Coffee Haiku

All one needs is a
coffee break to renew his
faith in the system.



Chicago, Illinois
Spring, 2006

Impromptu Haikus Written at 10.47 North, 79.10 East (Spiritually, Anyways)

My latitude shirt,
My longitudinal shoe,
Deliver Freedom

During my return,
Does Mind compromise the scene?
Must it be this way?

Spiritual life,
Is not coniferous risk,
But Decidious.

The Planet is stacked,
(That includes America)
Ignorance is Dead.

East Tambaram, India
10 June, 2006

The Beat of a Different Drum, Part 3

Jack Irons: No Code (1996), Yield (1998)

At the time Jack Irons joined the group Pearl Jam gravitated away from the spotlight (a conscious effort, mind you) and retreated into their niche. Older age and a fresh perspective on the cynicisms surrounding major record labels shaped their recording and performance policies. Jirons (a self-imposed moniker found in the liner notes of Yield) came to the group with a compositional mindset. His principal composition credits on No Code belong to the songs 'Who You Are', and 'In My Tree', the former featuring a Max Roach-esque tribal beat, dripping with eastern influences. Pearl Jam heavily explored rhythmic boundaries, and Jirons’ drums sounded much more raw and expansive. These sounds are indicative of Jirons’ signature drum tuning and cymbal selection. The snares are very husky and thick, resulting in a consistent and confident splat on the downbeats. Jirons also used much darker cymbals, and relied on generous use of the ride, completely evading the splash cymbal. He officially left the band for health and family reasons, and the rest of the guys were sad to see him depart. As much as I hate to pick on him, though, even the remarkable Jirons copied himself between albums. He just made it too easy: the intro fills for 'Lukin' and 'Brain of J' are identical. Too soon, Jirons; too soon.

Matt Cameron: Binaural (2000), Riot Act (2002), Pearl Jam (2006)

Back in the early 90’s, when under media-driven motives Pearl Jam was swept into the ‘grunge’ category, the band was flanked by several other Seattle-based groups including Alice in Chains and Soundgarden (I don’t even want to talk about Nirvana at this point…). Although it was Chris Cornell fronting Soundgarden, drummer Matt Cameron composed a generous amount of the songs on all of their albums. He slid easily into the Pearl Jam lineup in 1998, immediately taking over after Jirons’ departure. On his first release with the band, he contributed to ‘Evacuation’, a vigorous and frenetic anthem, appended with a multi-party call and answer section. Eager to start composing, Cameron was also unabashed to accept a microphone and start singing backing vocals. Not only did Pearl Jam now have an extra voice to enhance live performances, but Cameron’s drumming combined the driving force of Dave A., but the heart of Jirons. Currently, Pearl Jam’s songs have headed towards more complex structures, due likely to Cameron’s penchant for odd time signatures and compositional wit for phasing guitars and drums in and out of each other. His attention to dynamic and melodic space, coupled with his mastery of the drums leaves no room for weak songs in the future of Pearl Jam’s ever-growing catalogue.

When you ask someone to rank his favorite albums of a particular band, he might reply, “Dude, I can’t…they’re just all so different.” This is really the case with Pearl Jam, a band that dedicates itself to presenting a cohesive concept through each record. In order to convey that message, all the parts need to operate in unison. The core personnel of the group (oh, how I hate saying that these days), has stayed the same, but the drummers have changed. You might think that such high turnover in the rhythm section would destroy a band, but perhaps you aren’t familiar enough with Pearl Jam. The sole fact that this band has survived with so many different drummers is a true testament to each members’ value for musical excellence, freedom and experimentation. Although many departed so soon from the group, Pearl Jam has benefited from a fortunate cycle of fresh ideas and a periodic (yet figurative) ‘renewal of vows’ – those vows they made to music, and each other, seventeen years ago.

