Thursday, March 31, 2011

Getting Ready For Flight to Mars

Mike McCready has made a pitch to get you excited about next Friday's Flight to Mars show.







Hey Friends,

Mike here.  As most of you know the 9th annual Flight to Mars benefit show is coming up next Friday (April 8th) at Seattle’s Showbox Market . Joining us on stage that night will be a special reunion of Lazy Susan, as well as special guests Buckets of Rain.  You’ll want to get there early because I’m going to kick off the night with an acoustic set with my friend Brad Sinsel.

What you might not know is that we throw a rockin' VIP pre-party, in coordination with the Wishlist Foundation, where you can come in to the venue early and watch sound check.  I’ll also be around to say hey and sign some autographs.  There is always plenty of food and drink and it is always a great time.  Good news is there are a few last minute VIP packages available for bidding over at Ebayhttp://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZwishlistfoundation.

Both the show and the pre-party will benefit CCFA’s Camp Oasis  and Advocacy for Patients, two organizations that are very important to me and my wife.   If the VIP party isn’t an option, you can still buy general admission tickets here.  

If you can't make the show but would still like to support one of the charities, you can donate directly to our NW Team Challenge fundraisingpage or the Advocacy for Patients donation page.

As an added bonus, the show will be broadcast live on a special airing of the evening’s festivities on Sirius XM - Pearl Jam Radio, hosted by Ten Club Manager Tim Bierman and The Rob.

Thank you for your support!

cheers,
Mike

Vs./Vitalogy Radio Sampler

A pretty cool item just popped up on PJCollectors.  Check it out.



March 31: Eddie in Perth

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Happy Vs./Vitalogy Reissue Day!

I'm in Washington DC, and I plan to go ask my Senator for federal recognition of this holiday.



Friday, March 25, 2011

Tres Mountains on Jimmy Fallon

What the hell!?  It's Friday!  We need moar posting!



           

Eddie Vedder US Tour

It's official!



Americans who do not live in the South will have a chance to catch Eddie Vedder with special guest, Glen Hasard, tour in support of his upcoming album, Ukulele Songs, this summer.




June 15 - Providence, RI: Providence Performing Arts Center (PAC)
June 16 - Boston, MA: The Wang Theatre
June 18 - Hartford, CT: The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
June 21 - New York, NY: Beacon Theatre
June 22 - New York, NY: Beacon Theatre  
June 25 - Philadelphia, PA: Tower Theatre
June 26 - Detroit, MI: Fox Theatre
June 28 - Chicago, IL: The Chicago Theatre
July 1 - St. Louis, MO: Fox Theatre
July 2 - Minneapolis, MN: Orpheum Theatre  
July 5 - San Diego, CA: Copley Symphony Hall
July 6 - Long Beach, CA: Terrace Theater
July 8 - Los Angeles, CA: The Wiltern      
July 9 - Santa Barbara, CA: Santa Barbara Bowl     

July 11 - Oakland, CA: The Paramount Theatre  
July 14 - Portland, OR: Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall  

July 15 - Seattle, WA: Benaroya Hall    

The Vs. / Vitalogy Podcast



If seeing the first images of Pearl Jam's Vs. and Vitalogy Super Deluxe Boxset didn't get you excited, then ... well, to be honest, if that didn't get you excited this won't either, ... but most readers of this blog are going to love this.  WMMR in Philadelphia has released a short podcast series hosted by Matt Cord highlighting the bonus tracks from the reissues.  You can check them all out here.

March 25: Eddie in Melbourne

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Sirius News: 3/23/2011





Other than a promise by Tim Bierman to keep an eye on your e-mail tomorrow, there wasn't a terrible amount of breaking news on last night's All Encompassing Trip.  That being said, the interview with Brendan O'Brien and our forum member, spenno, did a great summary.  Here are some of my favorite tidbits.


