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Re: Celebration Rock with Steven Hyden (PJ Audio History)
Posted: Tue March 21, 2017 6:12 pm
by Chris_H_2
Strat wrote:
Saw that but i hate that they call it a "new record". While it is technically true, i want ALBUM.
hopefully those details get announced soon.
yeah, I jumped the gun. i made the post then read the article. but i'm really excited to see if they keep the same sound or completely change direction.
Re: Celebration Rock with Steven Hyden (PJ Audio History)
Posted: Tue March 21, 2017 6:47 pm
by guestT
The interview with TWOD bass player was great. Made me realize I had a shitty friend group in middle school/junior high. Most of them listened to rap and r&b. My one rock buddy said PJ were "too funky."
Re: Celebration Rock with Steven Hyden (PJ Audio History)
Posted: Tue March 21, 2017 7:07 pm
by gardenparty
guestT wrote:My one rock buddy said PJ were "too funky."
what a square
Re: Celebration Rock with Steven Hyden (PJ Audio History)
Posted: Tue March 21, 2017 7:15 pm
by evenslow
guestT wrote:The interview with TWOD bass player was great.
fucking hilarious that he had a buddy who liked Pearl Jam so much that everyone just started calling him, "Pearl Jam."
Re: Celebration Rock with Steven Hyden (PJ Audio History)
Posted: Tue March 21, 2017 7:35 pm
by Chris_H_2
evenslow wrote:guestT wrote:The interview with TWOD bass player was great.
fucking hilarious that he had a buddy who liked Pearl Jam so much that everyone just started calling him, "Pearl Jam."
even better that they still call him that to this day, so much that dave hartley referred to him as that in the interview without even thinking
Re: Celebration Rock with Steven Hyden (PJ Audio History)
Posted: Tue March 21, 2017 7:40 pm
by evenslow
Chris_H_2 wrote:evenslow wrote:guestT wrote:The interview with TWOD bass player was great.
fucking hilarious that he had a buddy who liked Pearl Jam so much that everyone just started calling him, "Pearl Jam."
even better that they still call him that to this day, so much that dave hartley referred to him as that in the interview without even thinking

Hyden should really talk to "Pearl Jam" about Pearl Jam.
Re: Celebration Rock with Steven Hyden (PJ Audio History)
Posted: Tue March 21, 2017 8:28 pm
by Chris_H_2
evenslow wrote:Chris_H_2 wrote:evenslow wrote:guestT wrote:The interview with TWOD bass player was great.
fucking hilarious that he had a buddy who liked Pearl Jam so much that everyone just started calling him, "Pearl Jam."
even better that they still call him that to this day, so much that dave hartley referred to him as that in the interview without even thinking

Hyden should really talk to "Pearl Jam" about Pearl Jam.
how many white "gamecock" hats do you think pearl jam owned in 1995?
Re: Celebration Rock with Steven Hyden (PJ Audio History)
Posted: Tue March 21, 2017 8:43 pm
by evenslow
Chris_H_2 wrote:evenslow wrote:Chris_H_2 wrote:evenslow wrote:guestT wrote:The interview with TWOD bass player was great.
fucking hilarious that he had a buddy who liked Pearl Jam so much that everyone just started calling him, "Pearl Jam."
even better that they still call him that to this day, so much that dave hartley referred to him as that in the interview without even thinking

Hyden should really talk to "Pearl Jam" about Pearl Jam.
how many white "gamecock" hats do you think pearl jam owned in 1995?
setting the over/under at 62.5
Re: Celebration Rock with Steven Hyden (PJ Audio History)
Posted: Wed March 22, 2017 12:49 pm
by B
I just finished Vitalogy. I'm enjoying this. Stuff like this always makes me miss that call-in show with The Rob and Bierman.
His joke about being unable to pronounce Ament or Abbruzzese is kind of annoying given that he's a journalist. I've been misspelling his name as "Hayden" on the main TSIS page. That probably would have pissed him off. It probably would annoy me less if he just said it "Ah-ment" without apology, but the fact that he jumbles it around and draws attention to it even though he has numerous tools at his disposal to check the pronunciation pisses me off.
Anyhow, that's a small pet peeve about a show that, on the whole, I'm enjoying.
Re: Celebration Rock with Steven Hyden (PJ Audio History)
Posted: Wed March 22, 2017 2:22 pm
by Monkey_Driven
B wrote:I just finished Vitalogy. I'm enjoying this. Stuff like this always makes me miss that call-in show with The Rob and Bierman.
His joke about being unable to pronounce Ament or Abbruzzese is kind of annoying given that he's a journalist. I've been misspelling his name as "Hayden" on the main TSIS page. That probably would have pissed him off. It probably would annoy me less if he just said it "Ah-ment" without apology, but the fact that he jumbles it around and draws attention to it even though he has numerous tools at his disposal to check the pronunciation pisses me off.
Anyhow, that's a small pet peeve about a show that, on the whole, I'm enjoying.
