By: David Schultz

We're going to stay with the Pearl Jam theme for one more day. Earlier this week, Soundgarden's Chris Cornell joined up with his Seattle brethren to recreate Temple Of The Dog, the band they formed to eulogize Andrew Wood, whose untimely death derailed Mother Love Bone in its infancy but opened the door for Eddie Vedder to be brought into the fold and Pearl Jam to emerge. At the Gibson Ampitheatre in Los Angeles, they offered a version of "Hunger Strike" with Cornell taking lead while Vedder moved to backing vocals. You can check out the video here.

As if David Letterman didn't have enough problem over the past couple weeks, he gets licked by Gene Simmons. Perhaps there's some karma involved here. If KISS doesn't get inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, there's something wrong with the whole process. Love them or hate them, this is a rock and roll band in every sense of the word. The Late Show has never been taken over to this degree. You can check out the video here.

Here at Earvolution, we love our fictional bands. Hidden Track has a fun collection of videos that includes "Eep Op Ork Ah Ah," which next to the Banana Splits theme song may be the greatest song to come from the Hanna Barbera universe.

Labels: Kiss, Pearl Jam

By: David Schultz

Pearl Jam have always been at their best when they are in the midst of a fight. Whether they’re battling the insecurities over their own stardom, the Ticketmaster monopoly or the George W. Bush presidency, Pearl Jam has made a career giving voice to the earnest, plucky underdog. Nearly twenty years on and Obama in the White House, Pearl Jam may have run out of villains to vanquish. They’ve taken over the means of their own production, cut their own distribution deal (with Target no less) and, shudder the thought, seem happy and content. Rather than tilt at windmills, on Backspacer, their latest album, Pearl Jam settles into a new role, that of the learned and venerable rock band.

Don’t fret, Eddie Vedder and company haven’t gotten old, they are still a pretty feisty group; on “Got Some,” they’re ready for a fight should anyone step up and on “The Fixer,” they profess a need to fight and get back again anything that might be lost. Coming at in less than 40 minutes, Backspacer is a compact little album with the “Just Breathe” and the beachside canter of “Amongst The Waves” making nice companion pieces to Vedder’s soundtrack for Into The Wild. “Unthought Known” serves as a reminder that Mike McCready and Stone Gossard can build a song like no other and “Supersonic” and “Gonna See My Friend” are nice thrashy rockers. You can ignore “Speed Of Sound” the album-closing “The End,” although they may sound fantastic when played live.

Labels: Pearl Jam

By: David Schultz

In the crush of new music that descends upon us every Tuesday and the eagerness to discover something new and revelatory, it’s fun to occasionally take a glance backwards and rediscover a record that has been in your collection all along. The news of the impending release of Backspacer must have put Pearl Jam into my subconscious and it’s led to a renewed appreciation for their 1993 sophomore album Vs. In the months following the release of their debut Ten, Pearl Jam found themselves on MTV and at the forefront of the grunge revolution. Bringing the sincerity back to rock and roll that the hair bands had all but drained free, grunge rock, especially Pearl Jam, made it feel OK to really love music once again. With Vs., Pearl Jam served notice that they would not be going away anytime soon. Of the bands that emerged from the Pacific Northwest in the early 90s, very few turned out to be one trick ponies. Nirvana, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains all managed to beat the sophomore jinx and Cameron Crowe’s Singles capitalized on and helped perpetuate on the flannel draped scene.

On Ten, Vedder emoted his way through Pearl Jam’s debut like a less drugged out, more focused version of Jim Morrison, finding many listeners eager to get wrapped up in the band’s earnest commitment. Solidifying his status as a grunge-era Messiah, Vedder once again ripped open his soul on Vs. His penchant for dreamy murmuring would continue to obscure any attempts to decipher exactly what he’s singing but it never clouded the meaning; when he screams “it’s my blood,” there’s no doubting his sincerity. Moving from the howl of "W.M.A." through the calm reminiscent tones of "Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town," Vedder continued to carve out the niche and mold the persona that would define him and Pearl Jam for the next decade and a half.

Many of the trademarks of Pearl Jam’s future work can be found here: layered within “Animal,” Vedder intones the band’s five against one mantra as if in a trance and the band's acerbic political wit reveals itself for the first time on "Glorified G," a mocking jibe at the NRA and those who love their guns a little too much. On the opening strains of "Go," the albums first track, Jeff Ament's bass guitar boils as if simmered by the fires of Hell and its questionable whether guitarists Mike McCready and Stone Gossard have ever sounded better in the studio, Vs. capturing their interplay at its finest. From the roadway rumble of “Rearviewmirror” and stadium-quality riffs of “Daughter” and Dissident" through the soft peaceful wash of “Indifference” that would mark much of their post-millennium output, McCready and Gossard turned the tried and true double guitar format on its head.

Pearl Jam's shot across the bow though is the phenomenal “Leash.” Embodying everything that makes rock and roll fantastic, Vedder’s howl to “drop the leash” carries as much weight as Roger Daltrey talking about his generation or Bob Dylan singing about what blows in the wind. It’s a clarion call to arms and rallying cry to the youth of the world to stand up and be heard. It would only be just the beginning.

Labels: Pearl Jam

By: David Schultz

A couple weeks back on Real Time with Bill Maher, Billy Bob Thornton veered into a digression about the disposable nature of the current spate of popular music. In support of his point that no great artists have emerged over the past thirty years, he posed the question, “One hundred years from now, who will we still be talking about that began their career after 1980?” The default answer is usually Michael Jackson but despite becoming the icon of the 80s, his career started well before then with The Jackson 5. “He’s one of mine,” said Thornton. In the end, Thornton thought there would be only two: R.E.M. and U2. While most will immediately realize that we will likely still be talking about Madonna and Nirvana in 2109, I tend to think we will also be talking about Pearl Jam.

