Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Top Ten Pearl Jam Moments of 2012, #6

WHILE MY HEART BEATS / ACTS

Back in 2011, Jeff hinted that we could expect great things from him in 2012 when he handed PJ20 attendees a CD single for When the Fire Comes, so we weren't totally surprised in June when he announced his second solo album, While My Heart Beats, was on the way.  Well, OK, we were a little surprised since the announcement came mere hours before the album.




With help from long-time Jeff Ament contributor, Richard Stuverud, and half of Pearl Jam (Mike and Matt), Jeff pulled off great sophomore effort that possibly eclipsed his earlier effort, Tone, and by handing off the vocals to Joseph Arthur on When the Fire Comes, hinted at his next big project ...


A mere two months after the release of While My Heart Beats, Jeff announced that he and Richard Stuverud had recorded another album with Joseph Arthur.  Calling the band, RNDM (pronounced "random"), the band set off on a tour of North America to promote their album, Acts.


The publicity also kicked up a lot of questions about the current state of Pearl Jam, and although we're sure an album is forthcoming, it's obvious that with customized stocking caps and a constantly running tumblr that Jeff, Richard, and Joseph are having a lot of fun with their latest project.