Yeah, the Vitalogy episode was good. I haven't listened to the first two yet. I've heard the Ten story 100 times.
Re: Celebration Rock with Steven Hyden (PJ Audio History)
Posted: Wed March 22, 2017 3:02 pm
by digster
I've listened to some of the Vitalogy segment. I like it, though I think he's way off at points, but I think that's to be expected from someone trying to go in depth on each of these records; you're not going to agree with everything. I didn't agree with Klosterman on everything either, although I did like what he said about viewing PJ records more as chapters in a story than as free-standing edifices, apart from the entirety of the band's catalog. Particularly in the band's first decade, there was definitely a feeling that the PJ records were a piece of a larger progression, moreso than with a band like Radiohead for example. For me, their records work to stand separate, while a record like Yield is strengthened by its relationship to No Code and Binaural, or Vs. with Vitalogy.
My big takeaway is that I would love to see more PJ thought and writing (or a podcast like this) from critics who were not around for the early 90s explosion. I feel like a lot of critical analysis of PJ is done by people who were writing and invested in Eddie's fight against fame in the 90s. That's certainly an important part of Vitalogy, but overwhelmingly that turns into all Hyden and Klosterman discuss (at least, from what I've heard). There's a lot more to Vitalogy, and the band's career, then Eddie hates fame, and I think that remains a blind spot many critics have difficulty overcoming (and it kind of dead ends the PJ story at No Code).
I think it would be really interesting to hear from critics who have knowledge of the whole catalog but don't necessarily have that history coloring their viewpoint.
Re: Celebration Rock with Steven Hyden (PJ Audio History)
Posted: Wed March 22, 2017 3:37 pm
by Tuolumne
This podcast is far far from perfect, but interesting enough to keep me tuned in. Klosterman is a huge get, and also getting the War on Drugs bassist and Pellington were good too. This is peripheral/casual PJ fan level, but it's atleast a serious attempt at understanding the band and catalogue. I do have serious doubts as to whether Hayden will give the middle years it's proper due. He's the guy that wrote a few articles on them for AV or The Onion I believe. He's not a fan of the middle years at all and is one of those fans that dropped off by the late 90s and by the late 2000s went "oh, they're still going?! I better pay attention again." There's lots of those fans.
They are serious fans worthy of getting input, I believe they get the middle years mostly wrong but I do really respect their opinion b/c they give significant time and effort thinking about the band. Also, they represent to me the indie-Nirvana side of the spectrum that never initially liked the band but sort of came around to them begrudginly but also respectfully. These fans typically are super-indie centric, but not snobby, and understand the value of Pearl Jam in the firmament. They are serious fans who aren't diehards and rank PJ lower than the indie-faves of the time. They also tend to love Vitalogy (although they still won't rank it with the best of their favorite 90s indie roc) and they think Corduroy is their best song, but often dismiss the hokey/earnest/cheesy side of the band (which is a significant, but not the only, side of this band). Also, guys like these can help put PJ in context in a way where diehards can't, bc it's difficult for diehards to really be objective. At the same time, the diehards simply have more knowledge of the band by virtue of being diehards.
Re: Celebration Rock with Steven Hyden (PJ Audio History)
Posted: Wed March 22, 2017 4:04 pm
by Monkey_Driven
I rolled my eyes when he said he was doing one podcast for the 72 bootlegs, Binaural, and Riot Act. I would do a separate podcast for each.
Re: Celebration Rock with Steven Hyden (PJ Audio History)
Posted: Wed March 22, 2017 4:34 pm
by guestT
a deep dive into binaural with tchad blake would be nice
Re: Celebration Rock with Steven Hyden (PJ Audio History)
Posted: Wed March 22, 2017 4:43 pm
by evenslow
guestT wrote:a deep dive into binaural with tchad blake would be nice
it would. i've never seen anything anywhere where tchad tblake ever talked about his binaural experience.
Re: Celebration Rock with Steven Hyden (PJ Audio History)
Posted: Wed March 22, 2017 5:00 pm
by guestT
evenslow wrote:guestT wrote:a deep dive into binaural with tchad blake would be nice
it would. i've never seen anything anywhere where tchad tblake ever talked about his binaural experience.
this is all i've ever been able to find:
http://tapeop.com/interviews/16/tchad-blake/
Well, on your current project you've been working with a hugely successful band [Pearl Jam] on an enormous record label [Epic/Sony], have you felt big expectations from them?
Just from the band. I just want to make a record that's good for the band. So it's really about my own expectations. And I can be pretty hard on myself. It's a matter of working with new people in a new studio in a new town [Seattle] for a long period of time.
How long have you been at it?