  • Most of the time bands are happy to work in whichever studios Brendan likes to work in. He works most of the time in Atlanta (where he lives), Nashville and LA however at the time Vs was recorded he was living in LA. The band weren't keen on recording in Seattle or Los Angeles and so they picked a spot in between and went for San Francisco. They looked at a few studios out there before selecting one but Eddie wasn't involved in the decision making and ended up not being comfortable with the place they chose. Rob recounted the story of Ed sleeping at night in his truck because the studio accommodation was too nice, Brendan confirmed felt Eddie was really struggling with everything that was going on at the time but what came out of it was a great record.
  • Brendan can't remember the song Hold On. There was a lot going on, they recorded a bunch of songs at that time, some of which ended up on Vitalogy. Everything that should've ended up on the record got on there. One song they were jamming on that time he was really excited about, he couldn't wait for Ed to record vocals for but he changed his mind and said he wasn't feeling it anymore which Brendan was really crushed by at the time.
  • They had an idea that Vs would be getting a lot of attention and they knew it would probably "open big" (in terms of first week sales) but they had no idea it would sell in such huge numbers, it was one of the first producing jobs he'd ever done so he had no preparation for that. It was "mind-boggling". He was working with Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots all around that time and success was like "the elephant in the room" for the band members, it was almost frowned on to discuss their financial success. Other bands would've reacted very differently.
  • Brendan states analog vs digital doesn't matter to him at all, but it seems to matter to other people immensely. There was a long period of time when all he used was tape but after a point it just became a massive pain in the ass. It's hard to get tape, it's hard to do the transfers. He's pretty much abandoned tape at this point as he can get digital to sound like he wants it to. He loves the sound of analog tape but it just doesn't matter that much, it just gets in the way of getting things done these days. He can get the sounds he wants by running audio through older outboard processing units and plug-ins designed to emulate analog sounds. He's not worried about trying to make digital recordings have the warmth of analog, he just concentrates on making things sound good as he can. His ears want to hear things a certain way because of his years using tape so that probably influences the way he makes things sound but it's not a conscious decision.
  • Re: loudness wars. He remembers hearing that whoever worked on Motley Crue's Dr Feelgood actually went to the plant to make sure they turned it up loud and he thought that was awesome. He doesn't think that story's true at all though. He thinks the public really doesn't care about it, if they have great music and great songs it's not a big deal. It's only a very vocal few who have an issue. That said, he tries his best not to overdrive people's stereos or cars, it can do that once you push volume high enough. Artists and producers want their music to sound competitive and be as loud as the next band's.
  • Songs like Stupid Mop or Pry, To he wasn't really involved with. He's generally better with stuff with choruses, verses, beats. He remembers one occasion when Ed asked him to leave the studio so he could work with Nick the engineer on something alone, he thinks that's when he did Bugs. Brendan was "perplexed". When it says "produced by Brendan O'Brien and Pearl Jam", that was the "and Pearl Jam" part. They didn't want him involved or going anywhere near that stuff and he was happy to oblige.
  • He remembers playing keys with the band at Soldier Field in 1995, it was the hottest he'd ever felt in his life that week. They were recording at that time, whenever he turns up like that it's usually because he's also doing some work with the band. He remembers them rehearsing a Split Enz song to play that night that they didn't end up playing.
  • He never really wanted to remix Ten. The band were never happy with the original mix but his view was it was an iconic record and people would be attached to the sound of those mixes. When he remixed the tracks for the RVM greatest hits collection, he was just trying to make them sound as good as he could. When he remixed the whole album for the reissue he really wanted to ensure the original mix would be included, he felt uncomfortable with the idea that someone might buy only his remixed version, it was just an amendment to the original in his mind. As to the difference between the earlier RVM mixes and the Ten remixes, he couldn't really say, just a moment in time. It's just whatever happens on that day.
  • He wouldn't hold his breath for another Mirrorball like collaboration with Neil Young. It was a moment in time and a really great tour afterward but it probably won't happen again. There was a film of the Dublin show directed by Jim Sheridan that never came out, he'd love to see it one day - Brendan: "dig it up, Tim!" Tim: "It's going to be a big year, Brendan"
  • Re: tensions in the band during Vitalogy. It was never a particularly easy time, though it was exciting. It was difficult for the guys in the band, they were under a huge microscope, but they had a lot of fun too. They used to play softball every morning when recording and sometimes that seemed like the main focus, like they just made records in-between. There was tension though, there was stuff going on between the guys and a few drummers came and went. The work he's done in the last few years with the band has been the most enjoyable, everyone's a little older and wiser and nothing seems like life and death anymore. It felt that way back then.
  • The band were always very happy with how Vs and Vitalogy sounded and so there wasn't any need to have them remixed for the reissue. He mixed the live show and outtakes that weren't finished but the records were just remastered. He thinks reissuing the records is a great idea, they made a lot of music in a very short amount of time, especially 1993 to 1996. 
  • On Vs and Vitalogy, they were really working on the fly: the band would have an idea in the morning and by night time have a new song. He had an almost ten year break producing for the band and Backspacer was a little more put together than the early records. He'd meet them early, work on songs, they would go off and work on them as a band and then they'd come back and work on them together again. Right before they went into record Eddie came in with lyrics and they did some rearranging, the recording process was more about getting the right performances than trying to figure out the songwriting. When they work together again which will be soon, it'll be that same way - they'll try to work out the songs before they go in. He came out to Montana for the rehearsals prior to recording Backspacer and it was a blast. They had a great time, four or five of the songs on Backspacer came out of those sessions.
  • They recorded Of the Earth during Backspacer, but they didn't finish it. Backspacer was a record they wanted to be very concise and he was really happy with that. The idea was to remind people they could write great songs with great choruses. That song didn't fit in quite as much but it's still out there and we'll see. 
  • Did Dave A really throw his sticks at the end of Rearviewmirror? "Uh…I'll say yes and I have no idea why. I don't know."



