Recent Stories with tag soundgarden

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. (Part one here.)

5. Cameron Crowe Shoots Pearl Jam Film

Director Cameron Crowe’s relationship with Pearl Jam goes all the way back to 1991, when he shot Singles in town, casting Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, and Eddie Vedder as members of local rock band Citizen Dick (wink, wink). In 2010, Crowe was shooting the band again, this time to commemorate its 20th anniversary. (He also directed the video for Backspacer single "The Fixer.") As reported in June, Crowe and crew were spotted in Madrona and Capitol Hill, presumably recapturing important locales from the band's past. Details on the film, Pearl Jam Twenty, are hazy, but it will see some sort of release this year. (Just in: said film will be accompanied by a soundtrack and book.) Stay tuned.

4. Pigeonhed Brings Back the Funk

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. (Part two here.)

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 roundtable 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.... (more)

Twenty years have passed—today—since Pearl Jam took Seattle’s Off Ramp stage and played as a band for the first time, baritone-throated San Diego surfer Eddie Vedder at the mic.

The band is still together. Playing another Bridge School benefit this weekend, in fact. And yes, you are that old.

To commemorate the date of its inaugural 1990 show and provide further proof that Pearl Jam is its generation’s Rolling Stones, the band will commandeer outer space to unleash a commercial-free, 24/7 stream of tunes: Pearl Jam Radio. Cue the official announcement:

Pearl Jam Radio will launch with a special airing of the band's 10th anniversary concert recorded in Las Vegas on October 22, 2000. The concert will be heard in its entirety on Friday, October 22 at 6:00 pm ET. The first day of Pearl Jam Radio on SIRIUS XM will also feature rarely heard highlights from the band's very first concert performance on October 22, 1990 at Off Ramp Cafe in Seattle, Washington.

In addition to these launch day specials, Pearl Jam Radio will feature archival concerts from throughout the band's celebrated 20-year career, rarities, unreleased material from the band's personal music library and music from the band's side projects, including solo and pre-Pearl Jam music.... (more)

Will our fair, foggy city be destroyed by a gigantic, terrifying alien invader? Will our citizens ever again play Rock Band in peace? Are Chris Cornell, Matt Cameron, Kim Thayil, and Ben Shepherd actually the masterminds behind the diabolical creature's attack? (Is Soundgarden's return a symbolic cry of "Death to false metal!"?) The band's new "Black Rain" video, directed with sly '70s-animation awareness by Brendon Small, may not answer all of these questions, but it is fun to watch. And hear.

Spinner has the story of the video concept's germination, apparently courtesy of guitarist Thayil. It also reminds us that Soundgarden is, as Cornell has said recently, moving toward making new music and playing more gigs. Until then, there's the hits set (featuring the previously unreleased "Black Rain") Telephantasm releasing September 28.

Next time you're at the Croc or Neumo's or wherever and the tallest dude in the place is—if you share the phenomenon that plagues my 5'3" plus-one—standing right in front of you, it might be a Hall of Fame-bound pitcher. Because retired Mariners ace Randy Johnson, all 6'10" of him, is now dabbling as a rock photographer. And he has some local Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-bound friends: Soundgarden.

Turns out the Big Unit forged ties with guitarist Kim Thayil back when both the lefty's career and Thayil's band were just taking off. In 1989, Johnson spotted the bearded axeman on the big screen during a game at the Kingdome; he extended a batting practice invite to Thayil through the band's manager, and the rest is record book-rewriting history, now recounted by Johnson at Spin.com.

"We became friends," says Johnson, "and he'd take me to a lot of clubs, introduce me to a lot of different bands, and we'd drink and shoot pool and have a good time."

"It [sic] just enjoyed hanging out with them, drinking a beer, and watching them do their thing, much like I've had Kim and a couple of the other guys come to watch me pitch. Two entirely different venues and different fans. Just a whole different setting. But I can appreciate what they do—they're really good at what they do—and I think that I've been okay myself at what I do. I think it's just a great trade off."

The pitcher and the guitarist stayed close throughout Soundgarden's 13-year absence, too, talking baseball, music, and early-age retirement. And when the band was planning its return earlier this year, Johnson, freshly cleatless, was right there.

... (more)

I believe that is why god created the (really dumb, but, here, appropriately and winkingly used) word "rawk." And hey, fans, you can now pre-order various versions of Soundgarden's upcoming Telephantasm retrospective, on which "Black Rain" appears. Thirteen bucks (simple CD) to $110 (super duper deluxe limited-edition CD/LP/etc.). Help fill the band's coffers, people. Bassist Ben Shepherd's homeless.