I was here a month in September, it's been 3 weeks this month [November], and it's probably going to be 2 weeks in the new year. And I'm used to doing a record in 4 weeks, 5 maybe. Mixed, done. Usually in a situation when you have a concentrated time. And this is different — everybody in the band has other things going on. Important stuff, like benefits, and shows to do, or a record company to run. So it's a little bit piecemeal. People coming in, one at a time, doing specific parts. They're used to it, it's easy for them. And it's a new kind of music for me to be working on — which I really like. I'm getting to stretch a little bit here. But I'm also trying to bring some of my sensibilities to it. But hopefully not too much. So my concern is that I'm helping them make the record they want to make. I'm being careful about that. I'm talking with everybody. That's a different role for me. It's not quite as, "Let's just throw things down." It's a little more considered. It involves re-doing things that someone doesn't like a few days later. That sort of stuff.
Have you had any specific directives?
Oh no, they're open for a lot of stuff.
Lots of experimentation?
Oh yeah, they're ready to do another kind of record. And I think we're getting there.
To use a metaphor, some producers' style might be like a soup base, to which an artist adds his/her own ingredients. But some, like yours for instance, are a spicy jambalaya from the start. Is it possible that in some cases you run the risk of overwhelming the project with your recipe?
Maybe so, yeah. But I'm trying to make sure that doesn't happen here. I don't want to just come in and put my stamp on the record. I want it to be the band's project where I just add a few spices to the stew. So like I said I think we're getting there. But technically it's difficult because I think I have a hard time doing both: producing and engineering. Although Matt Bayles, who's engineering this, really is great. But I can't help [doing some of the engineering], I've been at it for too long. Sometimes I get so caught up in the sounds, say the snare drum, that I miss a verse, how the lyrics went. It's hard to split my focus. So the mix of this will be at the Sound Factory, and that's where I think I'll really be able to lighten up and fly a little bit. Because I'll be in familiar surroundings and I won't have to think about any of the technical aspects of the process.
Let's talk a little about gear. So what's your relationship with the analog and digital mediums, respectively?
I've heard both sound good, and both sound bad. And it depends on the budget. Most people I work with aren't like Pearl Jam or Sheryl Crow. They're on smaller budgets and it's cheaper to do analogue, that's changing I know. Maybe not if someone owns [their own] Pro Tools and as far as editing goes, I love cutting tape. I come from the day when that was the way you worked and I love it. So I guess analog takes precedence.
Are you tracking on tape with Pearl Jam?
Yup. But they've got the new Pro Tools system set up. There are about 2 songs where I've spread the drums out all over the place — a compressed track, a SansAmp track, a room track, and then all the separate [close mic] tracks. And I'm keeping that way for now. And that's taken up a lot of tracks. But some other things, like percussion and vocals, will probably go to Pro Tools directly. And then I'll find a track to dump it to on the 24-track later. We have both going. I save everything to Pro Tools.
Anything new and strange you've used in making this record?
Well, I love the new Moog pedals. I've got those. The phaser is actually very cool. It's actually like a little filter box. I've always wanted a phaser that you could actually stop. You get a filtering that you, like, in the throe of its phase modulation you can just stop and keep in that place. Very cool.
And how have you been using that?
On guitar and there's a couple of drum things I'm going to use it on. And probably a vocal or two. Oh and here's something for your readers. I've had this for years, but I've only used it once or twice in 10 years where it stuck. It's a Ludwig Phase 2 synthesizer, made in the '70s. It's a big box with a pedal that switches on like a wah-wah. It's got all these settings — one that's called "vowel," one that's called "parallel, I don't know what else. Anyway, Mike McCready has really taken to this box and he's probably gotten the best sounds I've heard out of it. Ludwig for crying out loud. It's really a low-fi, bad, bad box and it's looming large on the project. [laughs]
Re: Celebration Rock with Steven Hyden (PJ Audio History)
Posted: Wed March 22, 2017 5:02 pm
by VinylGuy
Re: Celebration Rock with Steven Hyden (PJ Audio History)
Posted: Wed March 22, 2017 5:16 pm
by evenslow
So the mix of this will be at the Sound Factory, and that's where I think I'll really be able to lighten up and fly a little bit. Because I'll be in familiar surroundings and I won't have to think about any of the technical aspects of the process.
Interesting b/c they ended up bringing in BOB to mix some stuff. Based off this quote I'm guessing he'd be pissed about that happening.
Re: Celebration Rock with Steven Hyden (PJ Audio History)
Posted: Wed March 22, 2017 5:17 pm
by evenslow
Hey trag, do you know what songs this would've been used on? I'm guessing NAIS, but what do I know.
It's a Ludwig Phase 2 synthesizer, made in the '70s. It's a big box with a pedal that switches on like a wah-wah. It's got all these settings — one that's called "vowel," one that's called "parallel, I don't know what else. Anyway, Mike McCready has really taken to this box and he's probably gotten the best sounds I've heard out of it. Ludwig for crying out loud. It's really a low-fi, bad, bad box and it's looming large on the project.
Re: Celebration Rock with Steven Hyden (PJ Audio History)
Posted: Wed March 22, 2017 5:19 pm
by digster
I never knew Blake worked with Tom Waits. Makes sense, in retrospect.