Farewell to Seasons (Mike McCready)

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Farewell to Seasons (Mike McCready)

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Last month, the guitarist shared a performance of an acoustic composition called Crying Moon, written as a tribute to his friend and Temple of the Dog bandmate Chris Cornell. The late Soundgarden frontman is part of the inspiration behind the new project.

“I look at him as one of the greatest singers and songwriters of all time, aside from being a friend,” McCready says of Cornell. “I love Chris and I'm working on a little project about the Seattle scene and a musical kind of rock opera thing. It's just from my experience in the Seattle music scene, and he's part of it.”

McCready notes that Crying Moon will appear in the rock opera, but as for what form the musical will take, that remains to be seen – he’s currently weighing up “a record and maybe some sort of stage/play thing”. “I'm just in the middle of it,” he says. “I’m working on a script and I've got about 18 songs that I'm working on, and I'm singing on it. It's been a long journey.”
https://www.guitarworld.com/news/pearl- ... rock-opera

Yeah, not sure what to think of this.......
Last edited by joostone on Wed March 11, 2026 8:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Mike McCready is writing a rock opera

Post by VinylGuy »

He played a show yesterday right? I saw something in Instagram
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Re: Mike McCready is writing a rock opera

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Farewell to Seasons (Mike McCready)

Post by B »

Image
Mike McCready, guitarist for Pearl Jam, Temple of the Dog, and Mad Season, has teamed up with Z2 to release the original graphic novel and "lost" rock opera, Mike McCready’s Farewell to Seasons. Developed over the last 20 years, McCready’s story captures the drive and sense of community that forged the powerful backbone of the Seattle music scene of the 1980s, as their world changed forever with the explosion of grunge in the ‘90s. Farewell to Seasons unflinchingly shows the brutal cost it had for so many artists and musicians as it captures the lived experience of that seminal era. The glory and the heartbreak as it asks the unanswerable question… was it worth it?

Deluxe editions and Platinum of the graphic novel come packaged with a soundtrack of new and original songs, created by Mike McCready to serve as an artifact recording produced by the lead character, Dave Williams.
So, ... this is a graphic novel that Mike wrote? produced? It's new? or is it a collection of something released over the last 20 years?
and the record is just music Mike recorded to compliment the book?

This description is so fucking confusing.
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Re: Farewell to Seasons (Mike McCready)

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Anyone else think they need to HEAR Mike McCready singing these songs before they sink $90 on the cheap version of this?
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Re: Farewell to Seasons (Mike McCready)

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yeah, super weird.
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Re: Farewell to Seasons (Mike McCready)

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Ok, weird description indeed!

CREDITS:

Written by MIKE MCCREADY and MARK SABLE

Illustrated by SEBASTIÁN PIRIZ.



Deluxe editions and Platinum of the graphic novel come packaged with a soundtrack of new and original songs, created by Mike McCready to serve as an artifact recording produced by the lead character, Dave Williams


So, he did wrote the story for this opera. My guess is that the graphic novel is based on that story, se he gets the credit on both the music and the novel. But yeah, is it basically a solo album? Or does it have guest singers?
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Re: Farewell to Seasons (Mike McCready)

Post by B »

I don't know how Luca gets all this info!
PearlJamOnline wrote: The creators behind the project
Farewell to Seasons is a collaboration between Mike McCready and writer Mark Sable, who developed the graphic novel's screenplay together. The illustrations are by Sebastián Piriz, while the cover art is by R. Kikuo Johnson, capturing the visual and narrative essence of the work.

Editing was handled by Rantz A. Hoseley, who, along with Josh Bernstein, defined the overall design, balancing layout and storytelling. The album included in the Deluxe and Platinum versions is enhanced by artwork by Daniel Danger, completing an immersive experience of visuals and original music.

An immersive graphic novel
The project is not a simple comic: it is a graphic album in which images and music intertwine.

