The I Want To Take a Portrait of Eddie Vedder Project

 Alright, some things are just too odd to leave unreported.

Adelaide photographer, Jennifer Sando, wants to shoot Eddie's portrait.  Toward that goal, she is going to be uploading a new picture every day to draw attention to herself and her quest.  She's looking for fans who are willing to share, like, tweet, digg ... whatever it takes to spread the word and make her the next Anna Knowlden.

I’m very conscious of the fact that Eddie will be doing two solo shows here at the end of March. So I’m striving for an opportunity at that time. Yes, I have tickets.

Until the concert, (84 days away), I will be uploading a black & white photograph every day to spell out the fact that I REALLY want to take Eddie’s portrait.

If you want to help, visit The "I Want To Take a Portrait of Eddie Vedder" Project to learn more.

On a Side Note: Brad on World Cafe

Brad was featured on NPR's World Cafe today.  You can listen to the broadcast here, it features an interview as well as performances of Low, Believe In Yourself, and Buttercup.

Officially forming in 1992, the Seattle band Brad has been in and out of the picture for years. With members Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam), Shawn Smith (Pigeonhed and Satchel), Regan Hagar (Satchel and Malfunkshun) and Jeremy Toback working with multiple bands and side projects at once, it's been difficult for Brad to survive the tumult. But no matter how long the hiatuses last, Brad always seems to gravitate back together and work on new material.

The group admits that its newest album Best Friends? is more delicate than past records. Though the original songs on the album were recorded back in 2003, the band spent the past several years discovering its new sound and building on what already existed.

Book Signing at Easy Street

Look for authors, Jason Leung and Brad Klausen, at Easy Street Records this Friday and get your copies of This All Encompassing Trip and From a Basement in Seattle signed.

On Friday, January 14, at 6pm, Jason Leung and Brad Klausen will be doing a book signing at our West Seattle store for their recently released books:


This All Encompassing Trip (Chasing Pearl Jam Around The World) by Jason Leung and From a Basement in Seattle: The Poster Art of Brad Klausen by Brad Klausen. The two books compliment each other quite well, representing the fan travel stories and artwork of Pearl Jam. Come out at 6pm to meet the authors and pick up a signed copy of their books. Help spread the word by forwarding the Facebook event page to all your friends.

Rolling Stone Gives LOXL Four Stars

In the January 20th issue of Rolling Stone, Andy Greene gives Live on Ten Legs four stars, an "excellent" rating.

Live comp captures PJ in all their ragged glory.

The sequel to 1998's Live on Two Legs, this 18-track compilation is perfect for anyone unwilling to wade into the sea of official Pearl Jam bootlegs.  It's also a reminder that Pearl Jam are one of the best live bands on the planet: Recorded between 2003 and 2010, every one of the 18 tracks here is better - more raw, more energetic - than its studio counterpart, and the track list mixes monster hits ("Jeremy") with newer cuts ("The Fixer," "Got Some") and a generous helping of fan favorites ("State of Love and Trust").  Best of all is a frenetic cover of PiL's "Public Image," in which Eddie Vedder manages to out-snarl Johnny Rotten.

On A Side Note: Ed to Play Perth

Well, Perth, whatever you did, it worked.

Get ready Perth, we've made it happen!

Due to recent venue and artist schedule changes, Eddie Vedder is now able to extend his solo Australian tour to include Perth's Riverside Theatre on Thursday 31st March and Friday 1st April.

Ten Club is thrilled to announce there will be a Fan Club pre-sale for members active as of Monday 10th January at 3:59pm WST (that's Sunday 9th January 11:59pm Pacific in the states). If you are not already a member, you will not be eligible for the pre-sale. Sorry, tickets are very limited.

The pre-sale will begin on Thursday 13th January at 9am WST (that's Wednesday 12th January 5pm Pacific). The Pre-sale will end on Saturday 15th January at 9am WST (that's Friday 14th January at 5pm Pacific) or until tickets are gone, whichever happens first. Please check www.timeanddate.com for time zone conversion.

