Pearl Jam

PEARL JAM
 
 
Pearl Jam  is an American rock band, formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990.  One of the key bands in the grunge movement of the early 1990s, over the course of the band’s career, its members became noted for their refusal to adhere to traditional music industry practices, including a much-publicized boycott of Ticketmaster.  To date, the band has sold nearly 32 million records in the U.S. and an estimated 60 million worldwide.  Pearl Jam has outlasted and outsold many of its contemporaries from the alternative rock breakthrough of the early 1990s, and is considered one of the most influential bands of that decade.  Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic referred to Pearl Jam as “the most popular American rock & roll band of the ’90s”.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 

Bill Millers big break came in 1994 when Tori Amos heard his album, The Red Road and asked him to open for her on several dates during the tour to support her album, Under the Pink.  I saw him perform on that tour at one of the campuses of City University of New York (CUNY), as I recall.  Bill Miller has since played with several prominent musicians such as Eddie Vedder of Pearl JamRichie Havensthe BoDeans, and Arlo Guthrie and has written songs with Nanci GriffithKim Carnes and bluegrass musician Peter Rowan

 

(August 2013)

 

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In 2003Sleater-Kinney toured as the opening act for Pearl Jam, and that is when we were able to see them in New Orleans.  Their experiences playing in large arenas led to their first album for Sub Pop RecordsThe Woods.  Unfortunately, Sleater-Kinney announced a hiatus not long after its release, though there are rumors of a future reunion for the band. 

 

(January 2014)

 

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The two are better known for their work with Eleven, a hard rock trio that formed in 1990 when Jack Irons (drums) joined Alain Johannes (vocals, guitar, sitar, horns) and Natasha Shneider (vocals, keyboards, bass) of Walk the Moon; this band was also a partial reunion of What Is This?.  Eleven have opened for major bands like Pearl JamSoundgardenQueens of the Stone Ageand Candlebox.  

 

Jack Irons left Eleven after their second album to play drums for Pearl Jam but later returned to the band.  Both Alain Johannes and Natasha Shneider were involved in Jack Irons’ solo album, Attention Dimension (2004); Shneider played electric bass and piano on “Hearing it Doubled” and keyboards on Jack Irons’ cover of the Pink Floyd song “Shine on, You Crazy Diamond”. 

 

(April 2015/1)

 

Last edited: April 3, 2021