As always, if you missed it, Gremmie.Net archives episodes of All Encompassing Trip for your on-demand enjoyment.

March 24: Tres Mountains in New York

Tres Mountains will be on SiriusXM's Pearl Jam Radio today at 5pm and on Jimmy Fallon tonight!


March 24: Eddie in Melbourne

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Orpheum Packaging

If you're not excited about next week's release of the Vs./Vitalogy reissues, you're not paying attention to PJCollectors.com.  They've got the full CD Deluxe Version spread out in all its collectible glory.  Here's a peak.


March 23: Tres Mountains in Philadelphia

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

All That's Sacred, Episode #78

With all the chatter of movies and DVDs, I thought it was an opportune time to revisit an idea we first explored just over a year ago: the many musical contributions to film soundtracks by Pearl Jam, Eddie Vedder, and various side projects. Granted, this is kind of an easy theme but it felt right and even somewhat topical. Most importantly, it was already almost completely sketched out in my show ideas file. Regardless, it's a nice representation of PJ's influence on the movie-going experience over the last 20 years and I thought it came together well.

Friendly reminder: this weekend is the Wishlist Team McCready Global Fundraiser! Please check for one in your neighborhood and come hang with your fellow PJ freaks for a good cause. If you are anywhere near Seattle, attendance is MANDATORY! 

See you there and hope you enjoy #78.



Given To Cast, 3/22/2011



The March 22nd episode of Given To Cast is up.



Show Notes:

The Week In Review - Latest on PJ20 festival, new music...
Song of the Week: "Longing To Belong" by Eddie Vedder
Extra Song: "In My Tree" Oct. 2, 1996 Dodge Music Center
Hartford, Connecticut
Rare Song: "American Girl" Eddie with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
Last Song: Amongst The Waves - Live from Austin City Limits Show - Oct. 1, 2009
After you listen, head to our forums to discuss it!

A Guided Tour of Vitalogy: Betterman & Aye Davanita

BETTERMAN

We know that Betterman was written long before the Vitalogy sessions, and presumably long before he had his concerns about art, commodification, and fame that dominate the album. So if there is one song that isn’t directly related to the larger overall arc this is clearly it. Having said that, there are still some connections that can be drawn, some likely intentional (set up by the artwork in the cd booklet) and some simply reflections of universal themes and a general point of view that consistently show up in Eddie’s writing

Satan’s Bed ends with the declaration ‘already in love’ and the song is about the importance of a purer, authentic, healthier kind of love that keeps us grounded. It is significant then that the Vitalogy booklet transitions from Satan’s Bed into Betterman with its passages on love and marriage. The booklet advises us to approach any kind of binding relationship carefully, to ensure that we’re doing it for the right reasons, and not out of a misguided sense of lust, obligation, or ignorance. It warns us not to throw away something sacred and powerful by making poor choices that leave us trapped in an enervating, destructive relationship. The connection to Betterman is obvious, as it is a song about spousal abuse and destructive relationships, about trapping yourself and not knowing how to free yourself from a bad situation. At the same time it’s a tender song, recognizing that underneath all this is a desperate desire to love and to be loved, an all too human need for it that forces us to do things we wouldn’t normally do, accept what we’d rather not accept, both the realization that without it we’ll never fully be complete and the fear that if we don’t settle right now we may never have it. That’s why the dominant emotion in the song isn’t judgment, but empathy. What’s tragic about the woman’s situation is that most of us would surrender to our fears and make the same mistakes she did, the same errors that trap us, and like her lack the strength to get out.

