Pearl Jam used to have a drummer. Then Matt Cameron quit the group in 2025 after 27 years. Over a year later, we still don’t know who’ll be joining the group. As we wait, we’ll revisit a conversation Leah Rose had with guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament, two of Grunge’s most foundational musicians. Stone and Jeff started playing together in 1984 as members of Green River, which eventually dissolved, leading singer Mark Arm to form Mudhoney.

Later, Jeff played bass and Stone played guitar in Mother Love Bone until their lead singer Andrew Wood died of an overdose just days before their major label debut in March of 1990. Reeling from Andy’s death, Jeff and Stone started recording with Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell on a side project called Temple Of The Dog that featured vocals from a then unknown singer from San Diego named Eddie Vedder.

Later that year, Jeff and Stone asked Eddie to join their new band with guitarist Mike McCready. As Pearl Jam, they released their debut album Ten in August of ‘91—the album went 13 times platinum and charted on Billboard for nearly five years.

Since then, Pearl Jam have released 11 more albums and built a die-hard fan base thanks in part to their outstanding live shows. Their last album, Dark Matter, was warmly received by fans and critics alike. 

You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Pearl Jam songs HERE.