Eddie Vedder Perth Dates: Thursday, March 31, and Friday, April 1, at Riverside Theatre

LOXL: We're Starting to Get Excited!

LOXL Leaks

Pearl Jam's unreleased live compilation, Live on Ten Legs, has apparently leaked.  You may begin your hunt now.  For those of you who are members of our Red Mosquito Forum, please remember that trading of [soon to be] commercially available material is not allowed.

Given To Cast, 1/6/2011

The January 6th episode of Given To Cast is up.

 

Where is the Pearl Jam Weekend Bash gonna be???



- The Week in Review

- The Song of the Week (Tremor Christ - from Self Pollution Radio 1/1995)

- Pearl Jam extra (In Hiding - from MonkeyWrench Radio)

- 2011: what are the plans for the podcast?

- Rare Live Song - (Hold On - from 10/30/2009 - at The Spectrum in Philly)

- Contest Winner of signed book by Jason Leung of "This All Encompassing Trip"

Then head to our forums to discuss it!

Meet Your Blogger: TheSkyIScrape.com

Since one of our first posts of the New Year was one of his Guided Tours, I decided to go ahead and start 2011's Meet Your Blogger series with our own Dr. Stip.  In a world where millions of fans each have their own opinions about Pearl Jam, their music, and their lyrics, stip often rises above the din with a measured, confident, and fair assessment of Pearl Jam's art.  Many will disagree with him, but none will disrespect him. -B

ON-LINE PERSONA: stip


WEBSITE: theskyiscrape.com
TheSkyIScrape.com is a Pearl Jam news and debate website featuring one of the most active, fan-run forums, Red Mosquito, whose members provide cutting edge news and spirited discussions about all things Pearl Jam.



REAL NAME: Brian Stipelman


LOCATION: Huntington, NY USA


DAY JOB: Professor of Politics at Dowling College


IT IS SAFE TO SAY THAT PEARL JAM IS YOUR OBSESSION.  WHY PEARL JAM?
I love the guitar interplay and the passion and commitment in the music, but really it's Eddie.  No singer has ever connected with me the way he has.



FAVORITE ALBUM:
Vitalogy


FAVORITE SONG(S): 
Alive


FAVORITE BAND MEMBER:
Eddie


HOW MANY SHOWS HAVE YOU ATTENDED?
22


WHAT WAS YOUR GREATEST PEARL JAM EXPERIENCE? 
Pearl Jam is more a constant for me than a series of high or lows. My greatest experience would probably be feeling the bleachers shake during Betterman at MSG2 2008, or the moment they first took the stage at my first show in 96 (Last Exit).


HOW EXTENSIVE IS YOUR PEARL JAM COLLECTION?
Just about everything officially released and pretty much every bootlegged show through 2006.  I've fallen off the wagon a bit since then.


IS THERE A SPECIFIC LYRIC THAT MOVES YOU?  
"If I knew where it was I would take you there. There's much more than this." [Breath]






WHAT ELSE IS ON YOUR IPOD RIGHT NOW?
Tom Waits, REM, and Mark Lanegan are always in heavy rotation.


WHEN YOU WALK AWAY FROM YOUR COMPUTER, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
Reading.


WHAT PASSIONS DO YOU HAVE BEYOND PEARL JAM?
World of Warcraft, fantasy novels, politics, and teaching


WHAT IS YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE?
World of Warcraft

---

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

Pearl Jam Twenty: A Rough Outline

I wasn't even sure this qualified as news.  It doesn't report anything that we didn't already know, but it does provide rough date ranges.  Of course, we all know how good Pearl Jam is at honoring rough date ranges.  At any rate, the Ten Club posted it, so please take of it what you will.

2011 will be a yearlong celebration of Pearl Jam’s twenty-year history. The anniversary festivities kick off in a few weeks with the release of Live on Ten Legs.