And so while Betterman wasn’t written for Vitalogy, it fits in a way. It tries to explain why people surrender and give into the forces that threaten to destroy them, out of a combination of fear and naiveté, and the way in which once the initial surrender is made, it is so difficult to hold onto who you are, what you value, your authenticity and the purity of your live. Once trapped, it is so much easier to stop moving the rock and learn to rationalize the position that you’re in. 



AYE DAVANITA

I’m not a big fan of the instrumental, personally, and when I put together my Vitalogy as a collection of songs that I want to listen this one never mak the cut. And even when considering it as a piece of art I’m not really sure exactly what to make of it. The music is casual and jaunty—possibly meant as a breather sandwiched as it is between two emotionally intense songs, lacking words so you don’t need to process anything—like those little sorbets you sometimes get between courses at the kind of restaurant that’s fancier than even a place that serves 10 dollar eggs.


The booklet offers us a little bit of poetry, and as it was deliberately put there it’s probably worth looking at:

She laid alone
During her best days
As a work of art
Reading naked on the bed

Spent some of her best days
Cleaning carpet from her hair
Spent her worst days
Owing you the pleasure
Of taking blame

Spent her whole life
Disbelieving in her worst fears
A work of art
A work of art

It’s a striking, evocative poem, whose central message (if I’m interpreting it right) seems to reaffirm the central importance of authenticity and salvation. That we’re all capable of being our own artists, our own messiah, if we choose to live our lives as we see fit and choose to rise above both the expectations of others and our own fears. And it doesn’t matter if no one sees it, hears it, or knows about it. In the end the most important audience is ourselves, and the most important judgment about the success of our lives is the one we render for ourselves. In this way the poem seems to anticipate much of No Code, although here this sentiment is still an ideal, not a reality. The subject is capable of recognizing the truth in these sentiments, but that’s not the same thing as being able to experience them, as the last two songs on Vitalogy make very clear.


OTHER SONGS IN THIS SERIES


OTHER GUIDED TOUR SERIES:
Binaural 
Backspacer

Mike McCready Running a Half Marathon for Crohn's & Colitis Foundation


Benzinga reports that Mike will be running the Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon on July 17th. To find out how you can run and support CCFA, go here.

Mike McCready, guitarist and founding member of the American rock band, Pearl Jam, and his wife Ashley O'Connor recently signed on to participate in the July 17, 2011 Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon with Team Challenge, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America's endurance training and fundraising program. Alongside hundreds of others from around the country, McCready and O'Connor will be trained by professional coaches this spring in Seattle while raising critical dollars that will support the Foundation's education and support services, and research initiatives.


Monday, March 21, 2011

Vs./Vitalogy Re-Release Party

If you're in Seattle, you may want to drop in on the Feedback Lounges Re-Release Party this coming Monday to commemorate the reissue of Vs. and Vitalogy.  Easy Street Records will be there with giveaways!


It's True! It's All True! Eddie Vedder to Release CD AND DVD!!


This from the Ten Club:



New Eddie Vedder Album “Ukulele Songs” + Live Concert Film “Water on the Road” to be Released on Tuesday, May 31st

Digital single “Longing to Belong" available digitally starting today



Eddie Vedder will release a solo album, Ukulele Songs, on Tuesday, May 31st (May 30th internationally) through Pearl Jam's Monkeywrench Records. Ukulele Songs is a collection of original songs and covers performed by Vedder on ukulele. The first single from the album, "Longing to Belong," will be available for sale through digital retailers on Tuesday, March 22nd (March 21st internationally).

Also released on May 31st is Water on the Road, a live-concert DVD directed by Brendan Canty of Fugazi and Christoph Green featuring performances from Vedder’s August 16th and 17th 2008 solo tour engagements at Washington, D.C.'s Warner Theatre. The DVD features a live performance of "You're True" from Ukulele Songs as well as a mix of Pearl Jam catalog, covers and songs from Vedder’s critically acclaimed, award-winning solo record, Into The Wild.

Ten Club pre-sale info will be announced at a later date, stay tuned!


