Pearl Jam's New Album in 'Holding Pattern,' Guitarist Working with Guns N' Roses and Screaming Trees Members

Pearl Jam’s New Album in ‘Holding Pattern,’ Guitarist Working with Guns N’ Roses and Screaming Trees Members

2012-08-17

Story by Anne Erickson

Pearl Jam are taking a few months off from writing new music

This isn’t exactly the news Pearl Jam fans are hoping to hear regarding the grunge rock band’s much-anticipated new album, so please, don’t kill the messenger. Although the band have stated time and time again that they’re working on songs for the follow-up to 2010’s “Backspacer,” guitarist Mike McCready recently dished to Spin that the quintet are now in a “holding pattern.”

So, what’s the hold-up on new music? McCready says the guys are giving frontman Eddie Vedder time to prep a solo tour later this year and Matt Cameron a few months to lay down drums for Soundgarden. “We’re just kind of sitting around, writing songs,” McCready explained. “We have about seven ideas so far that we did last year and we’re just kind of sitting on those right now.” Once Pearl Jam get going, though, McCready is confident the songs will flow effortlessly, stating that when he writes music for Pearl Jam, “…it just sort of comes out of the air.”

McCready isn’t using the downtime to twiddle his thumbs, though. The guitarist recently started working on “dark” new music with Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan and Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin, and he tells Spin the sound is similar to Led Zeppelin. “It’s all in its infantile stages right now,” he said of the nameless trio’s upcoming project, “but we hope to have somebody sing over it someday.” Thus far, the McCready-McKagan-Martin project have nine songs penned.

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Anne Erickson

Meet the expert - Author, writer and editor Anne Erickson is a Detroit-based reporter and radio host. She has written for the USA Today Network, Consequence.net, Blabbermouth.net, and many more. Anne holds a master's degree from Michigan State University. Contact Anne at anne@audioinkradio.com.