A hint of what more to expect in the months ahead:

- A spring reissue of Vs. and Vitalogy in new, deluxe formats;
- The release of Cameron Crowe’s film, Pearl Jam Twenty, along with an accompanying book and soundtrack album;
- A 20th anniversary destination weekend bash sometime in late summer;
- Plus a number of special events and new, unexpected releases!

Official LOXL Release Party

The Ten Club has announced that the Feedback Lounge will be hosting the "official" West Seattle Live on Ten Legs release party.  That's an odd way to word it.  Should we expect an appearance from Wes C. Addle?  Probably not, but DO expect Easy Street Records to be there with giveaways.

The Feedback Lounge is graciously hosting the "official" West Seattle LO10L release party.  Join the Ten Club, Easy Street Records and Feedback Lounge on Monday, January 17th, time TBD.  Stop in to hear the record as well as hang out with like-minded folks.  Easy Street will be there slinging CDs and LPs, 10C will be on hand to sling some goodies and the fine folks at the Feedback will be slinging the hash and the swill.  It will be a grand time.  There might even be a prize or two.

Stone Talks 20th Anniversary

From Five Questions with The Comet:

It’s pretty amazing. I’m in a state of gratitude about all of it. You stick with it when it’s a struggle and a headache ¬– you go through the ups and downs. Twenty years and you get to look back. It’s cool and exciting. You built it and are so proud of it. That’s what you get when you stick with something long enough. Painting on the same canvass it can be frustrating at times. Mostly I was frustrating to other people. I look back and can be wiser than when I was 25 years old. We get to make another record. Everyone wants so play music.

Stone also mentions the possibility of some new Brad music or more Stone solo music!

On a Side Note: Ed Protects Your Hands

The Ten Club has announced Ed's participation in a very odd art project.  Apparently for $100 (+$20 S/H) you can subscribe to Club Hotpad (an "oven mit" of the month club, apparently), and get a hotpad every month designed by a celebrity artist.  It's the kind of kitscy thing that Ranch-N-Roll does:

A company founded by Libby Knudson to sell her furniture. Inspired by her love of all things western and classic American kitsch, she opened a shop at 5106 Fountain in Hollywood California to also feature other artists handmade goods. She also operates a full upholstery shop to help with your upholstery needs!

If you're into this sort of thing, that's cool.  If you're a diehard Pearl Jam fan, you should know a few things.  You're not buying a one-of-a-kind Ed collectible.  It appears as though his artwork will be transferred to fabric and made into a hotpad that is reproduced for all subscribers.  There also doesn't appear to be a charity attached, which I immediately assumed there would be.  At any rate, $10 for cool art ain't a bad deal, and I've paid more than $120 to hang things on my wall.



I wonder what the next Ten Club contest will be.

A Guided Tour of Vitalogy: Last Exit

Continuing our Guided Tour series, which takes us song-by-song through Pearl Jam's studio albums in no particular order whatsoever, we move to Vitalogy. It should be a nice way to kick off a year in which we expect this album and Vs. to be reissued. I'dve started with Vs., but stip still hasn't seen fit to guide us through that particular album just yet.

Keep Jammin',
Brandon

(A Guided Tour: Vitalogy)

by stip


OVERVIEW

Full disclosure: Vitalogy is my favorite Pearl Jam record, and my favorite record of all time. Beyond that I’d also argue it is the best, and most important record of the 90s, and should be regarded as amongst the finest albums of all time by any band—not only because of the quality of the music, but because it is one of the only mainstream musical statements I can think of that addresses head on how the culture industry perverts art and destroys its emancipatory possibilities, and the record does so without any cynical or ironic detachment. It is not a record about the causes of modern alienation, but it is a record about the ways in which we are systematically denied the tools needed to meaningfully cope with that alienation.

Vitalogy is arguably their only concept album, even all the other records have certain themes running through them. This is not to say that every song on Vitalogy is directly a part of the concept—that would be a little too self conscious for the way Eddie writes—but clearly Eddie is writing to address a very specific set of questions, and this colors just about every song on the record.

