Musical Interlude

The other day I learned that Pearl Jam was putting out a new album… Although there’s a part of me that will always resent the Seattle grunge movement for killing the LA hair band scene (specifically, Gun N’ Roses), I did end up wearing plenty of flannel and listened to more than my fair share of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Mother Love Bone, Screaming Trees, Temple of the Dog, Sound Garden, and Stone Temple Pilots (which, actually, wasn’t a Seattle band). Still, when I heard about the new PJ album, I asked myself is Pearl Jam still musically relevant?

Here’s the new single:

Consider me chastised – the answer is a clear yes.

I tend to write with music in the background, but usually it’s just that: background music – instrumentals and such (my daughers call it “whale music”). I love music and can play a handful of instruments (some better than others), and while I was living in LA and for many years afterward, I compiled a home studio with all sorts of odds and ends and hacked away at horrible songs heavy on synthesizers and drum machines and guitar loops (everything kind of sounded like Jan Hammer’s Miami Vice theme). In truth, the best music for me, lyrically and sonically, tells a story – and that’s why I tend not to listen to my favorite bands or songs while I’m actually sitting at the desk writing my own stories – when I’m in that first draft mode I’m really digging deep for what I want to say, and ultimately, anyone else’s words prove too distracting. That’s not to say, however, that certain songs and lyrics don’t inform or influence the stories I am working on – particularly during the revision process, when I’m reflecting on what I’ve written and really trying to hone in on a mood. I can remember several songs that left their DNA in both TAIGA and A SHARPER DARK, and as I’m working on my new stuff, music by Jason Isbell, Whiskey Meyers, and Zakk Wylde have provided more than enough emotional guideposts or touchstones

I think Sirens will be as well.