Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Pearl Jam's iTunes Stores Grows Again


Pearl Jam has been adding bootlegs to their iTunes store in fits and starts, but today they nearly doubled the offerings.  Pearl Jam has now added Japan/Australia 2003, North America 2000, 2008, and 2013.

If you're an iTunes fan, rush on over and fill out your collection with new live music.

Mike McCready Joins Tuatara For New Album, Underworld


Barrett Martin dropped the news on Facebook that that his instrumental band, Tuatara, is releasing their seventh album, Underworld, this summer.  The band's line-up now includes Mike McCready, but as you can tell from the video above, the project is nothing at all like Pearl Jam.
Hey Folks, Barrett Martin has just finished producing the forthcoming album from Tuatara, the renowned instrumental group which features Pearl Jam/Mad Season guitarist Mike McCready, Barrett, saxophone virtuoso Skerik, and REM guitarist Peter Buck. Their new double album (!) is titled, “Underworld,” and it has a song in a new short film from underwater filmmaker Drew Alston. Drew is a contributor to Google Ocean, and he uses the Tuatara song “She Dreams Of Snow” for his short film about ocean conservancy. His film, “Save Your Planet Everyday", will debut on June 8th at the Reef Renaissance Film Festival on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, but you can preview it here first!
According to Amazon, the album releases August 5th.  The tracklisting is below.

1. Calling The Spirits 
2. Ghosts Of The City 
3. Dueling Shamans 
4. Streetwalkin' 
5. The Spider Pimp 
6. She Dreams Of Snow 
7. Gremlin Chain Gang 
8. The Hard Swing 
9. Even Demons Fall In Love 
10. Enchantment 
11. Descension 
12. At The Crossroads 
13. Bass Beat Blues 
14. The Skelton Getdown 
15. Snakecharmer 
16. The Creeper 
17. El Brujo 
18. Lost In Shinjuku 
19. Bonfires On The Avenue 
20. The Realm of Shades




Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Pearl Jam Announces a Ten-Date US Tour


It's official, Pearl Jam will be hitting the US this fall.  The dates are below, including the two previously announced appearances at Austin City Limits.  CORRECTION! PUBLIC Presale starts on May 30th at 10am local time.  The Ten Club Pre-Sale Lottery begins now and closes Wednesday, May 28th.


DATE                          CITY                                   VENUE
Oct-1                          Cincinnati, OH                   US Bank Arena
Oct-3                          St Louis, MO                      Scottrade Center
Oct-3-5*                    Austin, TX                          Austin City Limits Music Festival
Oct-8                          Tulsa, OK                            BOK Center
Oct-9                          Lincoln, NE                         Pinnacle Bank Arena
Oct-10-12*               Austin, TX                           Austin City Limits Music Festival
Oct-14                        Memphis, TN                      FedEx Forum
Oct-16                        Detroit, MI                           Joe Louis Arena
Oct-17                        Moline, IL                            iWireless Center
Oct-19                        St. Paul, MN                        Xcel Energy Center
Oct-20                        Milwaukee, WI                    BMO Harris Bradley Center
Oct-22                        Denver, CO                         Pepsi Arena

Monday, May 19, 2014

Danny Clinch: Still Moving


This fall (September 23), one of our favorite photographers, Danny Clinch, will be releasing a book of his work, with the foreward by Bruce Springsteen.  The book, titled Danny Clinch: Still Moving, features Eddie Vedder on the cover, and Danny has been a friend, photographer, and videographer of the band for nearly as long as Pearl Jam has existed, so the likelihood that a few of the 296 pages will feature Pearl Jam is high.

Here is what Amazon has to say about the book, which you can now pre-order for $34.36.
Danny Clinch has established himself as a premier photographer of the popular music scene, photographing a wide range of art­ists from Johnny Cash and Tupac Shakur to Björk and Dave Matthews. His photos have appeared on hundreds of album covers, as well as in publications such as Vanity Fair, Spin, Rolling Stone, and the New Yorker, and his ad campaigns for John Varvatos have adorned city streets and billboards.

This lavish monograph chronicles Danny Clinch’s illustrious career with more than 200 photographs of the most important musicians of all time, along with his personal anecdotes and a written contribution by Bruce Springsteen. With images ranging from backstage shots at the Grammys to intimate candids, Still Moving is the ultimate gift for music lovers.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Ed Joins Michael Stipe, Tom Morello, and Others in Support of Net Neutrality


Eddie Vedder has joined more than 50 musicians, writers, poets, actors, and other artists, including Michael Stipe, Tom Morello, Kimya Dawson, Boots Riley, and Jill Sobule, in signing a letter to FCC Chairman Thomas Wheeler voicing opposition of his current proposed changes to net neutrality and calling them a threat to artistic freedom and integrity.  Here's a small excerpt: 
Under these rules, telecom giants like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon would be able to pick winners and losers online and discriminate against online content and applications. 
  
The open Internet’s impact on the creative community cannot be overstated. The Internet has enabled artists to connect directly with each other and with audiences. It has eliminated the barriers of geography and taken collaborations to new levels. And it has allowed people — not corporations — to seek out the film, music and art that moves them. 
  
Allowing broadband providers to control this once‐open platform shifts power away from individual artists and creators and interferes with freedom of speech and expression.
If you don't know what net neutrality is, or why it is in the news lately, it would make sense for a music news blog would take a little time to explain it to you, so here are some great videos to explain it.  





The full list of artists signing the letter are below.

