Pearl Jam Eyeing Fall

Before they join the Rolling Stones on stage September 28th in Pittsburgh, Pearl Jam plan to complete their eighth studio album. The Seattle rockers are now hoping for a fall release on J Records.

"There's a sense that we've done something special," says guitarist Stone Gossard of the sessions. "Everyone's been writing and participating in it . . . Asking a guy in the band how good the record is problematic, but to me it's freaking brilliant."

Pearl Jam -- Gossard, singer Eddie Vedder, guitarist Mike McCready, bassist Jeff Ament and drummer Matt Cameron -- have twenty-five songs that they plan to cut down to about twelve. Potential tracks include "Severed Hand," "Worldwide Suicide," "2x4," "Marker" and "Cold Concession."

According to Gossard, after almost fifteen years together, the band is closer than ever. "You realize how important your relationship is with your band, and how much you've learned from each other," he says. "You just become humbled and thankful."

The band returned to its humble roots on April 29th to perform for approximately 200 people at Easy Street Records in West Seattle. "Mike and I used to buy a lot of rock records from Easy Street back in the mid-Eighties," says Gossard of the show, which was part of a Coalition of Independent Music Stores convention. "We wanted to tip our hat to independent retailers: We're all aware of how important they are to the spirit of rock."

The show included the punky new song "Crapshoot," Pearl Jam oldies such as "Even Flow" and Vedder dueting with X singer John Doe on his band's "The New World."

"It's the biggest honor that my store has ever had," says Easy Street owner Matt Vaughan. "As ridiculous as it seems that Pearl Jam would do an in-store, given that we're their neighborhood store it's a natural fit."