Thursday, December 31, 2020

Top Ten Pearl Jam Performances of 2020, #1

 #1, DANCE OF THE CLAIRVOYANTS

Today marks 849 days since anyone has been to a Pearl Jam concert, so our definition of "performance" got pretty wonky in this countdown.  However, there was one (and only one) full band performance that happened in 2020, so we have no choice but to nail that at the top.

During the All In Washington streaming event, Pearl Jam put together a performance of the song that sounded nothing like Pearl Jam, but somehow still made us love Pearl Jam all over again, Dance of the Clairvoyants.  If you haven't heard it since April, have a lesson, because hope is high for some live music in 2021, and you'll need to be ready!

Happy New Year!



Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Top Ten Pearl Jam Performances of 2020, #2

 #2, ATLANTA 1994

One more time, Pearl Jam delved into the past and brought amazing music back to those of us suffering in 2020.

On December 10th, Pearl Jam announced that they would be giving their whole fan club a release of the April 3rd, 1994 show at Fox Theater in Atlanta.  Fans had been trading this show for decades or if you were particularly dedicated you could collect several versions of the Dissident single and put them together into a cut-up, out-of-order version of the show.

Once that version of Sonic Reducer convinces you that you MUST own the show, you can buy it at the Ten Club as a digital download or CD.  They are calling it "Vault #11," so we hold on to a bit of hope that we may see this in vinyl in 2021.



Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Top Ten Pearl Jam Performances of 2020, #3

 #3, SITTING AROUND AT HOME


Spending months under stay-at-home orders in 2020 really wore us down.  After watching Tiger King from one end to the other, we started feeling bad for ourselves.  Enter Jeff Ament and John Wicks (of Fitz and the Tantrums).  They brought us the Buzzcocks cover that fit the moment flawlessly, Sitting Around at Home
"This Buzzcocks’ tune (written by Steve Diggle) has entered my brain every bored moment I’ve had since 1979. Different Kind of Tension is a great existential pandemic listen. Recorded with my crosstown brother John Wicks, crushing the drum kit in his basement". - Jeff
Later, the song was pressed onto a vinyl 7" with Something Real from the compilation, Good Music to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy, Volume 2, where Jeff and John were now calling themselves Deaf Charlie



Monday, December 28, 2020

Growin' Up


OK, we're probably a little late reporting this, but forgive us for being bitter that Eddie released a really great song in the middle of our "Top Ten Pearl Jam Performances of 2020" countdown.

On Christmas Day, Eddie released a digital EP of his two songs from the Venture Into Cures benefit show (Matter of Time and Say Hi), which also include four other tracks that Eddie recorded in his home studio, Just Breathe and Porch (from his performance for Amazon employees earlier this year), Future Days (from the 2020 Game Awards, #8 on our countdown), and a dynamite cover of Bruce Springsteen's Growin' Up.

The EP is available on all sorts of digital retailers, including Amazon.  Check it out and say thanks for the fact that Eddie Vedder has a home studio.



Top Ten Pearl Jam Performances of 2020, #4

 #4, KEEP ME IN YOUR HEART


Let's take one more stop at the 2017/2018 Fan Club Singles and one last trip into Eddie's home studio.  One of the songs included is a sweet cover of Warren Zevon's Keep Me In Your Heart, a song specifically requested by Howard Stern when Ed appeared on his show in November.  It was a beautiful performance that makes us desperate for the 2021 Pearl Jam World Tour.



Sunday, December 27, 2020

Top Ten Pearl Jam Performance of 2020, #5

 #5, HUNTED DOWN


In April, Pearl Jam finally released their songs for the Christmas Singles that their fans have been waiting two years for, and one of those songs stuck with us.  Stone Gossard took lead vocals on a cover of Soundgarden's Hunted Down, and the reimaged song is haunting and beautiful.  It's music that was totally worth waiting years to hear.

Even though the Fan Club Single program is now defunct, here's hoping we get more great one-offs like this in the future.