In the 90s, grunge burst out of the Pacific Northwest and for many, saved rock and roll from the hair metal and power ballads that threatened to steal its soul. Nirvana, Mudhoney, Alice In Chains and Soundgarden led the way with Pearl Jam following shortly thereafter, their emergence delayed by the fact that they had yet to form. The majority of Pearl Jam’s lineup was already together as Mother Love Bone but after the death of lead singer Andrew Wood shortly after the release of their 1990 debut, they brought in Eddie Vedder. Pearl Jam was born and the rest, as the lazy tend to say, is history.

Most of the original grunge bands followed the mantra of Neil Young, the genre’s undisputed godfather, by burning out instead of fading away. All except Pearl Jam. The sole survivor of the flannel era is still going strong and their ninth studio album, Backspacer, comes out later this year. Why will we and why should we still be talking about Pearl Jam in 100 years? Well, they are one of the rare bands that managed to retain the same close connection with their fanbase as they grew from playing clubs to headlining arenas. To their own detriment, they battled Ticketmaster over service charges that prevented them from keeping their ticket prices below $20, testifying before Congress in support of their failed bid to be David to the ticket giant’s Goliath. No one would ever lump Pearl Jam into the jamband category, however their fanbase’s sense of community, their avid following of the band’s tours and the wholehearted dedication to the live experience draws many favorable comparisons with the Grateful Dead’s legion of loyal Deadheads. Acknowledging that their live shows were being widely bootlegged, they officially released modestly priced soundboard recordings of entire tour’s worth of shows, trumping the bootleggers and creating the blueprint that jambands like Phish would follow.

In throwing out names like Little Richard, Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley, Thornton clearly was thinking of artists that have had a lasting effect on the music we listen too. In that regard, perhaps Pearl Jam may not be one of the bands our grandkids refer to with reverence as musical innovators or genre groundbreakers. However, when fans are still paying Ticketmaster exorbitant service fees in 2109 and their favorite band is trying to keep ticket prices under $350 a seat, Pearl Jam’s name should be invoked as visionaries and their efforts to beat back the corporate influence in rock and roll spoken of with respect and admiration.

YESTERDAY MARKED THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY of Disco Demolition Night, the date that is traditionally considered the night Disco died. In between games of a doubleheader between the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers at the old Comiskey Park in Chicago, disc jockey Steve Dahl blew up a crate of disco records in centerfield. The ensuing riot that broke out afterwards rivaled the Cleveland Indians' infamous 10 cent beer night promotion and resulted in the cancellation of the second game. Besides getting a chance to see a young Greg Gumbel and Gene Siskel, this collection of news footage does a fantastic job of showing how the local Chicago media treated the event with an overblown sense of seriousness and were looking for meaning in a drunken ballpark fiasco.

Labels: Pearl Jam

By: David Schultz

For a band that doesn’t get a whole lot of recognition, you need a scorecard to keep track of the members of Wolf Parade and their various side projects. Spencer Krug moonlights as the leader of Sunset Rubdown, whose fourth full length album, Dragonslayer, recently came out on Jagjaguwar, as well as Swan Lake; Dante DeCaro moonlights with Hot Hot Heat and more relevant to this discussion, Dan Boeckner keeps everything in the family, teaming up with his lusty wife Alexei Perry as the Handsome Furs.

Face Control, the Handsome Furs' recently released on Sub Pop Records, is a fun electro-punk romp and this past Tuesday, the anti-Captain & Tennille simply tore it up at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom. Like he's leading a raved-up version of The Clash or a throwback version of U2, Boeckner simply shreds on guitar, sliding from the danceable guitar riffs of “Legal Tender” and “Evangeline” to alternative noise on a moment’s notice. As animated a performer as Boeckner can be, he gets upstaged by his wife. Banging away at her keyboard and drum machine, Perry embodies the spirit of a coked-out Keith Moon only its being channelled through an energetic porn star with a chip on her shoulder and something to prove. Whether it’s testing the binding powers of her tube top or attempting a standing split, it was hard to take your eyes of the Boeckner's energetic spouse.

Watching Boeckner and Perry trash and gyrate on stage, baiting each other in a hormone fueled game of cat-and-mouse, was a bit of a voyeuristic thrill. None of my married friends seem to have as much fun together as these two. If they did, they would be infinitely more fun to be around. It also made for an incredible live show. The raw passion and gritty verve of the music, generated with striking simplicity, was the stuff of memorable live shows. It's what you go to innumerable shows in dingy basements and beer soaked bar rooms in the hopes of seeing once.

THE BOWERY BALLROOM BILL INCLUDED a forgettable set from Dri. A wonderful deliberate take on The Helio Sequence's "Lately" standing out from her warmed over reggae repertoire. The same can't be said for Virginia's The Cinnamon Band: the guitar and drums duo of John Harouff and Neil Campbell proving to be eminently entertaining and far more satisfying.

PEARL JAM'S NINTH STUDIO ALBUM, Backspacer, will hit Target stores and independent retailers on September 20. After years of being a thorn in the side of global corporations, the grunge-rock godfathers seem rather nonplussed about teaming up with the megamart. To promote the album, Eddie Vedder and company will embark on a brief U.S tour with Ben Harper and Relentless7 opening the majority of the shows. With Harper taking a harder edge on White Lies For Hard Times, Relentless7 should be an optimal opening act.