Ukulele Songs Album Tracklisting:
1. Can't Keep
2. Sleeping by Myself
3. Without You
4. More Than You Know
5. Goodbye
6. Broken Heart
7. Satellite
8. Longing to Belong
9. Hey Fahkah
10. You're True
11. Light Today
12. Sleepless Nights (featuring Glen Hansard)
13. Once in Awhile
14. Waving Palms
15. Tonight You Belong to Me (featuring Cat Power)
16. Dream a Little Dream


Water on the Road Live Concert DVD Tracklisting:
1. The Canyon
2. Sometimes
3. Trouble
4. Around the Bend
5. Girl From the North Country
6. Guaranteed
7. Setting Forth
8. Far Behind
9. No Ceiling
10. Rise
11. Golden State
12. Society
13. Forever Young
14. Ed Piano (Instrumental)
15. I’m Open
16. Man of the Hour
17. Driftin’
18. No More
19. You’re True
20. Ukulele Interlude (Instrumental)
21. Unthought Known
22.  Arc
23.  Hard Sun
24.  The Canyon (reprise)

March 21: Tres Mountains in Washington DC

Sunday, March 20, 2011

You're True

Thanks to all the fans who sent links to this professional video of Eddie singing You're True.  The origins are still a mystery (if TwoFeetThick doesn't know, no one does), but that shouldn't hamper your enjoyment of the video.


March 20: Eddie in Sydney

Friday, March 18, 2011

Meet Your Blogger: TheColorsBlend.com




ON-LINE PERSONA: @thecolorsblend (twitter) / CB3115 (Synergy)


WEBSITE: http://www.thecolorsblend.com

I started the site back in 1997. Sort of the ‘wild west’ days of poster collecting before amazing sites like expressobeans or GigPosters existed. I’d scour the internet, eBay, and hound artists and fans for all the images of Pearl Jam posters I could find. Here we are 14 years later and poster information is plentiful elsewhere, but I still really enjoy the focus of a Pearl Jam-only site.

If you haven’t checked it out lately, take a look because the site was just completely redone. There are a bunch of new features including the ability to search for prints and also upload your own images of posters.


REAL NAME: Chris



LOCATION: The Dirty South, USA




OK, WELL, IT'S SAFE TO SAY THAT PEARL JAM IS YOUR OBSESSION.  WHY PEARL JAM?
I feel like Pearl Jam has been relevant and completely enjoyable to me at every point of my life. There are not many things, other than family, baseball and Cadbury Mini Eggs, that I can say have that same magical power.

FAVORITE ALBUM: 
That’s like asking who my favorite family member is or which toe I’d most like to cut off. Thank God Al Gore invented the iPod so I wouldn't have to make choices like that. That is to say, I like them all in their own right.

FAVORITE SONG(S):
See the previous answer. I will say at different times in my life, some have had special meaning… Present Tense, Corduroy, In My Tree, Given to Fly, Amongst the Waves, Around the Bend… I could keep going for pages.




FAVORITE BAND MEMBER:
It’s too simple to say Eddie because I love great lyrics and he never ceases to amaze, but obviously we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for each of the guys playing their role. I’ve never met any members of the band, but whenever I hear or read interviews, I’m surprised at how different the guys seem to be. But in spite, or maybe because, of those differences they make it work and crank out some killer tunes. I guess my favorite band member is the band itself.

HOW MANY SHOWS HAVE YOU ATTENDED? 
Sadly only 20. My first was in ’94. It was funny reading JR’s interview because I completely understand his sentiments regarding traveling for concerts. But after spending a good part of the 90’s and early ‘00’s touring with Phish, I look back now and wonder why I didn’t make more of an effort to do the same with Pearl Jam. I hope I can rectify that in 2011 and beyond.





WHAT WAS YOUR GREATEST PEARL JAM EXPERIENCE?  
Hard to choose the best, but I’ll give a couple:


Each of my live experiences certainly has its place. But I was lucky enough to catch them back-to-back nights in London in 2000 during a 6-week trip through Europe. A few weeks before those shows I met some fans in Venice in a music store the day Binaural was released, and ended up traveling with them for a week or so (unfortunately not a Alex DeLarge–style record store encounter, but still fun!). I’ve got some great memories of that trip and the shows were great.


Last year we (thecolorsblend.com) worked with an artist to design and print a poster of Eddie that we then “sold” in return for donations directly to Pearl Jam-related charities. That was a pretty rewarding experience and I received some incredibly kind feedback from fans. Nothing compared to what Wishlist Foundation does on a regular basis, but I was proud of what we accomplished. Pearl Jam has a great community and I feel lucky to be a part of it. 