Saturday, December 26, 2020

Top Ten Pearl Jam Performance of 2020, #6

#6, EDDIE PERFORMS RIVER CROSS


A year ago, it was hard to imagine that Pearl Jam wouldn't tour behind their first album in 7 years, but as it turned out, that's exactly what happened.  Or at least, it happened in a different way.  No big concerts, but Pearl Jam and their members popped up from time to time on streaming events.  One of those events, featuring River Cross, the closer on Gigaton, happened on April 18th, where Eddie, filmed by his daughter, performed in his home studio.



Friday, December 25, 2020

Top Ten Pearl Jam Performances of 2020, #7

 #7, SUPERBLOOD WOLFMOON


The days of being surprised by Pearl Jam releasing videos are long gone.  In fact, Pearl Jam had planned on an IMAX, full-album viewing experience for Gigaton, but even if theaters hadn't closed in 2020, you would have missed the "tiny concert" for Superblood Wolfmoon.  The video created by Tiny Concert artist, Keith Ross, went live in February and spawned a few cute, Pearl Jam collectibles.



Thursday, December 24, 2020

Top Ten Pearl Jam Performance of 2020, #8

 #8, EDDIE PEFORMS AT THE GAME AWARDS


This summer's release of The Last of Us II on the Playstation featured a cut scene where the characters performed Pearl Jam's Future Days from Lightning Bolt, and the game was subsequently nominated for Best Score and Music at the 2020 Game Awards.  As part of the webcast of the award shows, Eddie Vedder took to his home studio to perform the song himself.



Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Top Ten Pearl Jam Performances of 2020, #9

#9, MIKE MCCREADY'S BATHROOM SESSIONS

Next on our list is the most quarantine of the quarantine performances.  Mike McCready discovered early on that the acoustics in his bathroom lent themselves to beautiful performances.  It was a fun way to survive the pandemic and draw attention to the struggles of those with Crohn's Disease.

Our only regret, is that it didn't progress beyond four short sessions.

 







Ten Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame

 


Earlier this week, the Recording Academy announced 29 songs and 7 albums that were just added to the list of 1,142 recordings that make up the Grammy Hall of Fame.  Pearl Jam's debut album, Ten, was among the inductees.

Happy Birthday, Eddie Vedder!


Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Top Ten Pearl Jam Performances of 2020, #10

 2020 is a year that changed everything for music fans, and it's going to call for a new way of looking back on the year.  Pearl Jam DID create some newsworthy moments this year, but since they had to get creative in how they "performed" for us, we're going to get creative in how we look back on it.

Instead of the Top Ten Pearl Jam MOMENTS of the year, let's look back on the Top Ten Pearl Jam PERFORMANCES!

#10, STADIO OLIMPICO IN ROME, ITALY, JUNE 26, 2018

Pearl Jam released several remastered live shows on video via Nugs' streaming service, Nugs.tv.  All of them mixed for surround sound by Gigaton producer, Josh Evans, and edited by Kevin Shuss.  The performances were all great, but fans seem to agree that 2018's show in Rome is a thing of beauty.


As it stands, these are limited-time, pay-per-view events, but keep looking for more great shows to pop-up, even after Pearl Jam heads back out on the road.



Thursday, December 10, 2020

Purple Vinyl Ten Reissue


 If you missed your opportunity to pick up the limited-edition, purple vinyl version of Pearl Jam's debut album, Ten, it is back in stock at the Ten Club!

Nighttime Boogie Association

 

Matt Cameron has announced that his latest side project, Nighttime Boogie Association, with Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), Buzz Osbourne (the Melvins), and Steven McDonald (the Melvins) debuts their first album tomorrow.

I have a new side project I am very happy to introduce called Nighttime Boogie Association featuring my fellow drummer/songwriter Taylor Hawkins on vocals as well as Buzz Osbourne and Steven McDonald from the Melvins. Taylor and I have a lot in common, we both play drums for huge rock bands and we both write and record our own songs. This project is a reflection of our shared vision as drummers and songwriters, always an interesting combination!
You can pre-save the album on several popular streaming services or pick up a shirt at the Ten Club website.

