More of the interview with Stone Gossard
Traducción sacada de Portalternativo
La gente de Rolling Stone ha tenido la oportunidad de hablar con Stone Gossard, guitarrista de Pearl Jam, sobre el nuevo disco de Brad, el proyecto paralelo que comparte con el vocalista Shawn Smith, Regan Hagar y Keith Lowe. El 24 de abril se publicará “United We Stand”.
El músico recuerda como fue el nacimiento del grupo: “Brad se retrotrae a mi relación con Regan Hagar, al que conozco desde 1984, 1985 y es una persona importantísima en mi vida en cuanto a exponerme a música y estilos. Me expuso a muchas cosas. Fue a través de Regan que conocí a Andy Wood (frontman de Mother Love Boney Malfunkshun). Ha sido una gran parte de mi vida y creo que nuestra conexión se manifestó en Brad en un momento en el que Pearl Jam estaba teniendo algo de éxito. Tuve la sensación de haber aprendido mucho acerca de como meterse en el estudio y hacer las cosas rápidamente, sin pensar demasiado en ello. A finales del 91 ó 92 decidimos que íbamos a pasar una semana componiendo y que íbamos a meternos (en el estudio) y grabar. Y lo hicimos. Terminó siendo un disco que tenía auténtico carácter y un rollo muy diferente a Pearl Jam. Ha sido un extraño camino de ahora si, ahora no. Hemos hecho discos periódicamente, casi cada cinco años o así. Pero cada vez que empezamos, es como, ¿de verdad somos una banda? Ha sido un viaje de miles de kilómetros porque, en todo ese tiempo, todo el mundo está donde está en ese punto de su vida, y lo que esperaban de Brad y lo que podría ser. A veces no estábamos en la misma onda pero aún así lográbamos juntarnos y hacer discos y giras. Pero entonces empiezas a mirar atrás – mola tanto tener esos extraños discos y que sean todos diferentes. Recuerdo haberme peleado por ellos y pasar por problemas por las canciones. Da la sensación de que Brad es más valioso que nunca porque ha sobrevivido casi en la sombra. Pearl Jam tiene un brillante foco encima todo el rato y ha sido maravilloso pero también crea música única sin el mismo foco.”
Curiosamente, entre este y el anterior disco, han pasado solo 2 años. “Bueno, ‘Best Friends’, el que hicimos antes, fue un disco que terminamos como tres o cuatro años antes de sacarlo. Tratamos de terminarlo pero no pudimos. Y entonces lo pusimos en paréntesis y todo el mundo fue a hacer sus cosas y lo miramos de nuevo. Así que ese disco llevó mucho tiempo hacerse. Cuando terminamos con eso, decidimos sacarlo y volvimos y cambiamos algunas cosillas, logrando que todos nos emocionáramos de nuevo. Sabíamos que esa parte del proceso no iba a abandonarnos rápidamente. Tras cinco discos, nos mirábamos diciendo, ‘Hey, no hay ninguna razón por la que no ser una banda’. Si hemos sido una banda y sobrevivido tanto tiempo, ¿por qué no seguir haciéndolo el resto de nuestras vidas? O al menos seguir mientras nos sintamos bien.”
Le preguntan por como avanza la creación del nuevo disco de Pearl Jam: “No lo sé, es difícil de decir. Hemos grabado algunas canciones y vamos a grabar y componer más. Nunca se sabe, quizá estemos a una o dos canciones o quizá grabemos seis o siete canciones más. Creo que lo principal es que no tenemos prisa ni urgencia. Lo más importante es que saquemos algo que continúe expandiendo nuestras fronteras más que tratar de seguir lo que hemos hecho en el pasado. Creo que es un buen momento para continuar experimentando y continuar mezclando las cosas para que la gente pueda decir, ‘Guau, eso es bastante raro para Pearl Jam’ y luego 10 años después la gente pueda decir, ‘Oh, ese es mi periodo favorito’. Que eso es lo que suele pasar. Pruebas algo y al principio quizá no todo el mundo lo entienda y luego miras atrás y dices, ‘Gracias a Dios que probamos algo nuevo porque abrió puertas para poder hacer esto y esto y aquello’.”
“No Code” puede considerarse como prueba de álbum distinto. “Cuando salió todo el mundo se quedó como, uhhh… Ese fue el primer disco en el que la discográfica y quizá alguna prensa dijeron, ‘No tiene ningún sentido’. Pero este disco es refrescantemente guay porque solo estamos nosotros en el estudio haciendo el idiota, no tomándoslo demasiado en serio. Creo que uno de los mayores problemas en el rock es que la gente piense demasiado, le pone demasiado énfasis en lograr que las cosas suenen perfectas o arregladas. A veces, ese sonido de no tenerlo todo arreglado mola.”
