Red Mosquito

I strongly disagree with most of you about side projects, but I understand the sentiment.

I'd love nothing more than for all of these guys to be in tune with each other and coming up with memorable and interesting music together, but overwhelming evidence in the form of high quality side projects like Into The Wild, Bayleaf and Jeff's new stuff (so I'm told) suggests that this just isn't a reality.

So we have all of this great music cropping up periodically, but it's not from Pearl Jam. I'm really not bothered by that at all.

EJ wrote:

Chloe wrote:

EJ wrote:Well, I wouldn't have minded if Stone was serious about his solo side projects. We got teased a few years ago with his gems Little One and Your Flames. I was really hoping something more would materialize out of that project. But, then he goes back to Brad. I can't be bothered with that band.

Ah, no way! That's my favorite out of Stone's side projects. Have you seen Brad live? I couldn't get into them until I saw them in Seattle a few years back.
Their side stuff isn't nearly as good as PJ is as a whole. Even though RNDM is wonderful, or as great as Ed is solo, there's just not enough magic there for me to keep going back to it like I do Pearl Jam.

I've never seen Brad live. I really don't dig the singer's voice. And, that's enough for me to not invest any more time in their music.

Same with me, I can't stand Smith's vocals. I understand he's a good singer, just not my flavor at all.

I think the side projects are interesting, bc you get to hear snippets of what kind of songs the band members might bring to the table within PJ. They're all fairly different at this point, it seems like, with Jeff's and Matt's probably being the most interesting (and then the most dumbed down)

washing machine II wrote:I strongly disagree with most of you about side projects, but I understand the sentiment.

I'd love nothing more than for all of these guys to be in tune with each other and coming up with memorable and interesting music together, but overwhelming evidence in the form of high quality side projects like Into The Wild, Bayleaf and Jeff's new stuff (so I'm told) suggests that this just isn't a reality.

So we have all of this great music cropping up periodically, but it's not from Pearl Jam. I'm really not bothered by that at all.

Of course, I live in a state that doesn't see many tours. Perhaps I'd have a different perspective if I saw them every single year and the quality of songs on the set lists continued to go down.

they haven't made one wearable t-shirt in forever. why so much black? how fat is the average pearl jam fan? post your bmi people!

washing machine II wrote:I strongly disagree with most of you about side projects, but I understand the sentiment.

I'd love nothing more than for all of these guys to be in tune with each other and coming up with memorable and interesting music together, but overwhelming evidence in the form of high quality side projects like Into The Wild, Bayleaf and Jeff's new stuff (so I'm told) suggests that this just isn't a reality.

So we have all of this great music cropping up periodically, but it's not from Pearl Jam. I'm really not bothered by that at all.

And that totally make sense. Bottom line is they are all amazing musicians in their own right, but I dig them more as a whole unit. Maybe not so much Matt, but that's a whole different thread/argument.

Stip wrote:

harmless wrote:

Chloe wrote:

harmless wrote:I'm viciously anti-PJ side project, and I quite enjoy what I've heard of them. But man, their band name sucks balls.

Do you hate their side projects because you know they aren't working on PJ material? If so, THIS!
Every time Ed tours, I cringe a little... just means we have to wait that much longer for an album and a tour.

Yes, and yes. Most of the time PJ puts out the left overs.

that I don't believe.

It's probably good for them to all go off and do their own thing so they can grow as artists. Give me an example here, Harmless - can't say I've heard everything they all do solo/with other bands.

I'm fairly certain that if PJ didn't have side projects, they would have dissolved PJ a long time ago.

To be fair, is Brad really considered a side project? Stone's been in that from nearly the beginning.

bodysnatcher wrote:I'm fairly certain that if PJ didn't have side projects, they would have dissolved PJ a long time ago.

On balance, I'm not sure that would've been a bad thing.

If the spark's gone, why keep plowing on?

(Apart from the millions of dollars and arenas full of screaming fans, I mean.)

Birds in Hell wrote:

bodysnatcher wrote:I'm fairly certain that if PJ didn't have side projects, they would have dissolved PJ a long time ago.

On balance, I'm not sure that would've been a bad thing.

If the spark's gone, why keep plowing on?

(Apart from the millions of dollars and arenas full of screaming fans, I mean.)

It's hard to say whether the spark's gone or not without actually being in the band or close friends with them. Sure, their actions may portray that the spark is dim, but "gone"? Who knows.

bodysnatcher wrote:

Birds in Hell wrote:

bodysnatcher wrote:I'm fairly certain that if PJ didn't have side projects, they would have dissolved PJ a long time ago.

On balance, I'm not sure that would've been a bad thing.

If the spark's gone, why keep plowing on?

(Apart from the millions of dollars and arenas full of screaming fans, I mean.)

It's hard to say whether the spark's gone or not without actually being in the band or close friends with them. Sure, their actions may portray that the spark is dim, but "gone"? Who knows.

Oh, this is definitely just speculation, but the way they talk about needing time off from each other to ensure they don't burn out on Pearl Jam seems to me that they just don't enjoy bouncing musical ideas off each other very much. When they congratulate themselves for not breaking up, I'm not sure why that's meant to be an achievement in itself. Would anyone have thought less of them had they put the band on hiatus 7 or 8 years ago?

Birds in Hell wrote:

bodysnatcher wrote:

Birds in Hell wrote:

bodysnatcher wrote:I'm fairly certain that if PJ didn't have side projects, they would have dissolved PJ a long time ago.