The tour dates:

September 21 - Seattle, WA: Key Arena
September 22 - Seattle WA: Key Arena
September 30 - Los Angeles, CA: Gibson Amphitheatre
October 1 - Los Angeles, CA: Gibson Amphitheatre
October 6 - Los Angeles, CA: Gibson Amphitheatre
October 7 - Los Angeles, CA: Gibson Amphitheatre
October 9 - San Diego, CA: Viejas Arena
October 28 - Philadelphia, PA: The Spectrum (no Harper)
October 30 - Philadelphia, PA: The Spectrum (no Harper)

Labels: Ben Harper, Handsome Furs, Pearl Jam

The Iraq war is not only front and center in the Democratic primary, it is also the subject of a new film focusing on an injured Iraq war veteran called Body of War that features original music by Eddie Vedder. In addition to Vedder, the soundtrack includes cuts from Ben Harper, Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, The Nightwatchman and many more.

Bobby Bare Jr. is hitting the road in support of his new record The Longest Meow (mp3 below). Bare received some help on his new effort from, among others, Carl Broemel and Patrick Hallahan of My Morning Jacket and reportedly tracked all 11 cuts in a single long day in Nashville. Bare will take the new tunes on the road next week for some solo dates and then join Son Volt for a couple weeks in April.

Just call Joss Stone the Chicken Whisperer. In a new ad for Peta, the sexy songstress touts her vegetarian bona fides and love of chickens, the un-cooked kind. Speaking fondly of a feathered friend, Stone is quoted as saying "“The chickens were so adorable and really comfortable. I think one of them started to fall asleep in my arms. So sweet!” Almost makes me feel guilty about the rotisserie Perdue I had for dinner - almost.

MP3s:
Bobby Bare Jr.: The Heart Bionic
Nada Surf: See These Bones
Dr. Dog: A Long Time Ago
Apostle of Hustle: National Anthem of Nowhere (Spoon Remix)
Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles: The Day We Met (live)
Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles: Lord Only Knows (live)
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey: Tae Parade
Donna Jean and the Tricksters: All I Gotta Say

James McMurty has a new record coming out next month. His Just Us Kids hits stores April 15. To celebrate, James' peeps are posting new tracks on his MySpace every Tuesday, where you can also get a free download of "Cheney's Toy." Yes, James continues his political themes on the new record - after all, 'tis the season.

Labels: Dr. Dog, James McMurtry, Mp3s, Nada Surf, Pearl Jam, Tom Morello

AT&T are being called out by Pearl Jam and Tom Morello for their apparent censorship of anti-Bush statements from their Blue Room webcasts.

To the tune of "Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)," Pearl Jam inserted some verses critical of our current President into their Lollapalooza performance of "Daughter." However, the Pink Floyd segue was conspicuously missing from the webcast. "This, of course, troubles us as artists but also as citizens concerned with the issue of censorship and the increasingly consolidated control of the media," says a statement on the grunge icons' Web site. "AT&T's actions strike at the heart of the public's concerns over the power that corporations have when it comes to determining what the public sees and hears through communications media."

To highlight the issue, Pearl Jam has posted both the Blue Room webcast and the raw unedited footage on their site.

According to Tom Morello, the telecommunications giant has experience in this type of selective broadcasting, deleting his expressions of disgust for George W. Bush and his administration from their Bonnaroo webcast of his acoustic Nightwatchman set. However, he needs your help in proving it. In order to rebut AT&T's denial of censorship, The Nightwatchman (yes, he still refers to himself in the third person) needs a captured stream of the webcast and is in search of a fan who recorded the performance from AT&T's feed.

If you can help The Nightwatchman, please let him know through his myspace page.

Labels: Pearl Jam, The Nightwatchman, Tom Morello

Eddie Vedder and Red Hot Chili Peppers will headline the third annual Hullabaloo Benefit for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, which RHCP Flea co-founded in 2001, to raises funds for the SCM and for providing scholarships to low-income students. Tickets will go on sale Saturday, April 21st and will be available only over the web.

DC is getting ready for its annual Six Points Music Festival. Lots of good stuff on tap for that, including a show on Friday April 20th at the Velvet Lounge featuring Justin Jones, Wes Tucker and the Skillets, The Junior League and Sean McArdle.

I caught a good set from the Astral Lounge last night at the Troc in Philly. I'm really liking their song "Country Deceiver" - and our very own Earvolution alum Jim McCoy is on guitar. Mountain Man was also on the bill. Any time you've got some jazz trumpet backing up a few string pickers you've got an interesting combination. Definitely going to check out both acts again soon.

Mp3 Offerings:
The Walkmen: Lost in Boston
Shitdisco: OK
Joseph Arthur: Diamond Ring
The Muggabears: Goth Tarts
Land of Talk: Speak to Me Bones

Justin at Live Music Blog notes that Umphrey's McGee has added a slew of tour dates to their schedule. He also points to a podcast the band put together that gives some insight into their new record The Bottom Half. Click over to LMB for a preview track too.

The Rapture, who drew a large crowd at SXSW, will team up with label mates Shiny Toy Guns, on a 21 city US tour kicks off in Hattiesburg, Mississippi on April 21, and ends up in Burlington, Vermont on May 23. Look for them on the road, meanwhile, check out some vids: The Rapture "Pieces of the People We Love" and Shiny Toy Guns "You Are The One".

Labels: Mp3s, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Umphrey's McGee

By: David Schultz

More than 25 years ago, John Mellencamp began his career under the name John Cougar, a name he claimed was foisted upon him in a calculated A&R move to boost album sales and increase radio airplay. Once he had achieved a modicum of success, Mellencamp secured the return of his true surname, spending the next decade releasing material as John Cougar Mellencamp. In 1991, Mellencamp finally shed the Cougar, seemingly regaining every ounce of his artistic integrity. Given Mellencamp's tireless efforts to rid his populist work of any corporate influence, the ultra-ubiquitous use of his latest single "Our Country" in conjunction with the promotion of the Chevy Silverado bears every indicia of "corporate sellout." Long gone are the days when PETA member Chrissie Hynde goes to a Gap outlet and knifes a bunch of leather jackets simply because the shopping mall mainstays requested her consent to use one of her songs in a Gap commercial.