The protagonist, Dave Williams, experiences moments of triumph and doubt, which the narrative depicts with luminous and intensely dramatic scenes, respectively. The story offers a profound reflection on creativity, resilience, and community, and asks the central question: "Was it worth it?"

Original soundtrack
The Deluxe and Platinum versions include a vinyl with 11 original tracks, created by McCready as a “vintage” recording produced by the protagonist.

Music not only accompanies the reading, but becomes an integral part of the narrative, amplifying emotions and key moments in the graphic novel.

First live tracks in Seattle
Last December, during a Thunderpussy concert at the Showbox in Seattle, McCready performed five songs from the rock opera for the first time, confirming the project's title and giving fans a first taste of the original music. The songs performed include " Queen of the Season ," " Jonathan Alexander ," "Rock Rules ," " Farewell to Seasons," and " Spoken ."

The story's protagonist represents a symbolic archetype inspired by the Seattle music community: not a direct biography, but a figure who embodies talent, fragility, friendship, and loss, central elements of the graphic album's narrative and music.

A project celebrating Seattle and grunge
Farewell to Seasons is a complete artistic experience, where graphic novel and music merge to tell the story of an unrepeatable era.

The project becomes a tribute to the grunge scene, its community of artists, and the fans who followed its evolution, offering new perspectives and insights into the cultural movement that left an indelible mark on '90s music.
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Re: Farewell to Seasons (Mike McCready)

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It sounds cool and im glad Mike is doing this kind of art stuff, but i wish he would just release an album of guitar riffs.

Still, ill listen to this one when it leaks.
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Re: Farewell to Seasons (Mike McCready)

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I found two of the tracks he did live with Thunderpussy:




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-21HYlGVqs
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Re: Farewell to Seasons (Mike McCready)

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hopefully his rock opera is better than his installation art!
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Re: Farewell to Seasons (Mike McCready)

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oh yeah i remember that one
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Re: Farewell to Seasons (Mike McCready)

Post by epilogue »

I thought about just buying the graphic novel. I'm more interested in that than the "lost rock-opera." Also, how hard is it gonna be to hear that music soon, ya know?
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Re: Farewell to Seasons (Mike McCready)

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This looks cheesy as hell
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Re: Farewell to Seasons (Mike McCready)

Post by LoathedVermin72 »

I'm sorry but a "grunge rock opera" written by Mike McCready sounds profoundly embarrassing
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Re: Farewell to Seasons (Mike McCready)

Post by B »

There's also a grey vinyl version for $90 if your prefer that. Pearl Jam posted a picture of it, and I was hoping it was a "just the LP" version. :cry:

Image

https://shop.revolvermag.com/products/m ... phic-novel
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Re: Farewell to Seasons (Mike McCready)

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https://www.spinmagazine.com/2026/03/mi ... vel-album/

Interview about the project

In addition to the graphic novel, you created a complete companion album. What can you tell us about it?

There’s an overture and then six songs which I’m singing on. Molly Sides from Thunderpussy sings backup and [Guns N’ Roses’] Duff McKagan and [Dave Matthews Band’s] Stefan Lessard play bass. I’ve got [Fastbacks/Posies member] Mike Musburger playing drums, plus contributions from Chris Friel from Shadow and Nate Yaccino. It’s basically a lost rock opera about one of the characters. We just finished it yesterday.
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Re: Farewell to Seasons (Mike McCready)

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LoathedVermin72 wrote:I'm sorry but a "grunge rock opera" written by Mike McCready sounds profoundly embarrassing
based on PJ cover of Purple Rain I don't think they are capable of embarrassment
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Re: Farewell to Seasons (Mike McCready)

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actually I'm wrong

they were embarrassed by Can't Deny Me

there is still the beating heart of a human in there somewhere

or was
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Re: Farewell to Seasons (Mike McCready)

Post by B »

Y'know, the book is $35. if you made it $40 and gave me a CD in a cardboard sleeve, I'dve already bought it. I'd honestly love to own this thing, but $90/$150 is too much to spend on an album by a musician we've never heard sing before.
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