Stone Gossard Pearl Jam – A Pioneer In The World Of Grunge Rock
Pearl Jam is one of the most popular bands in the United States and founding member Stone Gossard is one of the most well known faces in the music industry. He is a pioneer in the world of grunge rock that emerged from Seattle, Washington in the 1980s and not only does he play rhythm guitar for Pearl Jam, he also owns his own recording studio and record label.
Born in 1966, Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam was raised in the grunge rock capital of the world with his two sisters. Hi father was an attorney, his mother a city government worker and together they did the best for their three children. He learned how to play guitar during junior high and the very first band he ever joined was called March of Crimes. The bass player for the band, Ben Shepherd, went on to play for Soundgarden. Gossard didn’t stay in the band long and he moved on to form the band Ducky Boys with fellow guitar player Steve Turner. Turner enjoyed punk music and his influence rubbed off on Stone Gossard and Pearl Jam.
Many bands have had the benefit of Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam and they include Green River, Mother Love Bone, Temple of the Dog, and finally, Pearl Jam. The band was formed in 1990 and the bands first studio album, ‘Ten’, broke them into the mainstream music market. They were overnight sensations and their second album ‘Vs.’ set a record for the most copies sold in a week at that time. One of the things that have set Stone Gossard and Pearl Jam apart from other bands is the fact that they band refused to promote themselves. They boycotted Ticketmaster for three years, and refused to release music videos.
Stone Gossard and Pearl Jam’s third album was ‘Vitalogy’ and it went straight to multi-platinum. He participated in congressional subcommittee hearings that year against Ticketmaster and even though their touring was severely limited, their fans still kept their loyalty. With eight albums under their proverbial belts, they are currently working on releasing their ninth studio album.
Fans of the band who have never had the chance to see them in concert will definitely want to lay their hands on any of Stone Gossard and Pearl Jam CDs and DVDs. Because the band does things their own way and hates any form of corporate control, getting any form of video footage from them is difficult. But they wanted to release something for their fans and with miles of material from their concerts over the years they were not sure how to use it. With help from Apple technologies and videographers who had the presence of mind to save their footage, fans have the chance to now enjoy three different Pearl Jam DVDs.
‘Pearl Jam: Live At The Garden’, ‘Single Video Theory’, and ‘Touring Band 2000’ are the three DVDs that are currently available for Pearl Jam fans to enjoy today. Will they release another one? Only time – and Stone Gossard and Pearl Jam – can tell.