IN ENGLISH
You’ve been in Brad for nearly as long as you’ve been in Pearl Jam. How has that band evolved over time?
Brad goes back to my relationship with Regan Hagar, who I’ve known since 1984, 1985, and is just such an influential person in my life in terms of exposing me to music and style. He really exposed me to a lot of stuff. It was through Regan that we met [Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone frontman] Andy Wood. He’s been a huge part of my life, and I think that our connection sort of manifested itself in Brad at a time when Pearl Jam was having some success. It was really nice to go back and spend some time making music that we didn’t have any expectations for. It felt like I learned a lot of lessons about how to go in and quickly get things done and move ahead without thinking about it too much. At the time it was the end of ’91 or ’92, and we just made a decision that we were going to spend a week writing music and we were going to go in and record a record, and we did. It ended up being a record that had some real character to it, and it had a vibe to it that was very different than Pearl Jam.
Brad goes back to my relationship with Regan Hagar, who I’ve known since 1984, 1985, and is just such an influential person in my life in terms of exposing me to music and style. He really exposed me to a lot of stuff. It was through Regan that we met [Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone frontman] Andy Wood. He’s been a huge part of my life, and I think that our connection sort of manifested itself in Brad at a time when Pearl Jam was having some success. It was really nice to go back and spend some time making music that we didn’t have any expectations for. It felt like I learned a lot of lessons about how to go in and quickly get things done and move ahead without thinking about it too much. At the time it was the end of ’91 or ’92, and we just made a decision that we were going to spend a week writing music and we were going to go in and record a record, and we did. It ended up being a record that had some real character to it, and it had a vibe to it that was very different than Pearl Jam.
It’s been a strange road, because it’s been kind of on again, off again. We’ve made records periodically, almost every five years or so. But every time we restart, it’s almost like we’re going, are we really a band? It’s been a journey of a thousand miles, because through all that time, everyone is where they are at that point in their life, and what they were expecting from Brad, and what it could be. Sometimes we were all on different pages, but we still managed to get back together and make records and do some touring. But then you start sort of looking back – it’s so cool that we have these weird records, and they’re all different. I remember having fights about them, and different struggles with songs. It feels like Brad is more precious than ever before, because it has sort of survived almost in the shade. Pearl Jam has a big bright light shining on it all the time, and it’s been amazing, but it also sort of creates unique music when you’re next to that, but you don’t get the same light.
This new Brad album comes two years after the last one, which is the shortest gap between records in the band’s discography. How did this one come together more quickly?
Well, it’s funny, the one we made last, Best Friends?, was a record that was finished for maybe three or four years before we ever put it out. We kind of tried to finish it and then couldn’t. And then put it on hiatus, and everybody was kind of doing their own thing and kind of looked at it again. So that record was really a long time in the making. When we got done with that one, we finally decided to put it out and went back and tweaked a few things, and got everyone excited again. We knew that part of the process was not letting go of each other for so long. After five records, we’re looking at each other now going, Hey, there’s no reason why we’re not just going to be a band. If we’ve been a band and survived this long, why wouldn’t we just keep doing it for the rest of our lives? Or at least as long as it felt good.
Well, it’s funny, the one we made last, Best Friends?, was a record that was finished for maybe three or four years before we ever put it out. We kind of tried to finish it and then couldn’t. And then put it on hiatus, and everybody was kind of doing their own thing and kind of looked at it again. So that record was really a long time in the making. When we got done with that one, we finally decided to put it out and went back and tweaked a few things, and got everyone excited again. We knew that part of the process was not letting go of each other for so long. After five records, we’re looking at each other now going, Hey, there’s no reason why we’re not just going to be a band. If we’ve been a band and survived this long, why wouldn’t we just keep doing it for the rest of our lives? Or at least as long as it felt good.
How does your approach to playing guitar differ in Brad from what you do in Pearl Jam?
I think both things filter back and forth all the time. I learn stuff from making music every time I go in the studio. I’m continuing to try to find new ways to play in a song or be in a song and have a positive impact on a song. I got to play a little bit more of a lead role on United We Stand, which is kind of cool. It’s a single guitar player band, so there’s this space for me to kind of get out and find these melodies that go along with the vocals, but also have their own identity. I was playing outside of the groove a little more than in the groove, playing a vocal line instead of a traditional guitar line or something. You can hear that, I think, in “A Reason to Be in My Skin” and “Bound in Time,” both of which have these guitar lines that aren’t typical of what I normally play.