To say that the profitable nature of the record business has skyrocketed since the days of Buddy Holly and "Rock Around The Clock" would be an understatement of gargantuan proportion. The evolution of the "music business" has oftentimes seen the focus placed more on business than music. Basic corporate concepts such as skillful marketing plans, profit maximization and good old Gordon Gekko greed, once inimical to the artistry of the music profession, are now commonplace. On one hand, debuting "Our Country" as a placard for the automotive industry could be considered good marketing, but it also qualifies as just another moment in the uncomfortable marriage between art and commerce . . . and not even one of the more egregious ones. What follows are the ten most severe instances of the artistic vision coming under attack by the corporate mindset.

10. Ed Sullivan Tells The Rolling Stones and The Doors To Keep It Clean

Given Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" at the 2004 Super Bowl, it seems almost quaint that CBS and Ed Sullivan once worried about suggestive lyrics being sung on The Ed Sullivan Show. In 1967, The Rolling Stones were slated to make an anxiously anticipated appearance on the legendary variety show and sing "Let's Spend The Night Together." Concerned that the lyrics, tame by today's standards, could prove offensive, CBS censors asked Mick Jagger to change the words. Under threats of being taken off the air if he sang the "offensive" lyric, Jagger complied, rolling his eyes while warbling "let's spend some 'time' together." [The BBC wasn't as prudish] Later that year, the Sullivan show made a similar request to another high-profile artist, but with much different results, Worried that the line, "Girl, we couldn't get much higher," from The Doors' "Light My Fire" promoted drug use, CBS asked The Doors to change the lyric. Playing live without a delay - ah, the trusting pre-wardrobe malfunction era - Jim Morrison got right up into the camera and, much to the dismay of CBSand Sullivan, not only delivered the line unedited, accentuated "higher." The network's crusade to protect tender sensibilities from suggestive rock and roll lyrics didn't succeed. In the aftermath, the two songs went on to be played on classic rock radio a few hundred thousand times without corrupting the nation's youth. However, the same Puritan attitudes exhibited by CBS and those that monitor and oversee network television persist today; Janet Jackson's left breast has not been seen in public since 2004 (at least not without a hand covering it) and the repercussions of her "wardrobe malfunction" are still being felt on network TV and commercial radio.

9. Sony Infects Its Customers' Computers In The Name Of Combating Illegal Copying

In 2005, according to the New York Attorney General, BMG Music placed XCP and MediaMax DRM copy restriction software on a number of CDs, including releases by Trey Anastasio and the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The software installed its own CD playback software and prevented the music from being downloaded onto the purchaser's computer in an iPOD compatible format. While Sony portrayed their effort as an ideological blow against the illegal copying and exchanging of copyrighted music, it seemed more of a thumb in the nose to the increasingly popular proliferation of Apple's iTunes. In making sure that their programs went undisturbed and iPOD unfriendly, Sony installed cloaking software that not only rendered them undetectable, it interfered with the way Windows played compact discs, opened security holes that permitted viruses to enter the user's system and transmitted certain data to Sony/BMG from the user's computer. When the problems became known to Sony, they acted arrogantly and denied culpability, drawing the ire of Attorney Generals in New York and Massachusetts. By the time Sony was finished making sure no one publicly or privately duplicated their music, they ceased implementing the software, had to offer "patches" the fix the damage done to their customers' computers and faced a class action lawsuit.

8. The Fan Club Pre-Sale Goes Corporate

Many artists have made a practice of allowing registered members of their fan club to purchase tickets for their shows in advance of the general public. For most fan clubs, membership is free and takes only a minute to complete the online form. Savvy marketers that they are, The Rolling Stones were one of the first artists to take the concept one step further, charging a hefty membership fee for inclusion in their fan club. Other bands like The Who, U2 and recently The Police picked up on the practice, which amounts simply to a premium payment of usually $60 or more, for the right to buy advance tickets. Sad enough that bands found a new way to extract money from their fans' wallets, corporate marketers have recently latched on to this trick. For the recent Best Buy sponsored reunion of The Police, members of Best Buy's Rewards Program had the opportunity to purchase tickets even before The Police's fan club, whose membership fee is $100. Norah Jones' recent concert at the Theater at Madison Square Garden was practically sold out through the Target pre-sale by the time tickets were made available to the rest of her non-Target shopping fans. Corporate sponsorship has become an accepted practice within the touring world, but when purchasing preference of quality concert tickets becomes a Best Buy, Target or any other corporate benefit, it's the fans who will truly suffer.

7. The Grateful Dead Removes Their Soundboards From the Live Music Archives

Inherent to The Grateful Dead's mystique was their willingness to permit their fans to bootleg and trade their live shows. Long before other bands would recognize the benefits to be reaped from the free exchange of live music, The Dead created the model from which they would work. With the advent of the Live Music Archives at archive.org, Deadheads entered the digital age, flooding the site with multiple copies of nearly every Dead show ever played; all with the permission and consent of the venerable San Francisco band. The Grateful Dead were not the first band to change their mind about the availability of their shows on the Archives, but their about-face stung their fans the most.



Citing the detrimental effect on present and future archival CD and DVD releases, the Grateful Dead, upon the initiative of Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, revoked the consent that permitted the Archives to act as a conduit for the exchange of the Dead's shows, denying fans the opportunity to obtain the music for free so that it could be sold to them in the future. "When the music was given away for free to trade, the band was making so much money touring that the music was not as valuable to them," explained Marc Schiller, who assists the Dead with their online marketing. "Apple iTunes has made digital downloads a business." The Dead underestimated the angry, aggrieved response from their fans: like dire wolves they howled vociferously, adamantly pointing to Jerry Garcia's numerous statements that the music belonged to the fans. Bassist Phil Lesh even chimed in to express his bewilderment over the entire issue. Ultimately, a compromise was reached: fans would still be able to freely download shows recorded by their peers but the better-quality soundboard recordings would remain available as streaming audio only - that is, until the Dead decide to release the show commercially and remove it from circulation.