Vitalogy is an album about reification, which is the process of turning a subject into an object—in particular the reification and commodification of art and artists. This means it is also an album about the loss of agency, of any sense of control over the forces in your life and the ability to infuse them with meaning. The artist is at the mercy of the industry that produces him and the celebrity culture that mythologizes him. What drops out is any sense of intimacy and connection between the artist, his work, and the people it reaches. It is all mediated through the culture industry and stripped of real meaning and value---turned into something easy to consume and reproduce for maximum profit and minimum engagement.

As an artist, dubbed not only one of the leaders of a new and vital period of music, but even named ‘the voice of his generation’ this is something Eddie would have been particularly sensitive to. The fact that he is a true believer in the healing properties of music (there is a reason his personal biography is largely a history of the music he has listened to) makes this even worse. He spent his life wishing and hoping for the chance to reach an audience with his art, not to be famous, but for the chance to establish a connection through which we can experience meaningful forms of community, solidarity, and love with one another. And for a few brief moments he was a part of a vital music scene(in the best sense of the word—a collection of musicians who all knew each other, made music together, fed off of and inspired each other) making music of real value to themselves and the people who heard it. And just as quickly that moment is gone—turned into ‘grunge,’ mass produced and distributed as fast as copies could be made, completely devoid of the sentiment and mission that made the original stuff so powerful

What do you do in that situation? How do you respond when your art is co-opted and highjacked and there is nothing you can do to stop it—when you become a symbol of everything your music takes a stand again (think of how socialists feel seeing Che Guerva shirts sold in the mall)? What is left for you when your life has lost its meaning, when you have lost your agency? This is why Vitalogy is an album about life and death. There is a palpable sense of suicide hanging over the entire record, and the death of Kurt Cobain crystallizes and gives extra urgency to what was already there. Sometimes death is the last authentic act open to us—the one gesture we can make that we think cannot be taken away from us. And so Vitalogy is written as a suicide note, but in the shaky hand of someone who has not yet committed to going down this road. It’s a last desperate chance to reestablish some sense of control over a life and its dreams. There are three paths ahead. There is the suicide of spirit that comes from accepting things the way they are, a mental surrender. There is the literal death of suicide interpreted either as defeat or a defiant act of forfeit. Or there is the choice to pick yourself up and fight back, to construct new forms of meaning and reclaim what was lost.

Vitalogy does not answer which path the singer takes, which is part of its power. The listener needs to interpret that for themselves, to read their own battles into the music and draw the lessons that they need. But the way the band answers is clear from the subsequent history. The speech at the grammys, the fight against ticketmaster, the scaling down of the fan base, the no video, minimal media exposure policy are all attempts to recapture the music and the humanity of the artists behind them. My two personal favorite lyrics in the early Pearl Jam catalog are found in Breath and Leash, two songs not otherwise known for their excellent writing. “I am lost, I am no guide, but I’m by your side, I am right by your side” and “If I knew where it was I would take you there, there’s much more than this.” This is the spirit that has always animated Pearl Jam’s work in its finest moments—that sense that while they don’t know the answers, they are troubled by the same questions, and will stand with you while we discover the answers together. You cannot adopt a position like that and remain a larger than life figure, as the former requires that you are grounded in the lives and experiences of your community and the later makes you larger than life, someone who dispenses wisdom and offers certainty, rather than someone who searches for them. And the next few records that follow Vitalogy are an attempt to reclaim their identity as fellow seekers (although ones granted a certain degree of insight and wisdom from their trials) rather than messiahs.

A quick word on the album art. Vitalogy is an aptly chosen title, as the record is a record about life, its value, and what it can do when the forces that sustain it are tainted. The Vitalogy book aims at a life of purity, offers rules for ‘life prolonged indefinitely’ and identifies the forms of corruption and self-pollution that threaten it. But it is also clear that while the book makes promises, they are ultimately a lie—the life they offer is an illusion, the methods to achieve promise not life but the annihilation of the self and the passions that make us human and make life worth living. In the end the book and its promises need to be rejected, and we need to accept that the life we have may be short, and may be bitter, but it will be honest, and it will be ours.

