Pearl Jam Step Up for Bridge Benefit

Pearl Jam is the first band to sign on for Neil Young's Thirteenth Annual Bridge School Benefit concert, according to a spokesperson for the Godfather of Grunge. The event will be held this year at Mountain View, California's Shoreline Amphitheater on October 30 and 31. Other artists whose names have been mentioned in connection with the concert include Steve Earle and Patti Smith, but the spokesperson said that no other acts have been confirmed for the event so far.

In other Pearl Jam news, the band's Rumor Pit on the Sony Music Web site reports that they have snagged a new producer for their forthcoming album. The group has tapped Tchad Blake (Los Lobos, Crowded House, Fishbone, Sheryl Crow, X, and Tom Waits) to twirl the knobs. Blake and the boys will get down to work in September, but don't yet have a release date scheduled.

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Song Stories

“Time to Pretend”

MGMT | 2008

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”

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