6. John Fogerty Gets Sued For Plagiarizing Himself

In 1985, John Fogerty, the most identifiable member of Creedence Clearwater Revival, released Centerfield, the album that marked the high-water mark of his post-Creedence recording career. As Fogerty had assigned the copyrights to his CCR material to Saul Zaentz' Fantasy Records as part of a deal to get out of his contract, he was loathe to play his old material lest he generate royalties for Zaentz, a man he despised. Once Centerfield, which contained the scathingly derogatory "Zanz Can't Dance" (ultimately changed to "Vanz Kant Danz"), became a certified hit for Warner Bros., Zaenz retaliated as only a scorned corporate mogul can. In a fit of pique, Zaentz sued Fogerty for infringing the copyrights he held on Fogerty's Creedence Clearwater Revival material. Claiming that Fogerty's hit single "Old Man Down The Road" sounded too similar to Creedence's "Run Through The Jungle," Fantasy Records sued Fogerty, marking the first time in history that a label sued a musician for sounding like themselves. Although the Court declined to set a precedent that a musician cannot plagiarize from himself, Fogerty did win at trial. With guitar in hand, Fogerty took the witness stand and took the jury through the songwriting process of each song, showing that a musician can have an archetypal sound without borrowing from past successes. As Fogerty hadn't played Creedence songs in years, seats for the gallery were filled for his performance/testimony. "I was accused of ripping off myself," Fogerty later marveled. "The little boy in me envisions the day I'll actually segue from 'Old Man' right into 'Run Through the Jungle.'"

5. EMI Sees Things In Black And White – Not Grey

Before DJ Danger Mouse became a household name as the skinnier half of Gnarls Barkley, he stood poised to become a highly publicized defendant to a copyright infringement suit at the hands of EMI. Mixing Jay-Z's raps from The Black Album with musical snippets from The Beatles' White Album, Danger Mouse, nee Brian Joseph Burton, created the cleverly-named The Grey Album. Danger Mouse pressed only 3000 copies: none of which he sold, giving them away to his friends instead. However, in the age of the Internet, The Grey Album became a digital success story with copies being downloaded in record numbers. By exposing Beatles fans to Jay-Z and vice versa, Danger Mouse's 2004 venture transcended the lines that usually bracket musical genres, creating an interpretive work to be enjoyed by everyone . . . except EMI Records. While Sony Music/ATV Publishing, a venture between Sony Music and Michael Jackson, own the publishing side of The Beatles catalog, EMI controls The Beatles' sound recordings on behalf of Capitol Records, Inc. At the peak of The Grey Album's success, the hyper-vigilant EMI sent cease-and-desist letters to Danger Mouse and independent retail outlets carrying the album, effectively ceasing distribution of one of rock's most inventive musical works. The concept of reworking Beatles music and vocals in fresh combinations wouldn't be forgotten though. Two years later, EMI would release Love, a recombination of Beatles music overseen by producer George Martin and his son Giles.

4. Ticketmaster Crushes Pearl Jam

At the apex of their early 90s success, Pearl Jam got the bizarre notion in their head that tickets prices for their shows should be kept reasonable, somewhere around $20. Raining on the grunge rockers parade, Ticketmaster's service charges rendered such a dream relatively impossible. When Ticketmaster proved to be killjoy, remaining inflexible on Pearl Jam's demands that they soften their policies on excessive service fees, Pearl Jam refused to play any arena that sold tickets through Ticketmaster. Quickly, they learned that practically every arena in the United States had an exclusive ticket sales agreement with Ticketmaster and that the corporate behemoth threatened lawsuits against any promoter or arena that breached it by using another distributor. Left with no method of selling tickets, Pearl Jam cancelled their 1994 summer tour and brought an antitrust suit alleging that Ticketmaster used a monopolistic domination of the ticket distribution industry to secure a near 30% markup on tickets sales. In the band's view, Ticketmaster was taking unfair advantage of adolescent passion while unreasonably exploiting a marketplace in which they had no competition. Pearl Jam may have won a fleeting battle when Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard testified before Congress but ultimately Ticketmaster would win the war. By 1995, Congress decided against further investigating Ticketmaster's business practices and Pearl Jam's antitrust lawsuit proved unsuccessful. In 1998, heeding the complaints of their fans, who had difficulty acquiring tickets through alternative distributors, the grunge godfathers returned to Ticketmaster arenas. A true victory in every sense of the word for Ticketmaster, their service charges have doubled since the conflict ended.

3. Geffen Sues Neil Young For Not Sounding Like Neil Young

In 1983, David Geffen enticed Neil Young to sign with Geffen Records for considerably less money than Shakey was being offered elsewhere. The incentive that brought Young into Geffen's fold was the assurance that he could make whatever records he wanted without commercial restraint. Right off the bat, Young explored the new found territories of his freedom, testing the patience of his new label by experimenting with computer generated synth-rock and recording Trans, which gave the world an opportunity to hear what might have happened had "Mr. Soul" been recorded by robots. For his next effort, Young recorded Everybody's Rockin', an album of middling Fifties-style rockabilly tunes. Despite the fact that Young was exerting the exact creative freedom promised to him, Geffen wondered exactly they were getting out of their deal and sued Young for making "uncharacteristic music with no chance of commercial success." Even though Trans and Everybody's Rockin' peaked respectively at #19 and #46 on Billboard's album charts, Geffen seemed miffed that they didn't sound like Harvest or Tonight's The Night and demanded the return of $3 million dollars advanced to Young. In response, Young countersued for $21 million, the value of the entire deal. Although the matter ultimately settled, Geffen Records lost some credibility as a label with a commitment to fostering artistic creativity. Backtracking from the allegations of the suit, Geffen later tried to justify it, "The truth is I fought with [Young] because I wanted him to do better work."

