The American band Pearl Jam has participated in an extensive interview in Apple Music 1 which was filmed before the release of “Dark Matter”, the twelfth album of the group, a work that they will be presenting in Spain in July.
Training sits with Zane Lowe in Apple Music 1 at its warehouse headquarters in Seattlewithin the framework of its program “The Zane Lowe Show”, to talk to the New Zealand DJ and presenter about all the work they have been doing in recent years. They talk about why Andrew Watt was the producer that best fit what they were looking for, the collaboration with Stevie Wonder on the song “Waiting For Stevie” and how the whims of fate and a flood in the studio led the band to finish the album on the legendary Shangri-La Studio by Rick Rubin. Pearl Jam They also explore how they feel about criticism, what their purpose is, how they strive to be a positive force in the world, etc…
Let’s remember that Pearl Jam will be presenting “Dark Matter” in Barcelona and Madrid, specifically on the days July 6 and 8 at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona (con The Murder Capital as a guest band) and in Madrid on July 11forming part of the poster of Mad Cool Festival.
Below, you can read some of the outstanding statements from the interview, collected by Zane Lowe in Apple Music 1.
Pearl Jam talk about how they feel about criticism throughout their career…
Stone Gossard: We’ve had a long career, so we’ve had a lot of opportunities to be up and down and still everything has turned out well; There have been some records that come out that aren’t critically acclaimed, but 10 years later there’s a song that you realize is your favorite song and it means something. You realize that there is something in that song that still speaks to you 10 years later. So overall it’s all a bit blurry, but I like critical reviews, I think you get something out of them. It’s fine to read a glowing review, but I think someone who looks at it a little more sometimes gets something out of it. You can learn something.
Eddie Vedder: I think you filter out the good things that are said, but it’s even more important to filter out the others… Maybe there’s some constructive criticism there; Normally it’s more of a live show than an album, but I think it’s good to be aware. Maybe there’s some truth there or maybe something you were trying to ignore…you may not realize it, but it’s obvious and that’s something you have to work on. To be honest, you’re probably going to find more meaning in that than you can get out of the positive things. What would be nice to read positively is that people respect our artistic direction…
Pearl Jam explain why Andrew Watt was the perfect producer for them…
Stone Gossard: His style is that he has a guitar on the whole time you’re playing with him, he’s playing with you, with the band. We had never done anything like this. It was a bit like jumping off a cliff; his enthusiasm and his understanding and love for the band, his ability to play any of our songs at any time and know the history of the group, all the B-sides, everything we’ve done and then encourage us in a way that you would laugh and think Which is silly, but it’s contagious and you end up caught up in their enthusiasm and confidence. That’s why he is the perfect producer for us, because we are part of his childhood. ..He can really fit it in a way that sounds good, and that’s the way he produces… he has to feel the music the same way the band does.
Pearl Jam talk on Apple Music about finishing the album at Rick Rubin’s legendary Shangri-La studio…
Eddie Vedder: We were kind of struggling and there were a couple of places that we definitely knew we didn’t want to record, and then Rick Rubin He was kind enough to help us. Literally, he was a parachute. We were going to hit the ground unceremoniously, but he was a parachute and where we landed was that place called Shangri-Lawhich is history for all of us…I feel like I was able to take advantage of it, I think we all did.
Pearl Jam talk about their collaboration with Stevie Wonder on the song “Waiting For Stevie”…
Eddie Vedder: Andrew had worked with Stevie why Stevie was working with Elton [John]y Andrew was working with Elton. So Stevie He was in that basement and he was playing this old piano…They had an open line of communication and he was coming. The whole time before he showed up, you didn’t think it was really going to happen, because how could that happen? how could it be? is this really going to happen? But sure enough, he showed up and was amazing. We recorded late into the night, and one of the most impressive things is that he doesn’t have a circadian rhythm, so it’s just his timing and his rhythm, it was a powerful thing, very powerful…
Pearl Jam talk about their desire to be a positive force…
Eddie Vedder: …we all do things that have tangible, practical, positive effects on our communities or on the medical community seeking a cure for a disease. Everyone has problems but so does the role of being a positive force in this world. Music can’t divide… I think there’s the power to make people come together, be communal, have a united experience, where everyone agrees on something for two and a half hours, that’s the power in uniting. to the people. And then from there, you can take that feeling of community, acceptance, agreement and positivity and plant positive seeds.
Matt Cameron: I think you can try to deal with things locally and do worthy acts all day long or try to do things that you have even a little control over. There is one thing that my friend Whitney Williams He has taught me to make kits for homeless people with small bags with socks and a 20 dollar bill and things that people need. So you distribute them in your car if you see someone, they are a kind of mutual aid trying to do things for people who need it and thus recognize their humanity. I think it’s cool to be a part of that, and that’s also part of the ethos of what happens in our band.
Pearl Jam say how they feel this album has changed them…
Stone Gossard: I think we have learned a great lesson in terms of mutual trust and collaboration; the power of our collaboration and how everyone brings something to the table. We’ve recorded records in a lot of different ways, but this experience when we look back, it’s that we’ve all played everything. And this shows that when you are 60 years old, there are still a lot of dreams to have…Art is still very exciting and in particular collaborative art. I think our super power is that we continue to do it together. There aren’t many bands that write together like we do, and there aren’t many bands that have singers that want to share the way that Ed wants to share with us and give that energy, we’re at our best when we’re doing it…That’s territory. exciting because there is a little bit of all of us there, and that is something that is original.