Pearl Jam were supposed to be on tour now, supporting their new album Gigaton...but the first show, in Toronto, was scheduled for pretty much right after The COVID hit. Which left them suddenly with a lot of free time on their hands. Founder and rhythm guitarist Stone Gossard got restless...and the Seahawks weren't playing yet...so he started another band he's had on the back burner for a while now...a side project he's been working on with Matt Chamberlain, Pearl Jam drummer #2, Minneapolis based singer-songwriter Mason Jennings, and Seattle singer/producer Brittany Davis to create Painted Shield, who've just released a beautiful debut album, as you will hear below.
As he does, oh every 25-30 years or so, when he's got some new band he's pimping, he called his old acquaintance and decidedly less successful fellow musician Scott Vanderpool from back in the days when the only people watching Seattle bands...were other Seattle bands....he works on the radio now, and is usually pretty good at getting the word out.
Stone's also dragged his old friend and Malfunkshun (Mother Love Bone singer Andy Wood's old band) drummer Regan Hagar to restart their record label Loosegroove, and they have some interesting releases planned (Duff McKagen's early Seattle band The Living!), as you will hear! Regan also directed the videos you see below. Painted Shield comes out November 27th!