2. The "Special Edition" CD

When music fans worldwide embraced compact disc technology in the Eighties, record companies salivated over the ability to sell them music they already owned, albeit in a higher-quality medium. Over the past 25 years, practically every major, minor and obscure album has been released on CD, leaving the labels with the quandary of having to come up with new music for the public to purchase. From this dilemma sprung the insidious creation of the "special edition" CD. Relying on fans' obsession to own the highest quality version of their favorite album, labels "remastered" them, tacked on a couple outtakes and re-released it in an effort to seek an additional $13.99. Already purchased Aqualung on CD? Well, too bad, because now you missed out on the "special edition" containing an interview with Ian Anderson and alternate versions of three songs off their earlier albums. The practice has pervaded practically any new re-issue. For example, although long available on CD, Arista re-released Patti Smith's Horses as a remastered special edition containing one solitary bonus track ("My Generation") and a "legacy edition" containing a second disc with a live performance of Horses. While nicely packaged and presented, the practice smacks of charging full price for an already available product with little fresh material. The practice has spread to Greatest Hits reissues as well. What better way to boost sales for Aerosmith's fourth Greatest Hits collection than to add on a couple rushed together new songs? Even when the re-issue does it right, like the "special edition" of Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run, the labels use the bona fide extras (e.g. concert footage, classic photos and copious liner notes) as an excuse to obscenely jack up the price.

1. Woodstock 99

Raping their own legacy and sinking to deplorable depths of capitalistic corporate behavior, Woodstock's organizers tried one last time to milk a dollar out of 3 more days of peace love and music. To counteract the storied legions of festival-goers who crashed the gates at the original Bethel, NY concert and its 1994 Saugerties, NY sequel, Woodstock 99 took place at the well-defended Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, NY. The fenced in, concrete covered space not only kept anyone without a $150 ticket (a steep price at that time) outside the gates, it also trapped in the 90 degree heat. Bringing life to the grizzly yet surefire marketing concept of selling water in the desert, the festival's organizers were more than happy to hydrate the sweltering fans - for $6 a bottle. Contrary to the spirit of brotherhood fostered at the original Woodstock, everything at Woodstock 99 was for sale, with corporate tents and ATMs set up throughout the grounds. By Sunday night, the breaking point had been reached. Limp Bizkit's "Break Stuff" seemed to inspire many in the crowd to recklessness and by the time the Red Hot Chili Peppers launched into Jimi Hendrix' "Fire," rowdy, lawless fans had attacked numerous booths, ruined a great deal of merchandise and destroyed the Woodstock myth beyond repair. Woodstock 99's desire to wring every last cent out of their franchise, to the point of turning the crowd into a dehydrated, captive mass of marketing targets for food, water and merchandise, created the circumstances that led to the perfect storm of revolt against the "noble" corporate goal of maximizing profits at the expenses of the most communal, anti-commercial festival in rock and roll history.

Labels: Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, DJ Danger Mouse, Grateful Dead, Jay-Z, John Fogerty, Lists, Neil Young, Pearl Jam, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Woodstock

Black


About a Girl


Courdroy


Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam


Masters of War


The Man Who Sold the World


Evenflow


Come As You Are


Evenflow (unplugged)

Come As You Are (unplugged)

Grievance


Radio Friendly Unit Shifter


Better Man


Love Buzz


Comatose


Lounge Act


Alive


Smells Like Teen Spirit


Leash


Drain You


Porch


Dive


Gone: live webcast filmed on Letterman set

Negative Creep: live @ Pinky's Garage

Yellow Ledbetter


Breed


Animal


Lithium


All Apologies


Daughter

Labels: Pearl Jam

Hop on over to eBay and you can bid on a very cool Pearl Jam prize package. If you win, you'll get guest listed for an upcoming show in San Francisco and you'll be helping a very good cause: the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund.

Sweet Relief has been assisting ill, injured or elderly musicians with the costs of alternative and traditional medical treatments, and with expenses for basic needs. For more information check out their website.

Labels: Pearl Jam

By: David Schultz

In late November of 1991, Pearl Jam, on the cusp of becoming one of the world's most popular bands, used an off-night from their run at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena, where they were opening for Nirvana and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, to come to the modestly-sized Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Pearl Jam's revelatory debut album, Ten, had recently been released and their first single "Alive" had just broke onto MTV. Playing to mostly University of Michigan students, the couple hundred people in attendance knew that Pearl Jam would quickly be going on to larger venues and extraordinary heights. Confirming all expectations, the young grunge-rock quintet blew the figurative doors off of the venerable college-town blues club. Even though Eddie Vedder shyly hid behind a mane of hair that nearly obscured his face, he gave urgency to then-new songs like "Even Flow" and "Once." Stone Gossard and Mike McCready hardly moved an inch; with visages of stern concentration, they belted out one soon-to-be famous guitar riff after another. All the while, the awestruck audience passed beers up to the band while soaking everything in with self-congratulatory glee.

Since that night: Pearl Jam followed up Ten with many more critically acclaimed albums; flirted with "best band in the world" status; fought a nasty battle with corporate giant Ticketmaster and sidestepped a potential slide into irrelevance. In 1991, eager to shed the unavoidable "another Seattle grunge band" label, Pearl Jam had everything to prove to the world, wrapping themselves up within the mantra of "five against one."

