Kicks Outta The Jam
Channelling his carefree youth and working with a songwriting partner licking the wounds of divorce, Stone Gossard has put together a side project to rival his day job in the mighty Pearl Jam. “This band,” he says of Painted Shield, “is some serious assassins.”
Words: Henry Yates
“The power of love is always gonna be more compelling to me than the one-dimensionality of anger.”
Stone Gossard
The man peering into the webcam doesn’t look like an over-achiever. The four-day stubble, the slightly bleary eyes behind thick-framed glasses – along with the comfy sofa and the yawning dog… none of these hint at Stone Gossard’s career-long habit of spinning plates. “I’m definitely not a workaholic,” he says.
The 54-year-old’s résumé says otherwise, though. From 90s alt.rock supergroup Temple Of The Dog to perennial cult favourites Brad, via solo albums, a record label and guest spots with half its roster, it has sometimes been hard to tell whether the guitarist’s three decades with Pearl Jam is the main event or the rainy-day project. “I write more songs than there’s ever gonna be Pearl Jam tracks,” he considers. “I’ve always got piles of demos.”