Atlanta's Fox Theater 1994 Coming to the Bootleg Program

Pearl Jam just announced that their 1994 performance in Atlanta's Fox Theater will now be made available as part of the digital and CD bootleg program, AND is available to all Fan Club members for free right now!

To spread some holiday cheer, we will be giving all current Ten Club members the concert download from the 1994 Fox Theater Atlanta show. This historic show has been digitally remastered and will be made available both on CD and digital formats as part of our regular bootleg series - but you get to download it to your library now as a little stocking stuffer from Pearl Jam to you.
No word on just when it will be available, but since it was previously only available to the collector serious enough to hunt down all the alternate versions of the Dissident single, this is huge news.

Monday, November 30, 2020

Pearl Jam Members Joining Alice in Chains Tribute, December 1st

 


What is to be said that is not on the graphic?  Tune in tomorrow night at 6pm for performances of Alice in Chains' classics by Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, and that whole list of awesome artists!

For more information, including how to donate to support the Museum of Pop Culture, visit their website.

Monday, November 23, 2020

This All Encompassing Trip (10th Anniversary Edition)

 


The bible to all devotees of following Pearl Jam across continents, This All Encompassing Trip (Chasing Pearl Jam Around the World) was written by Jason Leung ten years ago, and Jason is now announcing a new 10th Anniversary Edition of his book, available now on Amazon.


This All Encompassing Trip (Chasing Pearl Jam Around The World) by Jason Leung is a nonfiction novel about the Pearl Jam fan community and, more specifically, the adventures of one fan who quits his job to travel the world and follow Pearl Jam on tour. The new hardcover version has an ISBN of 978-1-937634-07-0 and more information can be found on the book's website ThisAllEncompassingTrip.com.

View the full press release and Jason's bio here: https://thisallencompassingtrip.com/press/

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Matter of Time and Say Hi

 

If you were able to tune into last night's, Venture into Cures, you caught Eddie Vedder's debut of two new songs, Matter of Time and Say Hi.  You can watch videos below via YouTube, or both songs are available on several streaming services.

You can also pick up a 7" vinyl from the Ten Club for $10 (+ $6.45 domestic S&H).



Friday, November 6, 2020

Eddie on Howard Stern

This week, Eddie Vedder sat for couple of hours with Howard Stern.  If you don't have SiriusXM you probably didn't hear it, but you can check out two musical performances by Ed, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town and a cover of Warren Zevon's Keep Me In Your Heart (which he recorded for the 2017 Fan Club Single).



Thursday, October 29, 2020

Miley Cyrus, Just Breathe


Earlier this month, Miley Cyrus recorded an MTV Unplugged session in her backyard which featured a cover of Pearl Jam's Just Breathe.  Check out her recording with her backing band, The Social Distancers.  Does it stand up to the original?

Kelly Curtis Retires

 


Variety is reporting that long-time Pearl Jam manager, Kelly Curtis, has retired and is being replace by Tour Manager, Mark Smith.  They've published a great summary of his career and the work he's done.  Check that out here.

Saturday, October 10, 2020

Vault #10: Moline, Illinois, 10/17/2014

So late that we thought it wasn't coming, Pearl Jam has announced their Vault Release for the year.  #10 is going to be the October 17th, 2014 show from Moline, Illinois, famous because they played No Code, complete and in order.  The four-record set will include the full setlist, including an improv called Moline.

Members of the Ten Club can pre-order the album now for $55 (plus $16.70 domestic S&H).

Setlist is below.

Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town

Sometimes

Hail, Hail

Who You Are

In My Tree

Smile

Off He Goes

Habit

Red Mosquito

Lukin

Present Tense

Mankind

I'm Open

Around The Bend

Given To Fly

Interstellar Overdrive

Corduroy

Mind Your Manners

Brain Of J.