You've heard that Eat Pray Love, the August 13 film adaptation of a memoir by the same name, stars the ever-gorgeous Julia Roberts. And that it's about eating and loving and stuff. But did you know the soundtrack (out now) features two songs by Eddie Vedder? That one of them, "Better Days," is a new track penned for the film by the Pearl Jam frontman? Like his mellow, soaring songs for Into the Wild, this one pairs well with Roberts' character's apparent quest for self-definition:

You've also heard about Soundgarden reuniting earlier this year, yes? Well, they showed Chicago how a rock reunion is done last weekend. Tearing through a heavy set of hits ("Spoonman," "Outshined," "Black Hole Sun") and old-school fan favorites ("Flower," "Get On The Snake," "Slaves & Bulldozers") at the Vic Theatre and Lollapalooza (video below), the band proved that they've lost nothing in the intervening years (unlike Stone Temple Pilots and others). No future shows have been announced...yet.... (more)

This is the latest installment of "The Love Hate Society" from Brian A. Boone, our occasional summer contributor. Boone's musings on music and pop culture can be seen on his website the Love Hate Society; his first book, I Love Music/I Hate Music, is due out from Penguin Perigree in winter 2011. With the recent news that Soundgarden is releasing a "retrospective" album and DVD in September, today we're looking back on their early days.

In the early Nineties, exactly two things made an otherwise hard rock band a "grunge" band: if they were from Seattle, and if they had at least a slight sense of "us vs. them" humor. One example of this is Nirvana's sarcastic screaming of the lyrics of the hippie anthem "Get Together" at the beginning of "Territorial Pissings" off Nevermind.

Another is Soundgarden's 1989 Louder Than Love cut "Big Dumb Sex," a thorough skewering of the rape-tastic, sex-obsessed cheesy hard rock--basically Guns N’ Roses--popular at the time that bands like Soundgarden would eventually render passé. Sample lyrics: "don’t you, don’t you want to thrill me / don’t you be afraid to tell me," and "I’m gonna fuck fuck fuck fuck you, fuck you."

Guns N' Roses did not quite get the joke. In 1993, Axl, Slash, Duff, and the other guys with names befitting American Gladiators covered "Big Dumb Sex" in a medley with T. Rex's "Buick Mackane" on its 1993 album The Spaghetti Incident? Meta? No, just big dumb obliviousness.

First, the disappointing news: Telephantasm isn't a new studio record. It won't include a single new song from the reformed Soundgarden. It'll have just one previously unreleased tune, "Black Rain," shuttered since the Badmotorfinger sessions. (Which means it's probably thunderous.)

Second, the excellent news: Telephantasm is a Soundgarden record and Soundgarden is together. And, in the same announcement (below), the Lollapalooza-bound band revealed that it will also soon be issuing its first DVD. Undoubtedly that will include footage from Soundgarden's April 16 Showbox return de force, captured in these stills.

Here's the band's official announcement, posted last night:

It is with great pleasure that we can finally let you all know what we have been working on. On September 28th, we will be releasing a new retrospective called Telephantasm. It includes songs from all of our albums and E.P's, including "Black Rain", an unreleased track from the Badmotorfinger sessions. Plus, we are releasing our first ever DVD which will include never before seen videos, and much more.

We have partnered with Guitar Hero 6 to launch Telephantasm simultaneously with the launch of the new game. Which means if you buy Guitar Hero 6 for the week of September 28th you get a copy of Telephantasm as well. Of course, there will be vinyl, collectors editions, deluxe packages and more.

June is here (sorta, if you don't look outside), and with that comes the first wave of artists tapped for this year's Bumbershoot.  It's the festival's 40th anniversary, so that means trotting out musicians both old and new, which in this case means Bob Dylan and Hole. Dare we dream of a croaky-voiced Courtney Love-Bob Dylan trainwreck duet?

Single-day tickets are available online as of today, and via Ticketmaster this Friday. Just a reminder on how the tickets are different this year: 

The Bumbershoot Standard Ticket ($40 advance/$50 gate) includes guaranteed Mainstage admission, as well as first-come, first-served access to all other Festival venues. The Bumbershoot Economy Ticket ($22 advance/$30 gate) gives ticketholders first-come, first-served access to everything at Bumbershoot except the Mainstage performances in Memorial Stadium. Economy Ticket holders may be able to purchase Mainstage Upgrade Tickets on-site for $30, if space in the Mainstage is still available day-of-show.

There's one more Mainstage act to be announced (mayhaps Soundgarden?), along with the literary, comedy, performing arts, visual arts, film and theater artists, and whatever other music groups get added to the bill. Check out the lineup by day, and the full list is after the jump.... (more)

Just as you rise from your pit of depression opened by missing last week's "Nudedragons" show, the band (Soundgarden, via anagram) releases an official video shot at the Showbox event. But don't fall back into despair. The filmed performance of "Beyond the Wheel" only proves Kim Thayil, Chris Cornell, Matt Cameron, and Ben Shepherd are back. Wow. We'll get a chance to see them again.