On balance, I'm not sure that would've been a bad thing.

If the spark's gone, why keep plowing on?

(Apart from the millions of dollars and arenas full of screaming fans, I mean.)

It's hard to say whether the spark's gone or not without actually being in the band or close friends with them. Sure, their actions may portray that the spark is dim, but "gone"? Who knows.

Oh, this is definitely just speculation, but the way they talk about needing time off from each other to ensure they don't burn out on Pearl Jam seems to me that they just don't enjoy bouncing musical ideas off each other very much. When they congratulate themselves for not breaking up, I'm not sure why that's meant to be an achievement in itself. Would anyone have thought less of them had they put the band on hiatus 7 or 8 years ago?

Good point.
I would rather have them go on hiatus for 5-7 years, then come out of nowhere with a surprise album (ie. Portishead, GYBE), rather than saying, "The album is halfway done" for 2 years.

bodysnatcher wrote:I'm fairly certain that if PJ didn't have side projects, they would have dissolved PJ a long time ago.

To be fair, is Brad really considered a side project? Stone's been in that from nearly the beginning.

wouldn't the side projects have been more likely to give them a reason to break up.


All this, as Speeno In Hell said, is just speculation, but I'm left with the sense that they're all pretty happy with where they are right now and so the lack of urgency to make a record means people aren't putting their foot down about side projects. I don't know that anyone feels enough fire to tell someone 'no, don't go tour with this solo album you're very proud of'. There's a difference between not being able to make good music and not feel the burning urgency to actually go out and make it.

I guess we'll see what it is when the next album arrives. I wonder how much time in the post PJ 20 period (I don't fault them for not recording prior to that. Backspacer was 09 and they toured off that record for a bit) was eaten up by the Soundgarden reunion/tour and Eddie's injury and rescheduled tour. And so then maybe Stone and Jeff go off to do their things in that down time, and then they want to go out and play their new music, and it just goes on and on.

On this subject (and others), they need to be compared/contrasted with the appropriate benchmarks, if you ask yourself the following question nothing seems unusual, worrisome, or even atypical:

- What major bands that have lasted 20 years + did NOT take an extended break at some point?

Naming a solo act is a cop out (ie. Neil, Bruce, etc) cause it's a different thing. Neil can get out of bed on any given day and decide he wants to do something different without anyone having to go along with it, so that's applicable only when you compare each PJ member's individual pursuit.

Tuolumne wrote:On this subject (and others), they need to be compared/contrasted with the appropriate benchmarks, if you ask yourself the following question nothing seems unusual, worrisome, or even atypical:

- What major bands that have lasted 20 years + did NOT take an extended break at some point?

Naming a solo act is a cop out (ie. Neil, Bruce, etc) cause it's a different thing. Neil can get out of bed on any given day and decide he wants to do something different without anyone having to go along with it, so that's applicable only when you compare each PJ member's individual pursuit.

All good points.

I think some of the dismay may stem from the whole PJ20 thing and the bands' quotes surrounding it - akin to, "this PJ20 project has reenergized us as a band." I think a lot of people were expecting some new output right after that, but didn't get any.

I agree that comparisons with solo artists aren't particularly helpful, a band of five different guys has an entirely different dynamic to the whims of one, but I don't think these guys have ever taken an extended break from Pearl Jam. There's never been a single year without at least one Pearl Jam show since they formed (1999 comes closest, I think).

Tuolumne wrote:On this subject (and others), they need to be compared/contrasted with the appropriate benchmarks, if you ask yourself the following question nothing seems unusual, worrisome, or even atypical:

- What major bands that have lasted 20 years + did NOT take an extended break at some point?

Naming a solo act is a cop out (ie. Neil, Bruce, etc) cause it's a different thing. Neil can get out of bed on any given day and decide he wants to do something different without anyone having to go along with it, so that's applicable only when you compare each PJ member's individual pursuit.

Well, I think a lot of it is dependent on how an individual feels about the music the band has been making, which is only fair (i.e. I may view the group and its' overall health if S/T and Backspacer had taken off for me in a way the other albums had).

I mean, considering the band has never really completely reinvented the wheel from album to album, it does seem a little surprising that it's taking them this long to cobble together 12 rock songs they want to put out. I personally don't think the side projects are the cause, but rather a symptom of not really having much of a drive to play together right now. I think it seems like it would be hard to build creative momentum if you're just jumping into a studio for a week or two at a time once a year.

digster wrote:I personally don't think the side projects are the cause, but rather a symptom of not really having much of a drive to play together right now. I think it seems like it would be hard to build creative momentum if you're just jumping into a studio for a week or two at a time once a year.

Bingo.

Which is why it's silly to complain about good stuff coming from each of these guys released under a different umbrella than the Pearl Jam brand.

washing machine II wrote:Is RNDM really that good?

Well, Joseph Arthur is good...

I agree that their side projects are the 'glue' in their relationship at the moment, not sex. They're 'staying together for the kids', as it were. Which will never work. I also agree that their concentration on side projects is a symptom of them not being that into one another lately. But it's a Catch 22, because as long as they're producing good material for 'RNDM' or whatever, they're using up their best stuff for peripheral crap fuck abouts, rather than the actual main focus. They may as well shift the focus, give up PJ, but imo they should stop leaving the subpar stuff to the band everyone cares about.