Anti‐Flag 

Fred Armisen   
Geoff Bailey   
Jello Biafra  Sarah Browning (poet) 
Neko Case
Staceyann Chin 
Kimya Dawson: The Moldy Peaches, Antsy Pants, The Bundles, The Uncluded 
Davey D 
Michael Ealy 
Fat Wreck Chords 
Fugazi   
Jonny 5: Flobots 
Judah Friedlander   
Rebecca Gates   
Hank Green 
Harry and the Potters 
Mark Kates: Artist Manager, Fenway Recordings 
Allison  Kilkenny & Jamie Kilstein: Citizen Radio 
Hari Kondabolu   
Wayne Kramer: MC5, Jail Guitar Doors USA 
Kronos Quartet 
The Last Internationale 
Evangeline Lilly  
David Lowery: Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven 
Jeff Mangum & Astra Taylor: Neutral Milk Hotel 
Mirah 
Scott McCaughey: Young Fresh Fellows, Minus 5 
Erin McKeown   
Tom Morello   
Thao Nguyen: Thao & the Get Down Stay Down 
OK Go 
Alec Ounsworth: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah 
Ozomatli 
Martín Perna: Antibalas 
Joe Perry: Aerosmith   
Billie Perry   
Boots Riley   
Rich Robinson: The Black Crowes 
Benji Rogers: Founder of Pledge Music 
Mark Ruffalo   
James Schamus 
Wallace Shawn   
Jill Sobule   
Charlie Starr: Blackberry Smoke 
Michael Stipe: R.E.M. 
Oliver Stone 

Monday, May 12, 2014

Soundgarden to Perform Superunknown, June 2


Matt Cameron will be joining his Soundgarden bandmates to perform Superunknown, in its entirety at Webster Hall in New York on June 2nd.  Citi Cardmembers get the first shot at tickets starting May 21st.
Soundgarden will be performing Superunknown in its entirety (with Matt Cameron) at Webster Hall in New York City on June 2nd. There is a 2 ticket limit and tickets will be available exclusively to Citi credit & debit cardholders on 5/21 at 10 AM EST. More info on how to purchase tickets can be found at www.citiprivatepass.com.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Pearl Jam Mystery Box


Yesterday, Pearl Jam announced that they would be clearing out inventory with some pretty cool mystery boxes.  We apologize for being late to the game, which means they're currently sold out, but the website does say "stay tuned."  If you're keeping an eye out, know that there is a men's box and a women's box (for the clothing included, and yes, you choose your size when you purchase).  Here's the rest of the fun:
Each box will contain a MINIMUM OF: (2) Posters , (2) Soft Goods (shirts/hoodies/shorts/jackets/hats,etc), (1) Bootleg Cd, (5) Stickers and sweet odds and sods.

Items pictured are sample items. Each box is maded to order and each box will have different item.

Due to size and weight, U.S. members only.
Given the value of Pearl Jam posters and clothing, this is surely worth more than their charging. Keep checking the website, and jump on them when they become available again.

Oh!  And if you need something now, Pearl Jam put out some new t-shirt designs to celebrate the spring season.


Friday, May 9, 2014

Soundgarden Documentary in the Works


Banger Films has announced that Director Reginald Harkema will begin work this summer on a Soundgarden documentary. Though filming will begin while Matt Cameron is not touring with Soundgarden, he will no doubt play prominently in the film.
The film is set to focus on the entirety of the band’s career, from their early days in the Seattle club scene, through to their breakup in the 90’s, and their return with 2012’s King Animal release.

“We’re going to concentrate on [the 90’s] era mostly,” reveals Harkema. “It’ll probably be like 70-75% mid-80’s to the breakup, and then catch up on the reunion and the present day. We’d like to shoot some big special concert, and maybe use that as a structural spine. We’re going to shoot all the interviews so they’re more on-camera, so you can kind of get the emotion in the faces. There’s a lot of stuff that they went through, and a lot of stuff that they [shrug off], that I think we can dig deep underneath, and get back to how they felt emotionally at the time.”

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Ed Drops a New Tune in Brazil

Photo: Inside the Rock Poster Frame

This past Tuesday, in Brazil, Ed introduced a new song with the phrase, "I'll play this song, and then I'll go learn it.  Then I'll be right back."  Fans are calling it I Won't Hold On.

The song has no name yet, but you can currently find an mp3 of the performance here.  Group this song in with the leaked song called Coming Home to You and the unreleased music supposedly written for the movie Out of the Furnace, and you might just have enough music to release an album this fall.

Maybe!

Friday, May 2, 2014

Mike on NPR


Earlier this week, Mike McCready sat down with Ann Powers of NPR and several other musicians to talk about the moving experience of performing live.  He talks about performing in Jerusalem with Neil Young, the difficulties and joys of being in a band, and even a little bit about why there are so many Pearl Jam songs about water.

Here is what he has to say about drawing inspiration from other artists.
I think it's important as a musician, whether it be rock or jazz or blues, to create and to be open to different types of music and try to, maybe at first, emulate that. And then, out of that emulation, you create your own style. And so out of all of those guitar players that I liked growing up — Eddie Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, the guys from Aerosmith, KISS, the Stones, all that — I try to take a little piece of everything. And Stevie Ray Vaughn later, and Muddy Waters, and then some blues. All of that was a whole other world that opened up to me early on. So I guess to take — creatively borrow things — and then it turns into your own style, I guess.
You can listen here, or view the transcript of the show on-line.