"Nudedragons" rocked the Showbox last night. Why do these guys look so familiar? Thanks to Slightlynorth for the quick Flickr upload!

Lynnwood's City Bank was seized and sold to Whidbey Island Bank (itself owned by Washington Banking Co.), reports the Everett Herald. That's the fifth Washington state bank to swan dive this year. Over in the other Washington, the PSBJ's Kirsten Grind wrapped up a full week of WaMu hearings before a Senate subcommittee on greed and stupidity. Turns out not defrauding people wasn't anyone's job. Speaking of money troubles, have you heard the one about Brightwater?

School stinks, yes, but these rashes are new--Seattle Public Schools has closed the brand-new South Shore School building until they can figure out why it's making people sick, says the Seattlepi.com. HomeSight's affordable housing projects makes people feel much better, in contrast. And only in Seattle--a giveaway of "green kitchen" kits lasted only two hours before supplies were exhausted.

The Ballard News-Tribune covers the saga of the Burke-Gilman bike path's "missing link," after a judge's ruling that an environmental review is needed. Publicola says Mayor McGinn is ready to veto the new "aggressive panhandling" ordinance, but the City Council might have a veto-proof majority. Real Change is agin the whole thing. I could stand a trial year to see how it works.

You've heard about The McGuire tear-down, by now? Seattle's Department of Planning and Development tells Publicola they are looking through their records to see if any McGuire-like alarm bells will go off. (I'll have more from the DPD's Alan Justad to post in a bit.)

On Capitol Hill, the Elliott Bay Book Co. opened in its new location (and there was much rejoicing). CD News looked into the vacant retail spaces held by the Seattle Housing Authority. Down the way, the Rainier Valley Post announced that Columbia City Cinema's fundraising drive brought in $10,000 so far--enough for rent--which leaves another $10,000 to go. Georgetown is getting a public market, 30,000 sq. ft. at the old Rainier Cold Storage space, which is good of the Sabey Corp.
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The announcement of Soundgarden's glorious return via Chicago's Lollapalooza stage didn't come as much of a surprise. By contrast, rumors of a super-duper-secret-friends-only Soundgarden show at the OG Showbox tomorrow night are raising local fans' eyebrows. Here’s an already-outdated summary of the sudden digital whispers.

Given last night's amazing Satchel/Brad/Malfunkshun/Mother Love Bone marathon at the same venue, it's possible an attending Soundgarden insider spilled the beans. (With all the legendary musicians on stage, you have to believe there were fellow musicians and friends behind the curtain.) But it's just as likely that some opportunist is chuckling as the fruits of his/her hot-aired labor spread across the interwebs.

What do you think? What do you know?

Almost immediately after Chris Cornell tweeted the 2010 return of Soundgarden, skeptical speculation grew that the former frontman's New Year's blurb didn't actually promise anything. That maybe it was just a clever fan club ploy. Then the rumored Coachella inclusion fell through. But today's lunch-hour email, sent to us folks who impulsively threw our contact info at soundgardenworld.com, seems a stamp of authenticity.

It's happening, people.

Yesterday I pointed out how Soundgarden reunion rumors had been swirling again in late 2009. In December, the speculation was "confirmed" by some. Shot down by others.

Then the ball dropped.

Check out the site Chris Cornell, former/future Soundgarden frontman, included in his tweet: http://www.soundgardenworld.com /

Hell yes. Not a bad start to 2010.

Not many people picked up the former Soundgarden howler's last studio album. Released in March, Scream debuted at #10 on the Billboard 200, then plummeted with record-breaking speed. The problem? Chris Cornell fans rejected his club-friendly makeover and Timbaland fans (are you out there? anyone?) didn't get the concept. Musical FAIL.*

But Scream may get a second, beat-free life thanks to Canadian musician-producer Jordon Zadorozny. Brought in by Michael Friedman, an LA industry guy who heard "'Black Hole Sun' greatness deep within" some of Scream's songs, Zadorozny has, with Cornell's permission, "peeled back all the beats and turned up whatever guitar" he could find in at least one track, "Never Far Away."

Listen for yourself. Is it better than what you hear in the video? Overly produced in the opposite direction? (Where's the guitar coming from, anyway?) Would you, old-school Soundgarden fans and smitten grunge-era girls, buy a re-imagined, rocked-up Scream?

*Not exactly. Scream is just the latest phase of Cornell's genre-dabbling career (which I had the pleasure of speaking to him about earlier this year.) The album's actually an addictive, not entirely guilty pleasure that improves with each listen. But Cornell's vocals are, regrettably, buried beneath layers of flowery electronica.