HOW EXTENSIVE IS YOUR PEARL JAM COLLECTION? 
Thankfully a lot more manageable than it used to be. I spent about 15 years building it and over the last few years have tried as best as I can to dismantle portions of it. It’s tough. I’m a collector at heart and love archiving “things” which is a bad mix if you don’t want to end up on an episode of Hoarders holding a 6-year-old pack of Skittles, sitting on a pile of clothes with the tags still on, with an inordinate number of cats scurrying around you and eating out of old orange sherbet containers. When my parents moved out of their house a few years back they found a box with about 25 PJ shirts from the 90’s, some vinyls and about 100 shows on Maxell XLII’s (hah!) all of which I had totally forgotten about. That was when I realized I had a problem.


I’ve finally convinced myself that archiving digitally can be almost as much fun as physically… and doing so leaves my house a) with a lot more space for living, and b) cat free. I’ve been slowly scanning a lot of the ephemera I have and giving away the originals. 


I’ve still got a pretty large PJ vinyl collection, a flat file full of posters, and basically everything the Ten Club has ever sent me, including some signed stuff I won from one of the contests. I’ll always keep the fan created stuff like Kathy Davis’ Footsteps and Jessica Letkemann’s Tickle My Nausea magazines. I’ve constantly been impressed by the amount of work some people put into this band. Sad thing is most of my collection is sitting in a storage unit waiting to be loved again. 




IS THERE A SPECIFIC LYRIC THAT MOVES YOU?  
So many of them for a bunch of different reasons. But from a literal standpoint, it’s hard to disagree with “I know I was born and I know that I’ll die, the in between is mine.” [I Am Mine]












WHAT ELSE IS ON YOUR IPOD RIGHT NOW?
Who needs an iPod when you have XM channel 39?


I’ll cheat and say with Eddie now on tour in Australia, I’ve been listening to a lot of the past bootlegs from his solo shows. I’m really hoping we’ll get some official release(s) from this current tour. 




WHEN YOU WALK AWAY FROM YOUR COMPUTER, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
Seeing live music and trying to be outside as much as possible. I’m starting to get a little ‘business class’ from sitting in front of a computer for too long. Golf, softball... Man I feel old. And after about 10 years off, I’ve been skateboarding a lot again too. I may regret it but, until I break bones (again), I’ll keep doing it.




WHAT PASSIONS DO YOU HAVE BEYOND PEARL JAM?
I’m a sucker for any live music, going to be a good summer for some shows. And baseball. I usually don’t miss a Yankees game. I probably couldn’t survive without the MLB package and XM. 




WHAT IS YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE?
Spending way too much time on the Internet. It’s hard not to when there’s so much good junk out there! #winning




SO, WHAT'S THE SECRET TO YOUR SUCCESS?

Hard to imagine anyone cares enough to have read this far through my ramblings, (see what I did there?) but I’d like to take the opportunity to say thanks to TSIS for a great site, and acknowledge all the other folks out there that run Pearl Jam sites. They’ve all come a long way over the years and without them the Pearl Jam experience wouldn’t be nearly as fun. Shouts to the folks at Two Feet Thick, BRY, Gremmie.netpjcollectors.com, and countless others. Hope to meet all of you on tour someday.

And special thanks to Gare and T for their help with the new site.






OTHER BLOGGERS IN THIS SERIES
KathyTFT, TwoFeetThick.com
Donny, All That's Sacred
Jason Leung, This All Encompassing Trip
Jed, Twitter.com/DirtyFrankDahmr
Matt, Gremmie.net
Stip, The SkyIScrape.com
Victor Nogales, PJCollectors.com
John Reynolds, TwoFeetThick.com

March 18: Eddie in Sydney

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Listen to Soundgarden's Live on I-5


Click the Like Button on Soundgarden's Facebook Page, and you can listen to their upcoming live album, Live on I-5 in its entirety!

Dig It!



Whole Foods is going to be traveling the country with a green festival called the Do Something Reel Film Festival.  Part of the project will include showcasing a documentary on their website beginning on Earth Day, April. 22, 2011.

What will that documentary be?  Dig It, which follows members of Pearl Jam as they participate in beautification projects in New York and Los Angeles.

TwoFeetThick has a lot more great information about this film.