LAST EXIT

Last Exit has always been my favorite of the album openers—not simply because of how good the song is but because of the way it sets up the entire record that follows. It’s not just the first song on the record—it begins an entire experience

It is clear from the discordant tuning that begins the song that there is something new happening here. Once opened with Master/Slave to set the mood, and Go had its own ‘tune up’ sequence but in both cases they were fully realized pieces of music. The tuning process before Last Exit gives it (and with it the record) a sense of immediacy that what came before simply lacked. Those songs may have been heavy, and they may have been urgent, but they didn’t have that sense of capturing THIS particular moment in time. It is almost like Last Exit (and with it the record) pours out of the band—as if they walked into a room, picked up their instruments, and the record spilled out of them.

Musically Last Exit is a desperate, almost violent song. The crashing drums, the jagged lines of the guitars—it’s a song you can cut yourself on—and the various peaks and climaxes of the song lack any kind of clarity, mirroring pretty much perfectly the desperation and confusion in the lyrics.

Last Exit is the first half of a suicide note, written in confusion, anger, and commitment—the issue at hand, what the record will try and work through, is whether the commitment is to life or death

The first verse makes it clear that a life has spiraled out of control—“Lives opened and trashed, look ma watch me crash, no time to question, why’d nothing last?” This is not the cry of a person dying of depression or apathy, but a flame burning itself out—one that doesn’t know how to slow down and take control over the frantic pace of his own life, of events quickly spiraling out of control (the parallels to the rise of the band, the destruction of Eddie the human and the birth of Eddie the symbol, should be obvious) This comes across just as powerfully in the set of lyrics that didn’t make the song, although these are perhaps a little more resigned than the set of lyrics ultimately included.

“Die on a hilltop, eyeing the crows, waiting for your lids to close but you want to watch as they peck your flesh…Ironic that they go for the eyes first…”

It’s a wonderfully evocative image—a body exhausted, watching the crows circle and descend, refusing to grant the morbid wish to watch your own destruction. Of course you won’t know how the story ends if you walk out on it.

The second set makes the suicide theme even more prominent:

“Once resigned, dictating your demise seems only fair Built in effect of the system…control If one cannot control his life, will he be driven to control his death”

The use of the words system and control is important here. There is a sense of being trapped by forces that are beyond our own ability to master—the way in which events spiral out of control seemingly without any input from the people who live them. In the end the only act of control, the only act of agency, open to the person involved may be choosing the circumstances surrounding their death.

And that’s what the rest of the song is about—death. The question becomes what kind of death. Clearly death as suicide is present as subtext throughout the song, especially with the 3 days lyrics—the image of a body lying for days waiting to see if the body is discovered, if the act itself has meaning. But death can also be interpreted as a moment of rebirth—a phoenix dying to rise again, and the elemental imagery present in this part of the song (the sun, the ocean, the idea of purification, masks burned away, past burdens drowned, shedding skin) gives one a sense of hope and optimism, although all of these processes will be painful. A life is at a crossroads—and either the person will walk away stronger than they were before, or the journey is going to break them, but clearly a choice must be made—things cannot go on as they were before…for better or for worse.

Vitalogy is a time of reflection made standing at that crossroads—reviewing the circumstances that led the singer to them and weighing which path to take. At the end of the record a choice will have to be made. Eddie’s plea to let his spirt pass is a cry for some form of closure. Life simply cannot continue in this state. This is his last chance, the possibility of healing through music—the last exit on a road heading inexorably towards destruction.



OTHER SONGS IN THIS SERIES

Last Exit
Spin The Black Circle
Not For You
Tremor Christ
Nothingman
Whipping
Pry, To
Corduroy
Bugs
Satan's Bed
Better Man 

Aye Davanita
Immortality
Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me

OTHER GUIDED TOUR SERIES:
Binaural 
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On a Side Note: Mike Scores Hawaii Five-O

Not much warning from the Ten Club, but you still have time to tune into Hawaii Five-O on CBS at 10pm ET to catch Mike McCready's work on the score!