Top 10 Reasons 2010 Rocked Like 1991, Part 1

If 2009 was an unusually nostalgic year in local music for certain wistful Seattle Gen-Xers, 2010 was the opening cymbal crash of an encore. Defunct old favorites reunited. Extant old favorites continued to soar. A tight-knit community that first rocked the world a quarter-century ago grew ever closer, through remembrance of lost friends and the sharing of new music. Here are five 2010 music-related events that tickled those Seattleites who’ve been listening all these years. (Stay tuned for the next, final, five.)

10. Pearl Jam Launches Satellite Radio Station
What do you give the fans who have everything (hundreds of official bootlegs; multiple live records; nine studio releases since 1991)? On October 22, the 20th anniversary of the band’s first show, Pearl Jam gave its fans the whole sonic shebang, in 24-hour rotation: Pearl Jam Radio. The band’s satellite channel (Sirius, 17; XM, 39) not only mixes concert and studio recordings, but gives its cult-status fan family a chance to hear previously unreleased show tracks (going back to that first gig) and another to commune on fan round-table show "The All Encompassing Trip." Live and studio recordings from PJ members’ other current and defunct projects, including Eddie Vedder’s solo work, Temple of the Dog, Mother Love Bone, and Mad Season are gravy. There’s no better way to tune in to Pearl Jam’s origins and evolution … unless you magically have all of this on vinyl.

9. Soundgarden Issues Telephantasm Retrospective
No one expected a Soundgarden reunion prior to January 1, but most folks knew that a career-spanning best-of box was just a matter of time. On September 28, the latter followed the former, in multiple packages—from simple CD to sly (and savvy) Guitar Hero bonus to limited-pressing vinyl set. The box included all the audio hits, of course, but also some previously unreleased live tracks, 14 music videos, bonus videos, and one (excellent) unearthed song from the Badmotorfinger sessions, “Black Rain.” For those who couldn’t witness Soundgarden’s stage return—and that was pretty much everyone—Telephantasm was a worthy consolation prize.

8. The Posies Tour Behind a New Record
Twenty-three years after Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow formed the Posies, 12 after the band split, and five following the release of a comeback studio record, Blood/Candy hit the bins. The Auer- and Stringfellow-penned record, deemed “different” by that core duo and many of its listeners, maintained the pop-pep-and-harmony sounds of its predecessors while hearkening back to psych-lite sounds of the '60s and '70s. Apparently reinvigorated, the duo (rounded out by bassist Matt Harris and drummer Darius Minwalla on Blood/Candy) played the Croc and Sasquatch in the spring, released the new record, and then toured behind it through the year’s last two months, delighting old fans and converting new ones in the process.

7. Alice in Chains Punctuates Return with Seattle Hat Trick
Everyone who thought Alice in Chains would kick ass without Layne Staley behind the mic raise your hand. Yeah, we were all wrong. The band’s late 2009 studio return, Black Gives Way to Blue>, not only rocked like classic AIC, it rocked liked new AIC. (It wisely sidestepped the potential Staley-void argument, too; new vocalist William DuVall harmonizes with Jerry Cantrell, yes, but with his own high-register wail.) Critics welcomed the record with open arms and ears. The Grammy folks gave it both a 2010 and 2011 “Best Hard Rock Performance” nod. And the band toured and toured. In February, AIC rewarded hometown fans with a two-night Paramount homestand. In October, the band returned to deliver a blistering KeyArena show. That concert was filmed—in 3D, no less—for (presumably) an upcoming DVD release. That should kick ass, too.

6. Black Happy Reunites for Final Tour
While some bands rode the coattails of Seattle’s pioneering Big Four in the early '90s (Bush? Candlebox?), others never quite made it, despite having a real Seattle club presence. Black Happy, out of Coeur d’Alene, ID, fell into the latter category. Perhaps the band’s unique mix of metal and brass went over some listeners’ heads. Or maybe it was just bad luck. Regardless, 2010 saw the group’s original 8-member lineup reconcile from their 1996 split, if only for a brief Seattle/Spokane swan song. The shows sold out. The band rocked once more. Fists were shook in the face of fate. A DVD documenting the reunion is in the works.