Jeff Talks to Billboard


We keep waiting for more news on album #10 and the PJ20 Festival.  It seems that Jeff has put just a little more polish on the details when he spoke to Billboard.com this week.

All of the new action starts in April, Ament explains, when Pearl Jam convenes not only to begin recording the follow up to 2009's "Backspacer," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, but also to announce the location and other details for the Pearl Jam Twenty festival, which Ament says will likely take place on or around Labor Day weekend.

On Pearl Jam Album #10:

"April will be the time where we get together and learn to play all these demos and figure out which 12-15 of them float to the top. Hopefully we can get something done this year."

On the PJ20 "Festival":

As far as the Pearl Jam festival goes, Ament says that the band is looking to finalize the location and the other bands on the bill by the end of March and announce everything in April. "We've reached out to a few [other bands]. It's mostly people that we're friends with. I don't think that anybody's fully signed on yet. We're not 100% where we're going to have it yet, so it's a little bit tricky... If it's Labor Day, that's three or four months; that should be plenty of time for people to make reservations."

There's also a little hint of Eddie touring the US and an expectation to see Jeff's second solo album some time in 2012. For the rest of March, go head out and catch Jeff, Mike, and/or Eddie playing live, but get back to you computers quickly, because April is going to a very newsworthy month.

March 16: Tres Mountains in Seattle

March 16: Eddie in Newcastle

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Review: Longing to Belong



I am not normally a fan of the ukulele. It usually sounds like a superficial instrument—something for casual thoughts and light hearted experiences. Having said that, Longing to belong is less the sound of a luau and instead calls to mind a lonely beach and a setting sun—a time for private thoughts and personal reflections. To Eddie’s credit, he can make the ukulele sound like a memory.

Still, those live performances of Eddie’s uke songs from a decade ago never made much of an impression on me, and my excitement for a second solo record from Eddie was tempered by the fact that it was a ukulele record. Having said that, Longing to Belong was a pleasant surprise. It is confessional and intimate, and while the ukulele is not a particularly immediate instrument, it does give the song an innocence it wouldn’t have on guitar, and mixed with Eddie’s breathless vocals Longing to Belong sounds like someone admitting their love for the first time. There’s a charming nervousness to the performance—as if voicing his love is a risk, that by keeping it inside he keeps it safe and singing about it gives it the opportunity to escape

Strings are one of music’s great clichés, and the cello may be a bit much here (it doesn’t quite feel affected, but it’s close). They give the song a calculated feel that may not be to its advantage. They’re not over the top, but this is probably a song that either needs to be as simple as possible or reworked into a full band number.

Lyrically this is hardly a masterpiece, but there is a charming earnestness to them that captures the exhilarating nervousness you feel right before you tell someone how you feel about them. Some lines are a little heavy handed (My heart is an open wound that only you’d replace) but there are some fairly lyrics to offset it that carry the extra weight a good vocal performance can add (And when the time is right, I Hope that you'll respond /Like when the wind gets tired and the ocean becomes calm or I dream of circles perfect/eyes within your face).

I find myself more excited for the record that I was before. Still not a huge fan of the uke, and I’m not expecting this to find a spot in the upper tier of Pearl Jam releases, but Eddie might have produced a really nice mood record—something to put on when the silent moments in our lives need a little bit of music.

March 15: Eddie in Canberra

Monday, March 14, 2011

Longing To Belong

I would call this single artwork and this music from antiquiet.com the first official confirmation that Ed's ukulele album is imminent.

Jeff Ament & Brad Klausen on the Publicity Circuit



Jeff Ament is going to be stopping by ESPN SportsNation this Thursday at 3pm ET to talk about Tres Mountains.






And a few owners of From a Basement in Seattle might be able to hunt down Brad Klausen on his short book signing tour.  One assumes that even if you don't already own the book, they'll be available for purchase.



--Tues., March 22, 6:30pm
MassArts Bookstore
MassArt Kennedy Buidling, lower level
625 Huntington Ave.
BOSTON, MA

--Wed., March 23, 6:00pm
Robin's Books & Moonstone Arts Center
110A S. 13th St.
PHILADELPHIA, PA

--Thurs., March 24, 7:00pm
Bluestockings Bookstore
172 Allen St.
NEW YORK, NY

--Fri., March 25, 7:00pm
The Book Cellar
4736-38 N. Lincoln Ave.
CHICAGO, IL