Infallible

Even Flow

Gone

Garden

Porch

ENCORE 2

Eruption

Alive

Fuckin' Up

Yellow Ledbetter

ENCORE 1

Moline

Bee Girl

Imagine

In Hiding

Lightning Bolt

Do The Evolution

Jeremy

Why Go

Painted Shield - November 27th RSD


Painted Shield announced, this week, that their debut eponymous album will be released in a limited, colored vinyl format for Black Friday's Record Store Day (November 27th).  The album will also
 include a bonus 7” single, with tracks not on the album.  

They also released a second song from their album, Time Machine.

Deaf Charlie - Something Real / Sitting Around at Home

 

The Ten Club is taking pre-orders for the debut release by Deaf Charlie, a band formed by Jeff Ament and John Wicks (of Fitz and The Tantrums).  Side A is Something Real (from the Good Music to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy, Volume 2 compilation), and Side B is their cover of the Buzzcocks' Sitting Around At Home, previously released via YouTube.

You can pre-order the 7" vinyl release for $10 (plus $6.25 domestic S&H).


Monday, October 5, 2020

Hyde Park Rescheduled Shows


Overnight, Pearl Jam announced that they will be headlining two shows at BST Hyde Park 2021 on Friday, July 9th, and Saturday, July 10th, featuring Pixies and IDLES consecutively.

If you had tickets to the cancelled Hyde Park shows in 2020, you will get priority access to both 2021 shows.

See the Pearl Jam website for more information about tickets and fan club access.

Saturday, October 3, 2020

Get It Back: The TSIS Review

B-sides and one-off tracks are one of the great joys in music.  It’s like being in a Secret Santa pool with some really good gift givers.  You might get a novelty, some shit, or a surprisingly great present you had no idea you needed.  A well-constructed album has a theme, a feel, and a flow.  There is (or should be) a deliberate intentionality behind the songs chosen for inclusion.  Bands can and do write songs that just don’t belong on a record.  That they don’t belong isn’t a comment on their quality or worth.  They could be a brief, fun aside, an interesting point that just happens to be a little too repetitive, or a compelling and insightful digression that you cannot pursue without derailing the larger conversation.  I love Undone, more than just about every other song on the Riot Act album. But its inclusion changes the story that album is telling.  It doesn’t belong, but it is absolutely worth hearing.   And the arrival of a b-side is always appreciated – a nice little snack when you are always hungry and the next meal isn’t coming any time soon.

And so while the recent run of non-album tracks we’ve received from Pearl Jam hasn’t always lit my world on fire, I’m always happy to get them.  Ole is in that glossy pop punk style that is maybe their creative space I like the least.  Can’t Deny Me was a rare near complete misfire.  But I adore their cover of Again Today – one of my most listened to Pearl Jam songs of the past ten years.  With this as background I was happy to shell out $20.20 for a new Pearl Jam song.  It’s for a good cause, and who knows how far away the next album meal is.  Besides, Gigaton is a late career masterpiece that I have more than gotten my money’s worth over.   I have no problem playing 20 bucks for a song at this point. 

I was slightly less excited when I learned that Get it Back was a pure Matt Cameron song – music and lyrics.  I love Matt as a drummer, but I’m not nearly as much a fan of his songwriting as I am of the other members of the band.  And this is, for better or worse, a Matt Cameron song.  Mid-tempo, slightly off-kilter cadence, a droning vocal melody that plateaus more than it rises and falls – locked into the rhythm of the song rather than surprising with its choices (the kind of vocal melody you might expect a drummer to write).  This is absolutely in some people’s wheelhouses, but it generally doesn’t speak to my sensibilities.  

Although the song was written in 2018, it feels like it belongs from the Riot Act or S/T era, filtered through Matt’s Wellwater Conspiracy work. There are shades of Otherside in its autumnal wistfulness, and its tempo - the floating cadence of the verses, and the subdued triumphal grasping of its chorus -remind me in places of Amongst the Waves. It makes me wonder if Matt wrote Let It Ride.  