Fifteen years later, the Pearl Jam that came to New Jersey's Continental Airlines Arena for a pair of shows concluding the first leg of the American tour unsurprisingly bore little resemblance to the one that took the stage years ago in Ann Arbor. Eddie Vedder displayed not one iota of the stage fright that seemed to beset him in the early days of the band, perfectly comfortable fronting the band while playing an energetic rhythm guitar. The once stoic McCready now walks circles around stage-left with a near obsessive-compulsive fervor, tossing the guitar behind his head to play his "Even Flow" guitar solo. Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament roamed the stage, exhibiting a level of comfort and excitement developed over the years. Drummer Matt Cameron, well, in 1991, he was playing with Soundgarden. One thing hasn't changed though; they still can't dance.

Pearl Jam's ability to instantly connect with their audience also hasn't changed. The band's empathy with their fans has been a motivating factor behind many of the band’s public fights, especially their nasty spat with Ticketmaster. Their history of dealing honestly and forthrightly with their fans has created a bond similar to that fostered by the Grateful Dead and their loyal followers. On their first night in New Jersey, Vedder continued a dialogue with the audience that he started with the Garden Staters a couple years ago. Pointing out that a large portion of the crowd booed their performance of the anti-Dubya song "Bushleaguer" on their last show there, Vedder asked if the song would get a similar reaction were they to play it now. Based on the reaction of the Continental Airlines Arena crowd, the politics of the song might have found a more accepting audience this time around. Vedder also noted that the last time they were in town, he saw a sign that said, "Play 'Leatherman,' you pussies." While it may not have been the most traditional form of requesting a song, it did get them to play an impassioned version of the tune.

Vedder still has the shamanistic, charismatic stage persona that has served him well over the years. Numerous songs from Ten worked their way into the set list but the passion and zeal with which Vedder once sang those songs has been transferred to newer songs like "World Wide Suicide" and "Life Wasted." Vedder's excitement can often get the better of him; at the close of the first encore, Vedder misjudged his leap concluding "Alive," taking a nasty spill onto his hip that caused him to limp offstage. In the second encore, Vedder once again went to ground, misjudging the sturdiness of one of the monitors fronting the stage and landing on his butt during the second verse of "Baba O'Riley," their lone cover of the evening. Vedder's recklessness is emblematic of the band's desire to put their all into their performance. After all, who can't get into a show where the lead singer consistently threatens to injure himself in his effort to entertain?

Even though the set list changes nightly, Pearl Jam consistently dips into their back catalogue, mixing in beloved classics with those from their recently released self-titled album. Even though the songs may differ, Pearl Jam always offers something special each night. On Thursday night, they performed the first three songs the band wrote when Vedder joined the band after Mother Love Bone singer Andrew Wood died of a heroin overdose. Playing the trilogy in reverse order as they came out of the extended acoustic set that kicked off the first encore, Pearl Jam ran through "Footsteps," "Once" and "Alive." Although Vedder announced that they were the first three songs they wrote together, he never commented on the thematic connection running through them. Like most things Pearl Jam, it worked on different levels. Those unaware enjoyed the songs on their merit; those in the know were given a small gift from a band that seems to enjoy giving such things to their fans.

Labels: Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam took pride for years in not making any videos for their records after their debut album. They've reversed course and put together a pretty cool clip for "Life Wasted" off their new record. The video is available for free downloading on Google Video until May 24th when it goes on sale.

Not only is this Pearl Jam's first video in eight years, but it is the first time that the band has licensed work under one of Creative Commons' free, flexible copyright licenses.

"Once again, Pearl Jam is taking the lead, watching others in the rear view mirror," says Lawrence Lessig, CEO of Creative Commons. "Pearl Jam's decision to offer its new video to the public under a Creative Commons license proves that the band's reputation for fan-friendliness is well deserved. It's an inspiration to those of us who are passionate about building a pool of creative work that can be freely and legally shared by the world."

Labels: Pearl Jam

In conjunction with the release of their respective new albums, Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers will play intimate shows at New York City's Irving Plaza. The events will essentially be free shows to celebrate their new releases.

Pearl Jam will play Irving Plaza on Friday night, May 5. Tickets will be available at Manhattan's Tower Records on 4th & Broadway at a special midnight sale on May 1. Pearl Jam's new self-titled album will be released at midnight and anyone purchasing the album from Tower Records will also receive a ticket to the show. As of now, this appears to be the only way to obtain tickets.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers will play Irving Plaza three nights later on Monday night, May 8. There will be no tickets sold for this event. Local radio stations Z100, Power 105 and Q104.3 will make tickets available to fans as they see fit. The Red Hot's new album, Stadium Arcadium hits stores the following day, May 9.

Labels: Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam has released the schedule for the second part of their United States summer tour with Sonic Youth supporting the band as the opening act for the majority of the dates. The Seattle rockers will also be part of a handful of double bills with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, who have a new album coming out in July.

The new dates are:

With Robert Pollard opening
June 23: Pittsburgh, PA - Mellon Arena
June 24: Cincinnati, OH - US Bank Arena

With Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
June 26: St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
June 27: St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
July 2: Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
July 3: Denver, CO - Pepsi Center

With Sonic Youth opening
July 6: Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
July 7: San Diego, CA - Cox Arena
July 9: Los Angeles, CA - The Great Western Forum
July 10: Los Angeles, CA - The Great Western Forum
July 13: Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl
July 16: San Francisco, CA - Bill Graham Civic Aud.
July 18: San Francisco, CA - Bill Graham Civic Aud.

"An Evening With Pearl Jam"
July 22: George, WA - The Gorge

Labels: Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam's "World Wide Suicide," which, to date, has been solely available over the Internet became the first single to hit #1 in Canada without appearing in any tangible format. Without selling any hard copies of the single or distributing CDs to radio programmers, consultants and industry contacts, "World Wide Suicide" becomes the first digitally delivered #1 song in Canada's history.

