New Album? --- It's Definitely a Thing!

 

We won't tease you with rumors of a name and tracklisting, but there is DEFINITELY a new Pearl Jam album out there.  Their biographer, Jonathan Cohen, has heard it.  According to Spin Magazine, they debuted the album at Troubadour in West Hollywood earlier today.

Specific details such as song titles and lyrics are being kept under wraps for now, but SPIN can confidently report that the album offers a little bit of everything for the longtime Pearl Jam fan. “No hyperbole — I think this is our best work,” enthused Vedder, who later poured tequila shots for the assembled audience. “I couldn’t be prouder of us as a band,” added Ament, who briefly got emotional while describing the experience of making the album.

We even get a little idea of what we can expect to hear.

The LP features several intense rockers that showcase the ever-powerful drumming of Matt Cameron and the panache of guitarist Mike McCready, whose solos are more prominent here than on 2020’s Gigaton. One has a chorus particularly tailor-made for chanting and fist-pumping.

A couple songs nod to the chiming, acoustic-flavored sound of the late Tom Petty, while another has the loping, off-kilter feel of past Pearl Jam tunes such as “Parachutes” and “All Those Yesterdays.” Thematically, Vedder is writing about human connection (or lack thereof), aging, parenting and the state of the world. “We’re still looking for ways to communicate,” he said.

Other than Rob Skinner (Pearl Jam's Fan Club Kingpin) posting a vague post about today's date, we still don't know when to expect the album, but it's going to break our brains if we don't hear something this week!

Painted Shield 3: New Music and Pre-Order

 

Painted Shield, Stone Gossard's band with Brittany Davis, Mason Jennings, Matt Chamberlain, and Jeff Fielder, has announced that their third album, titled "Painted Shield 3" will be released on July 26th, 2024.

You can pre-order a limited copy on "Bone Vinyl" at the Loosegrove Store on Brooklyn Vegan (only 1,000 available).

You also have a chance to see Painted Shield live in Seattle on March 2nd.  Details and tickets are available HERE.

In the meantime, check out the first single, "Transector."

Pearl Jam Receive Honorary Clio Award

 

Pearl Jam will be receiving an honorary award Wednesday night at the 2024 Clio Impact Awards.  The band will be recognized for their program of showcasing local artists as part of their show poster collection and for their work through the Vitalogy Foundation.

The Clio Awards were founded in 1959 to honor excellence in advertising and creative business practices in the fields of sports, fashion, music, entertainment, cannabis, and health.

Pearl Jam to Headline Bottlerock Festival

 Pearl Jam announced today that they will be headlining the Bottlerock Festival in Napa, California on May 24th.  We might have a full tour by the end of this month!

Pearl Jam will headline the BottleRock Festival 2024 at Napa Valley Expo in Napa, California along with Ed Sheeran and Stevie Nicks. The festival includes additional performances by Maná, Kali Uchis, Megan Thee Stallion, Queens of the Stone Age & many more! Stay tuned for more info on daily lineup information.

If you are in the Ten Club, you have an e-mail with the details.  If not, you can get ticketing information here.

Pearl Jam's Latest Basketball Gear

 Pearl Jam has released their Ten Club goodies for 2024.  Members of the fan club have the option of buying an exclusive basketball ($70), duffle bag ($75), sticker ($1), and t-shirt ($20), or if you're so inclined, you can get the whole thing for $26 less as a combo pack.

If you're a member of the fan club, and a collector of crazy Pearl Jam stuff, head over to Ten Club to grab your goods.

Top Ten Pearl Jam Moments of 2023, #1

 #1, IN THE MOMENT THAT YOU'RE BORN

With only just a rumor in 2022, which frankly, we didn't believe, it came an exciting shocker that Stone Gossard and Loosegroove Records decided to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Brad's debut album, Shame, with not only 5 different variants of THAT album on vinyl, but an entirely new Brad album that had been recorded and never cleaned up for release.

With Shawn Smith's passing in 2019 we were sure that we had heard the end of Brad as well, but this song lifts our spirits.  It's everything we could have hoped that a sixth and final album from Smith could have been.  It soothed our soul and helped bring our mourning to an end.

Brad's In the Moment That You're Born was our favorite release in a year of amazing releases and reissues from Ed, Jeff, Mike, Stone, and Matt.  

Now, onto 2024 with hopes of a new album and a real, honest to God tour!

Top Ten Pearl Jam Moments of 2023, #2

 #2, GIVE WAY

Speaking of "Vault" shows ... the "reissues" of the "never before released" Best Buy promotional live album, Give Way, left us asking two questions.  "Why wasn't this a Vault release?."  And "Is it because there are nine songs missing?"