The verses feature some pleasant, very mildly discordant but still sing songy guitar that doesn’t leave too much of an impression. I’ve listened to this about 10 times, and I still can’t remember it when the song is over.  The accents do remind me a bit of a slightly reedier and electric play on the lush and misty verses of Amongst the Waves.  The chorus transitions into some heavier grunge riffing, but the heaviness feels a bit perfunctory – there to draw a distinction between chorus and verse,  rather than serving its own purpose.

Ed’s performance isn’t helping to elevate the song, either.  He sounds fine, but singing at this pace highlights the elongated vowel affectation that has crept into his later work. The best songs in the last fifteen years find a way to either hide this or channel it through more dynamic and exciting vocal melodies or a wordier approach to the lyrics (consistently to great effect on Gigaton, where Ed is the star of almost every song). The droning approach adopted here does neither.  The lyrics are a bit generic – not worth drawing attention to in their own right, nor are they just there to give Eddie something to sing over a winning melody.  And the lack of dynamic range in his performance means Get It Back feels like it is standing still – there is no real meaningful transition between verse and chorus, which undercuts their power.   Amongst the Waves and Unthought Known both suffer from the same problem, though Amongst the Waves benefits from a much more engaging vocal melody and Unthought Known from a more committed performance.  

As a result the vocal performance and music are locked in with each other (the authorial voice is consistent), but not going anywhere in particular. More dynamic music might benefit from the grounding of a flatter lead vocal, and likewise stolid music might help keep a more engaged vocal honest, but I don’t think they are doing each other any favors here.

The lack of any tension or stakes in the song is compounded by a typical Matt Cameron lyric. The sentiment is a worthwhile one, and a bit tighter than you usually see in his writing. There is some real longing in the lyrics. It’s not hard to see this as a song about processing his grief around the death of Chris Cornell.   They are honest, and heartfelt, but lacking in any striking turns of phrase or insight (compared to say, Comes Then Goes, which has masterful writing).    It would be fine if the music or the performance captured the sadness and longing, but it is a song where every part seems to be holding back while it waits for another element to make the song’s major statement.

The emotional catharsis and comes in at the 2:35 mark through Mike’s extended raw and plaintive solo. It works, and would have been a strong button on a more engaged song, but it almost ends up feeling out of place given the amount of heavy lifting it is being asked to do. It is mourning a different tragedy.  The grief feels unearned here. And there is an unusually clunky fade at the end.

And so Get It Back is the quintessential b-side.  This song wouldn’t fit on Gigaton – it stands still and would feel especially constrained on an album that is spacious and full of movement.  But it’s still new Pearl Jam. Fans of Matt Cameron’s songwriting will almost certainly love it, and there are bound to be elements for any fan to take away, as there is almost any time musicians you love take the time to record together. For me it will be the climax (as was also the case for Ole – Mike McCready is apparently my marginal b-side savior). I’m glad it exists, but as its own moment in time.

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Get It Back - NEW SONG!

 


Pearl Jam has announced that they have contributed a new, studio song called "Get It Back" to the Good Music to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy, Volume 2 compilation with all proceeds benefiting the Voting Rights Lab.  The album will only be available for ONE DAY, AND ONE DAY ONLY, on this Friday, October 2nd, so make sure you stay tuned to Bandcamp and don't forget!

The album will also feature a song, "Something Real" by Deaf Charlie (Jeff Ament and John Wicks) and "Near" by Stone Gossard.  Check out the album here, on Bandcamp.

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Painted Shield

 


Today, Pearl Jam announced that Stone Gossard has collaborated with former Pearl Jam drummer, Matt Chamberlain, folk singer, Mason Jennings, and Seattle musician, Brittany Davis, to create a group called Painted Shield.  Their self-titled album will be available from Loosegroove Records on November 27th.

You can pre-order (or pre-save) their album on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer or Tiday by visiting their website.

You can listen to their first single, I Am Your Country, below and a video is set to release tomorrow, exclusively on Apple Music.

Read more about the new band from Spin Magazine.