"To make chart history as we've just done, speaks volumes about the music itself and we're honored to be associated with Pearl Jam," said Warren Copnick, Director of National Promotion for SONY, BMG Music (Canada) Inc. Bill Burrs, VP of Rock Music at RCA Music Group (U.S.) was extremely complementary towards Musicrypt Inc.'s Digital Media Distribution System, through which the Pearl Jam hit was distributed. "We are extremely pleased that a broadcast quality track combined with promotion information was delivered to radio via DMDS," said Burrs. "The simultaneous release to radio in both the US and Canada is important for fair competitive reasons, and DMDS enables us to do this confidently."

John Heaven, President & CEO of Musicrypt said, "The ability of DMDS to aid in promotion by rapidly and securely distributing key releases is clearly demonstrated by these groundbreaking results. The savings DMDS can deliver to the entire music industry by eliminating prerelease leaks and lowering labor, material and delivery costs is expected to be in the tens of millions of dollars."

While it may not be time to turn in your CDs just yet, you shouldn't need a weatherman to know which way this wind is blowing.

Labels: Pearl Jam

Immediately following the release of their new self-titled album, Pearl Jam will hit the road for a summer long tour. Kentucky rockers My Morning Jacket will open.

The initial dates for the tour:

May 9: Toronto, Canada - Air Canada Centre
May 10: Toronto, Canada - Air Canada Centre
May 12: Albany, NY - Pepsi Arena
May 13: Hartford, CT - New England Dodge Music Arena
May 16: Chicago, IL - United Center
May 19: Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena
May 20: Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
May 22: Auburn Hills, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills
May 24: Boston, MA - TD Banknorth Garden
May 27: Camden, NJ - Tweeter Center
May 30: Washington, DC - MCI Center
June 1 : East Rutherford, NJ - Continental Airlines Arena
June 3 : East Rutherford, NJ - Continental Airlines Arena

Tickets will be sold by one-time Pearl Jam foe Ticketmaster.

Labels: Pearl Jam

The leak of "World Wide Suicide," Pearl Jam's first single off their upcoming album Pearl Jam, forced the Seattle band to push up the song's Internet release date. To hype the May 2 release of their first album for J Records, Pearl Jam planned to make the single available, without restriction, on March 8 with radio airplay to begin March 14. In response to radio stations acquiring and playing the new tune early, Pearl Jam made the track immediately available for download on their Web site.

"World Wide Suicide" departs from the morose, meditative elegies that have become associated with Pearl Jam's last couple albums. If the rest of Pearl Jam follows the lead of the initial single, the move to a new label may mark a return to the sound that earned them prestige as one of Seattle's grungiest exports.

Labels: Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam announced today that they will release their highly anticipated, self-titled, eighth studio album May 2, 2006 on J Records.

The first single off the album, "World Wide Suicide" is scheduled to be made available to radio March 8, with the official impact date scheduled for March 14. "World Wide Suicide" will also be made available as a free unrestricted download on the band's website for two days beginning 6:00am EST on March 8. The single will then be available for purchase digitally as of March 14.

"It's a very special opportunity for us to work with a band that possesses such an historic legacy," comments J Records founder Clive Davis.

The album was produced and mixed by Adam Kasper and Pearl Jam at Studio X in Seattle, Washington. Kasper co-produced Pearl Jam's 2002 release, Riot Act.

Labels: Pearl Jam

The National Arbitration Forum announced today that a ruling has been issued in favor of Pearl Jam regarding the rights to pearljams.com.

Pearl Jam filed a complaint electronically with the National Arbitration Forum on November 8, 2005, asserting legal rights to the domain name pearljams.com. The address was registered with Domain Systems, Inc. by the Respondent, Vertical Axis, Inc. c/o Domain Administrator, on August 25, 2005. The panel found that the domain was being used without permission to refer Internet users to a variety of commercial web sites unrelated to Pearl Jam, including links to "Sponsored Results for Eddie Vedder," "Eddie Vedder at Amazon.com, Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder-$9.99 and Eddie Vedder on Yahoo!Music," and, later, to categorized links, including links to "Freshwater Pearl," "Jam," and "Eddie Vedder," as well as "chess" "music,"
"Fischer," "ICC," and "Blitz."

Ruling in Pearl Jam's favor, National Arbitration Forum arbitrator Bruce E. Meyerson concluded that pearljams.com was "confusingly similar" to the PEARL JAM trademark, which was registered on August 15, 1995 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Meyerson also found that Vertical Axis, Inc. did not have legitimate rights to, or interest in, the disputed Web address, and was using the address in bad faith for its own commercial gain.

Labels: Pearl Jam

By: Paul Dobry

When Pearl Jam's No Code came out in 1996 it was trampled by critics and Pearl Jam fans alike. It seemed they weren't ready yet to let go of the warm flannel embrace of early nineties grunge. While modern rock's crown prince was still being mourned, a challenger to the throne was emerging. This time with heady, lilting and sometimes even electronically tinged strains. But, if diehards thought that 1995's The Bends was a threat to the garage sound reigning the airwaves, they didn't know what Radiohead had in for them with 1997's OK Computer. The last thing they thought they needed in this awkward time of regime change was for one of their mainstays to jump ship. This climate may have been what lead to the confused and frustrated reaction to No Code. It was too polished, it was too melodic and grownup and at times tactful and subtle. What the nay sayers failed to notice was that it was also the best work Pearl Jam had ever put out. And what they couldn't know was that nine years later it would still be their best to date.

The tricky part is that those that are looking for the chunky concrete strains of Ten and Vs. era Pearl Jam won't find them in this record. And those who are looking for more of the challenging, melodic erudition of Neutral Milk Hotel's In The Aeroplane Over the Sea or Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or Sonic Youth's Murray Street, may not think to look to a Pearl Jam record to scratch that particular itch. No Code has plenty to offer the discerning tastes today's fans of cerebral post 2000 rock, and if given a fair second look may even propel those of us clinging to our worn copies of Ten and shredded jeans, into tomorrow.

Labels: Pearl Jam