I think both things filter back and forth all the time. I learn stuff from making music every time I go in the studio. I’m continuing to try to find new ways to play in a song or be in a song and have a positive impact on a song. I got to play a little bit more of a lead role on United We Stand, which is kind of cool. It’s a single guitar player band, so there’s this space for me to kind of get out and find these melodies that go along with the vocals, but also have their own identity. I was playing outside of the groove a little more than in the groove, playing a vocal line instead of a traditional guitar line or something. You can hear that, I think, in “A Reason to Be in My Skin” and “Bound in Time,” both of which have these guitar lines that aren’t typical of what I normally play.
I know you’re working on new music with Pearl Jam right now. Do you have a desire to play more leads in that band?
I think there are opportunities to do that, even beyond playing leads during a lead break. I love to write melodies that refresh the ear – if Ed [Vedder] is going a certain way, that at some point try to find the opposite of that, so when it comes back to whatever melody he’s singing that it’s even more impactful, because you’ve kind of explored the other side.
I think there are opportunities to do that, even beyond playing leads during a lead break. I love to write melodies that refresh the ear – if Ed [Vedder] is going a certain way, that at some point try to find the opposite of that, so when it comes back to whatever melody he’s singing that it’s even more impactful, because you’ve kind of explored the other side.
How far along are you with the new Pearl Jam record?
I don’t know, it’s hard to say. We’ve recorded some songs, and we’re going to record and write some more. You never know, it might be that we’re a song away or two, or it might be that we’re going to record six or seven more songs. I think the main thing is that were not in a rush and there’s no urgency to it. The most important thing is that we put something out that continues to expand our boundaries rather than trying to follow what we’ve done in the past. I think it’s a good time to hopefully continue to experiment, and continue to shake it up. So that people can go “Wow, that’s kind of weird for Pearl Jam,” and then 10 years later they can go, “Oh, that’s my favorite period.” Which is always kind of what happens. You try something and at first everybody doesn’t necessarily understand it, and then you look back and you go, thank God we tried something new, because it really opened a door up for us to be able to do this and this and this beyond that.
I don’t know, it’s hard to say. We’ve recorded some songs, and we’re going to record and write some more. You never know, it might be that we’re a song away or two, or it might be that we’re going to record six or seven more songs. I think the main thing is that were not in a rush and there’s no urgency to it. The most important thing is that we put something out that continues to expand our boundaries rather than trying to follow what we’ve done in the past. I think it’s a good time to hopefully continue to experiment, and continue to shake it up. So that people can go “Wow, that’s kind of weird for Pearl Jam,” and then 10 years later they can go, “Oh, that’s my favorite period.” Which is always kind of what happens. You try something and at first everybody doesn’t necessarily understand it, and then you look back and you go, thank God we tried something new, because it really opened a door up for us to be able to do this and this and this beyond that.
There are definitely a lot of No Code fans out there.
Yeah, and No Code kind of came out and everyone was like, uhhh . . . That was the first record where the record company and maybe even some of the press were going, “It doesn’t make any sense.” But this record is refreshingly cool, because it’s just us in the studio screwing around, not taking it too seriously. I think that’s one of the biggest problems in rock is people thinking too much, putting too much emphasis on getting things perfect or completely sorted out. Sometimes that sound of not having everything sorted out is kind of cool.
Yeah, and No Code kind of came out and everyone was like, uhhh . . . That was the first record where the record company and maybe even some of the press were going, “It doesn’t make any sense.” But this record is refreshingly cool, because it’s just us in the studio screwing around, not taking it too seriously. I think that’s one of the biggest problems in rock is people thinking too much, putting too much emphasis on getting things perfect or completely sorted out. Sometimes that sound of not having everything sorted out is kind of cool.
Do you ever feel inspired to sing more, either with Brad or Pearl Jam?
I love singing and writing songs with vocal lines, but there’s only so much time in the day, and I think Brad is more of a priority to me than my own singing. If there are opportunities for me to sing in different situations, I’ll take them. For the most part, I really love being in a collaborative thing. And in a collaborative thing if you have a singer as good as Sean Smith or Eddie Vedder, you kind of think, well, why don’t you just go ahead and let them sing? People seem to really like it.
I love singing and writing songs with vocal lines, but there’s only so much time in the day, and I think Brad is more of a priority to me than my own singing. If there are opportunities for me to sing in different situations, I’ll take them. For the most part, I really love being in a collaborative thing. And in a collaborative thing if you have a singer as good as Sean Smith or Eddie Vedder, you kind of think, well, why don’t you just go ahead and let them sing? People seem to really like it.
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