.  Fast Food Nation examines the local and global influence of theUnited States fast food industry. First serialized by Rolling Stone in 1999, the book has drawn comparisons to Upton Sinclair's classic muckraking novel The Jungle.  Eric Schlosser has also gone on to produce Food, Inc., which by the way, has also been recommended by the band.



Into The Wild by John Krakauer (Eddie provided the soundtrack for the film based on the book)


A bestselling non-fiction book about the adventures of Christopher McCandless. It is an expansion of Krakauer's 9,000-word article, "Death of an Innocent", which appeared in the January 1993 issue of Outside.  McCandless died in a wilderness area in the state of Alaska. Krakauer concluded in the book that McCandless died from eating the seed pods of the wild potato, which supposedly contained a toxic alkaloid that led to his starvation.



All summaries are lifted from Wikipedia.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Pearl Jam on SNL, March 13th



Well, we've been waiting for an announcement about a Pearl Jam television appearance, and now we've got it.  March 13th on Saturday Night Live.  Calm down.  No new material.  They'll be playing something off Backspacer.  Still ... program your Tivos!!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

All That's Sacred, Episode #40



Episode #40 is now available.

Well, it's another episode of All That’s Sacred connecting dots in the unlikeliest ways. Episode #40 features some listener requests with a topical (yet loose) theme. Despite your humble and perfectly imperfect host, I think it's a fun ride highlighting some incredible and fun(ny) moments from Pearl Jam shows past. Should make for an entertaining and interesting listen. 



Speaking of which, thank you to all my listeners – both new and old. Special thanks to Wishlist Foundation for the recent Street Teamrecognition and Two Feet Thick for a little Twitter love. Of course, I'd be nowhere without The Sky I Scrape plugging me in their newsfeed andPearl Jam allowing me to whore myself out each week on their message board. Happy to report that listenership is up! :) 



I always love hearing from fellow fans. If you want to reach out, please do so by email or voicemail. Also check out and follow the podcast Twitter and Facebook sites. Lastly, don't forget your ATS Gear! Over $110 raised in royalties so far - all to be matched by my employer and donated to charity!


Then head to our forums to discuss it!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Hootenanny Happenings

 Via Seattle Weekly's blog, Reverb, Duff McKagan gives us a little preview of what to expect at February 28th's Hootenanny for Haiti.



​I am honored to have been asked to take part in Hootenanny For Haiti, a gig Sunday night at the Showbox Market raising money to benefit those devastated by the earthquake in Haiti. Mike McCready from Pearl Jam has assembled some really great players for the gig. It should be a blast. We had a rehearsal for it here in Seattle this past Saturday. Here is a short sample of the song list:



"Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory," Johnny Thunders: If you want a quick snapshot into JT's misery and heartache, look no further than CPYAAM. This song provided part of the soundtrack for my angst-ridden teenage years.



"River Of Deceit," Mad Season; A brutal and beautiful ballad to those left stranded in life. If you have never heard Mad Season, now is your chance. Download the whole record!



"Heaven Is A Place On Earth," Belinda Carlisle: That's right, we are doing this song at the Haiti gig. The bigger surprise and pleasure is who is going to sing it. Curious? Go to the gig!


It's also looking looking like Duff and Mike have invited a few more friends for the benefit.  All That's Sacred caught that Matt Cameron's name has been added to the poster,





... and apparently, Duff's wife is hinting via Twitter that we may see Stone Gossard and Eddie Vedder!  Please, let it be so!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Activism: Rescuing Teen Prostitutes



Previous recipient of Pearl Jam's support, YouthCare, is taking over a Seattle program aimed at rescuing teen prostitutes.  The program was recently in danger of shutting its doors but was rescued by several private donors; among them, Mike McCready and Stone Gossard.



Could another benefit show be in the near future?  One can only hope.



In the meantime, to donate yourself, tax-deductible donations can still be made to the City of Seattle Prostituted Children Rescue Fund. Donations should be mailed to:



City of Seattle Prostituted Children Rescue Fund

c/o Human Services Department

P.O. Box 34215

Seattle, WA 98124-4215

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

All That's Sacred, Episode #39



Episode #39 is now available.

While all is still quiet on the Pearl Jam news front, I figured this week would be an opportune time to further explore the influence of Ed’s favorite band and Super Bowl entertainers: The Who. The Who’s influence on the band – and Ed especially – is undeniable and well-documented. Despite already featuring a number of Who covers on the podcast, there is still a lot of material available to showcase. We also take the occasion to bust out a Six Degrees of PJ tune that clearly demonstrates that, in their prime, The Who were indeed the World’s Greatest Rock Band.



I plan to get to many listener suggestions in the near future so bear with me if you haven’t heard your request that you submitted. On that note, I want to put the call out for some help with a theme I’d like to explore. A few weeks ago, I off-handedly said songs that explore escapism and use road imagery could be an entire podcast in itself. Having had some time to let the idea marinate, I think that could be a great show. Coming up with the songs is easy – MFC, RVM, Thumbing My Way, Gone, etc. What I really need help with is specific versions you all think are the best and why. I can’t wait to see what y’all suggest and uncover. I’m already looking forward to this in the coming weeks.


Then head to our forums to discuss it!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Flight to Mars Annual Benefit

 The Ten Club announces:



Flight to Mars, the UFO Tribute featuring Mike McCready, Gary Westlake, Paul Passereli, Kelly Van Camp, Ty Bailie and Tim DiJulio, will perform their 8th annual benefit concert at Seattle’s Showbox on Friday, April 23rd.






Tickets are on sale this Saturday, February 6th at 10am PST at ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster outlets and in-person at the Showbox box office. Tickets are $20 each. The show is 21+.



Flight to Mars will be joined by special guests Sweet Water.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

All That's Sacred, Episode #38



Episode #38 is now available.

Anticipation for some new news from the PJ camp has the natives restless and tensions heightened. While there still hasn’t been any additional band dates announced for 2010, Seattleites, at least, were glad to hear Mike McCready has two upcoming gigs benefitting the crisis in Haiti and the CCFA



Hopefully episode #38 can help those fans jonesing for a PJ fix in some small way. This week we are exploring some of the many cover songs the band has treated us to over the years. Despite having help in song selection with some great listener suggestions, it was hard to not get carried away with so much great material to choose from. That being the case - and the fact that I got a little chatty - resulted in this being the longest podcast to date at just over 1 hour 18 minutes! Hope y'all consider this to be a good thing. 


Then head to our forums to discuss it!

Monday, February 1, 2010