We speculated yesterday whether a drunk monkey may be running the Vault program, but honestly, sometimes recordings are hard to recover and this release was tied up in all sorts of corporate red tape.

So, when Pearl Jam announced we'd be getting this legitimate rarity on Record Store Day, most of us just cheered.  This album was such a myth for years, with copies being stolen and sold for hundreds of dollars.  This year, we all got a chance to get our hands of a well-mixed copy, and wow, does it sound good.  

If you haven't picked up a copy, there are almost certainly some CDs at your local record store.  Go grab it and give a listen right now!

Top Ten Pearl Jam Moments of 2023, #3

 #3, ATLANTA 1994 ON VINYL    

When Pearl Jam released the audio of their 1994 Atlanta show late in 2020, we weren't clear if it was part of the actual "Vault" program or if it had a number or anything.  Then they started releasing vinyl of previous Vault releases that weren't on vinyl, and it looked like they had a drunk monkey running their program.

Hopefully, this year sets things straight with the release of Pearl Jam's iconic show at the Fox Theater in Atlanta as the official Vault #11, and all 10 previous releases having come out on vinyl, CD, and digital.  Does this set the stage for something great in 2024?  There's so much we're waiting for.

Top Ten Pearl Jam Moments of 2023, #4

 #4, THE REISSUE OF YIELD

VinylMePlease's marbled red reissue of Yield was the reissue we didn't know we needed.  It sounds mind blowing good against the original pressing.  Although it was available for only a limited time, hunting this down will be totally worth your time.  Happy 25th Anniversary, Yield!  Even if you did stiff us on Hummus!

Top Ten Pearl Jam Moments of 2023, #5

 #5, JUDGEMENT NIGHT SOUNDTRACK

A snapshot of a specific time that doesn't even include "Pearl Jam" on the cover, but is, nonetheless, a favorite of many Pearl Jam fans ... The soundtrack from the movie Judgement Night contains one song featuring Pearl Jam backing Cypress Hill, with Eddie Vedder hard to find.

November's Record Store Day brought us a great sounding, red vinyl re-release of this album.  Was it the first time on vinyl?  It may have been, but either way, it's a favorite we were waiting for.

Top Ten Pearl Jam Moments of 2023, #6

 #6, DEAF CHARLIE'S, CATASTROPHIC METAMORPHIC

We'd been getting little tastes of Jeff's work with drummer, John Wick, throughout COVID including his scary score for Under the Banner of Heaven, but in 2023, we finally got the album fully of punk fun, Catastrophic Metamorphic, including their first single, a cover of the Buzzcocks' Sitting Around at Home.  

Jeff, arguably the most active member of Pearl Jam when they aren't recording Pearl Jam records (which is either always or never, according to band members) rarely disappoints, and this album certainly doesn't.  A great collection of high tempo rock and punk that was one of our favorite albums of 2023.

P.E.S.T. EP3 on the Way

 In a Christmas Instagram message, Jeff Ament's band, P.E.S.T., featuring himself, aka Jeff Diction) (bass), Dave Parsons (vocals), Charlie Beaton (guitar), and Matthew Bainton (drums) have wrapped another punk EP.  Look for that to drop early in 2024.

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Top Ten Pearl Jam Moments of 2023, #7

 #7, THE VS. REISSUE

In celebration of Vs.' 30th Anniversary, Pearl Jam re-released the album in a few collectible formats, "dreamsicle" vinyl via Ten Club, clear vinyl via Target, and a more widely available black vinyl.  They also put out the album again on cassette and release a new Spacial Atmos digital format.

Reports were that every version sounded great, with MAYBE just a little lowering of drums and upping of bass in the mix, but arguments continue.

Top Ten Pearl Jam Moments of 2023, #8

 #7, The Rockfords

Plenty of reasons to head out on Record Store Day this year.  The Rockfords, Mike McCready's band with Carrie Akre, Chris Friel, Rick Friel, and Danny Newcomb reissued their long out-of-print debut album and paired it with their later EP, Waiting, in a single package.

To sweeten the deal, the band even played live at Easy Street Records in Seattle on Record Store Day.

Top Ten Pearl Jam Moments of 2023, #9

 #9, GORY SCORCH CRETINS

After working with the Melvins in 2019 at the Chris Cornell tribute concert, Matt Cameron proposed an idea to Buzz Osborne for the Melvins to back him on some solo material that he had been working on.  The result was an EP of Matt Cameron solo material named in homage of the Melvin's album, Gluey Porch Treatments.

Released on white vinyl for Record Store Day, we always get excited for Matt Cameron solo material, because he never seems to get enough writing work in Pearl Jam.  A great little rocker and collectible!