Woman Crying

Spray paint on canvas

Cambridge, MA
22 July, 2007

The Beat of a Different Drum, Part 2

Why are Pearl Jam’s albums all so different and eclectic? It’s really because they switched the right members at the right time. Pearl Jam’s drummers have always held a powerful position in the band. For a rock band, they’ve had significant songwriting contributions from the majority of their drummers. Each of these musicians brought a new flavor and style to Pearl Jam. What is most intriguing, though, is to look at how some of the Pearl Jam drummers have become victim to their own idiosyncrasies, even in their short stint in the band. To understand this, let’s look at each drummer separately:

Dave Krusen: Ten (1991)

Straightahead rock. Nothing more to this guy, other than he was in Seattle at the right time. Probably the least successful ex-musician from the band, and he knows it. Everything on Ten is pretty straightahead rock anyways (not to say it’s mediocre music…it’s actually quite revolutionary), so Krusen fit in nicely. His beats aren’t too remarkable, but his most notable work is on the song ‘Porch’. He even got a songwriting credit on ‘Release’, although I’m not too certain he contributed too much except for improvising a beat during collaboration in the studio. Ten is probably one of rock’s finest albums (just ask Chicago radio station WXRT), and it’s a staple in every middle-aged man’s record collection (if only to bring him back to his fraternity days). But even though he kept the beat on this momentous release, it was time for the band to move on to more experienced and diverse drummers.

Dave Abbruzzese: Vs. (1993), Vitalogy (1994)

Remember when I was talking about self-renewal? Honestly, it’s a fairly common ‘crime’ of most accomplished musicians. Certain musicians get really good at one technique, or become really proficient in one modal structure, or maybe even really skilled at using the wah-wah; except that they sort of do it on every record. Dave A. had a monstrous arm that could hit things…HARD. His abilities, though, slowly evolved into a tendency to overuse his cymbals. You bet Eddie Vedder had something to say about it – some of the early arguments between Dave A. and the band revolved around the excess luggage of Dave’s drumkit. On the records, he’s only slightly obsessed with the splash and ride cymbals, but when the band played live he went all out. Just watch the end of the SNL performance of 'Daughter', and you’ll see what I mean. He inserted drum fills wherever he could – granted he sounded unbelievable, ever-deft at slipping in that last tom-tom before Eddie cut back into a verse – but he fell into a groove and didn’t stop. Needless to say, Dave A. was kicked out before Vitalogy (the last PJ album he’d play on) was even released.

[Part 3]

The Beat of a Different Drum, Part 1

For most bands, their life in the music business is always a question of longevity over success. Few bands stay together for more than a decade while experiencing continuous success. Then there are those bands who record a handful of albums to supreme notoriety – all in the span of five years. So what does contribute to a band’s combined longevity and success? Recently I saw Rush perform in Mansfield, MA. I guess they’re the exception – more than thirty years into their career, and they’ve just released a new album, Snakes & Arrows, which debuted relatively high on the rock charts. Seriously, though, they’re the only band I can think of that has lasted this long, has released only a few mediocre albums (the diehards would shoot me at this point…), and hasn’t had too many personnel changes (with exception of drummer Neil Peart who joined only after the first record…so he’s 16 for 17 albums).

So the issue of personnel comes to mind when I think of one of my favorite rock groups, Pearl Jam. Yes, they still write songs, and are actually more successful than you think. Pearl Jam message boards are flooded with crazed fans; you’ll even come across one with so much bravado, he challenges the other members that he has the highest fan club number. There’s another piece of Pearl Jam’s legacy – a functional, well-staffed, and extraordinary fan club. So extraordinary, that fans are still signing up every week. Hey, for only 20 bucks a year, you get a pair of trendy newsletters, access to the best seats during shows, and a collectible 45 RPM single typically featuring two unreleased tracks.

So why is it that Pearl Jam has continued to shake up their repertoire over the years? Yeah they’ve had personnel changes (almost a different drummer every two albums), but so has King Crimson. You can bet that the Crimson fans swear by every record (at this point Adrian Belew could sing about Fig Newtons and PVC but we’d still buy it), but Crimson doesn’t play as many big arenas like Pearl Jam. Nor do the Crimson albums sound all that different – shudder! – it turns out that Robert Fripp recycles his own guitar licks. Admittedly, King Crimson’s catalogue can be divided into significant eras and sub-genres, but Fripp's glaringly arrogant guitar dominates throughout. If most musicians, then, are inclined to the inevitable self-renewal, how did Pearl Jam avoid falling into this trap?

Why are Pearl Jam’s albums all so different and eclectic? It must be because they switched the right members at the right time...

[Part 2]