PEARL JAM
Pearl Jam: Twenty is a Cameron Crowe documentary that highlights the first 20 years of the Seattle rock legends' career, from their small-town beginnings to their 90's mainstream explosion. The documentary, which hits stores tomorrow will include a companion book, highlighting the history of Pearl Jam from the band and crew themselves.
In addition to the film and book, the band is releasing a 29-track soundtrack CD featuring rare recordings and demos, in addition to live recordings from the group's appearances on Saturday Night Live and MTV: Unplugged.
This collection of solo tunes may be a far cry from the dynamic front man fans are used to, but Vedder comes to the table with the same intensity in his voice, just stripped down and accompanied only by a ukulele. What started out as a joke, according to Vedder, turned into a cleverly crafted compilation of sixteen songs.
Vedder’s latest effort showcases his versatility, however the tracks seem to carry the same mellower vibe throughout. He can’t escape his distinctly guttural sounding voice, but this is as close as listeners can get to a solo sound.
Recently, Rolling Stone magazine released a top 10 list for the best albums of the 90's. What made the list special was that the readers of Rolling Stone were the ones deciding who made the cut.
The 90's is and will forever be known as the grunge-era, spawning popular bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Alice in Chains, and more. It was a drastically different era of music, and one that, essentially, changed the way we view music today.
The albums that were released during the time are still some of the most popular and best selling.
In an epic band regrouping comparable to that of the post-Joliet Blues Brothers' “mission from Gawd,” grunge-rock fans are furiously typo-tweeting and updating their dismally life-affirming Facebook profiles with the news that genre-defining angst-therapy band Soundgarden will be officially reuniting in 2010. Word came as the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve via lead singer Chris Cornell’s Twitter feed that, “The 12 year break is over & school is back in session. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!” He then provided a link to the new official band website where fans can keep updated on all upcoming news and sign up for email updates.
The National Campaign to Close Guantanamo has received its share of criticism, but the support from popular musicians and members of the music industry have further encouraged the Obama administration to follow through on their efforts to close the controversial prison. Both REM and Pearl Jam have joined with the likes of Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, Roseanne Cash, and Rage Against the Machine in protest against the interrogation practices applied at the institution.
Most recently, the coalition has spoken up against CIA interrogators using music to “encourage” the detainees to reveal information relative to their involvement in terrorist plots and/or organizations. It has been reported that music from Britney Spears, AC/DC the Bee Gees, and Marilyn Manson has been used in prisoner control procedures, as well as songs from Sesame Street, Barney, and the Meow-Mix theme song. The songs were pumped into prisoners’ cells at near-deafening levels in what the CIA describes as an attempt to maintain prison security rather than “punitive purposes.” The National Security Archive is filing a request through the Freedom of Information Act to create a list of the exact songs that have been used at the prison. Thomas Blanton, executive director of the National Security Archive, said, “At Guantanamo, the U.S. turned a jukebox into an instrument of torture.”
Basement Jaxx Scars
Banco de Gaia Memories Dreams Reflections
Billy Talent Billy Talent III
Brand New Daisy
Castanets Texas Rose, The Thaw, And The Beasts
Vic Chesnutt At the Cut
Guy Clark Somedays The Songs Writes You
Harry Connick, Jr. Your Songs
Alan Cumming I Bought A Blue Car Today
Five Finger Death Punch War Is The Answer
Girls Album
David Gray Draw The Line
Richard Hawle Truelove's Gutter
Andrew Hoover Chances, Stances & Romances
Islands Vapours
Janus Red Light Return
Danko Jones Never Too Loud
Sean Kingston Tomorrow
Mika The Boy Who Knew Too Much
Monsters of Folk [Jim James, Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis & M. ward project] Monsters Of Folk
Múm Sing Along To Songs You Don't Know
Noisettes Wild Young Hearts
Or, The Whale Or, The Whale
Owen New Leaves
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart Higher Than The Stars [EP]
The Pastels and Tenniscoats Two Sunsets
Pearl Jam Backspacer
Porcupine Tree The Incident
Rescue Signals Indecisions
Sea Wolf White Water, White Bloom
Stephen Stills Manassas--Pieces
They Might Be Giants Here Comes Science [Kid's album/Dvd]
Three Days Grace Life Starts Now
Various Artists Crayon Angel: A Tribute to the Music of Judee Sill
Vertical Horizon Burning The Days
Volcano Choir Unmap
Wale Attention: Deficit
Why? Eskimo Snow
Wrinkle Neck Mules Let The Lead Fly
Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band Between My Head And The Sky
Turning on the radio, the TV, or the computer, you may feel as if you are having a flash-back of the ‘90s. The main squeeze popping up everywhere, again, is Pearl Jam. They re-issued the album Ten on Mar 24, 2009. They also have an upcoming album in the works called Backspacer, scheduled for an early fall release (according to Billboard).
This is the first album the band will be releasing without being under contract with Sony-affiliated labels. Instead, they have a group of partners- one of which being Target as their "big box" retail partner. Don’t worry, Pearl Jam is not selling out. It is also rumored that they are partnering with indie retail stores. Kelly Curtis, the manager of the band, told Billboard that, “Target ended up allowing us to have other partners. We'll be able to take care of all levels of the Pearl Jam fan...Target was cool enough to realize that little independent record stores are not their competition.”
The weather is getting its act together and as temperatures rise, so does the likelihood of music fans hitting up outdoor music festivals. There’s nothing like the good ol’ outdoors, surrounded by nature and booming speakers that will make your ears ring until autumn. Lone star state natives probably don’t appreciate an outdoor summer day as much as a New Yorker, who braves treacherous conditions for six months, but they still get into the summer festival thing.
For a measly $185, you can join the masses at the Austin City Limits festival. It takes place in the Texas capital’s Ziker Park from October 2-4th. The lineup includes Kings of Leon, Sonic Youth, Ben Harper and Arctic Monkeys, along with hundreds of other acts. Headliners for the show will be Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band and Beastie Boys. They will also be the main attraction for the San Francisco Outside Lands festival. The Beastie Boys sure are racking up on festival appearances this year, also passing through Lollapalooza and All Points West.
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