What’s going on my fellow rock n rollers. Don’t forget to hit the bell notification
icon to be notified every time i put out a new video on my channel. Pearl Jam was a band
who seemed to have trouble holding onto a drummer during the 90’s. During the decade
the band had 5 different drummers including Dave Krusen, Matt Chamberlin Dave Abruzzese,,Jack
Irons and their current drummer Matt Cameron. Today we’re going to talk about fan favorite
Dave Abbruzzese In 1991 Pearl Jam would release their monumental
debut record Ten that saw drummer Dave Krusen behind the kit. Krusen left Pearl Jam in May
of 1991 just as the band was going to england to mix Ten and he soon checked himself into
rehab. According to Krusen, he was suffering from personal problems at the time including
alcohol addiction and dealing with his first child on the way. It would take two more tries,
but by 1994 he would be sober. Matt Chamberlin was brought in to play a string
of dates for the band who were out on the road promoting Ten and was offered the drumming
spot but declined since he wanted to slow down his life a bit and he would tell author
Mark Yarm in the book Everybody loves our town that he felt no emotional connection
to the band since he was a replacement player. Chamberlain also had his eyes set on joining
GE Smith’s house band on the television show saturday night live,. Chamberlain was
friends with a drummer named Dave Abbruzzese who he knew back in Texas. He would recommend
the drummer to Pearl Jam During this time Abbruzzese was working in a plant shop and
he would tell author mark yarm: “I was working at a head shop. My expertise was in the grow
dept. So if people would come in saying they wanted to grow lettuce hydroponically in their
closet wink wink i would help them get setup.’ The drummer was also playing in a funk band
at the time in Dallas called Dr. Tongue, while also hosting his own radio show on community
radio called Music We Like . It was that show where he first heard of an up and coming band
named Pearl Jam, but his initial reaction to the band may surprise you.
Abbruzzese initially had a negative response to Pearl Jam’s sampler CD he played on the
show and claimed that he only made it through 25 seconds of the first couple songs.
Krisha Argerot who was Pearl Jam’s manager Kelly Kurtis assistant would tell Mark Yarm:
I was shocked to see Dave Abbruzzese in the lobby of Curtis management when they were
trying out drummers. Because he was such a rocker. Super long hair wearing a track suit.
He’s from texas so it’s a totally different vibe. I could see him in alice in chains,
not in pearl jam. she'd say Abbruzzese would end up arriving in seattle
just as the band was filming the video for their single Alive. Abruzzesse wouldn’t
perform in the video as Matt Chamberlain was still in the band.
But Soon enough Abbruzzese would start performing with the band just before the release of Ten
and following his second show with the band as an act of solidarity he would get a tattoo
of the Pearl Jam stick figure logo on his left shoulder. Abbruzzese would tour extensively
with the band over the next 3 years performing on their MTV unplugged set, Saturday Night
Live, and the band’s follow up records including 1993's Versus, and 1994 follow up Vitalogy.
It was during the making of vitalogy where tensions seem to flare up in the band leading
to his dismissal According to guitarist Stone Gossard, Vitalogy
was the first pearl jam record where Eddie Vedder was the one making all of the final
decisions on the album and according to producer/engineer Adam Casper he claimed Vedder wasn’t happy
musically with Abbruzese with Kasper claiming “Dave was an extremely busy player and eddie
like a more raw sound We even started out with drum machines and that’s sort of a
slap in the face to the drummer. “ he'd say
It’s also been claimed that there were personality conflicts between the members and Abbruzzese
more specifically frontman Eddie Vedder and bassist Jeff Ament, There was one story in
particular which apparently rubbed Eddie Vedder the wrong waye. It was claimed by producer
Brendan O Brien at one of the recording sessions for Vitalogy that Abbruzzese accidentally
knocked over Vedder’s guitar that was a gift from The Who’s Pete Townsend, The guitar
broke and Abruzzese apparently left a little note for Eddie and left the studio to go do
a drum clinic or some sort of self promotional gig. Abbruzzese denied that this ever happened
& another source of tension was that Abbruzzese was more comfortable with the rockstar life
and attitude, which rubbed Vedder and others in the band the wrong way
Colleen Combs, who worked for Pearl Jam would tell Mark Yarm that the band was a democracy,
but Abbruzzese always wanted something different from the other people in the band citing an
instance where he would order a limo and not a town car.
Also happening around this time was that pearl jam got involved in a highly publicized dispute
with ticketmaster over their exorbitant fees on concert tickets. Abbruzzese thought the
band should be focusing on music instead of fighting with the ticket giant. And the fight
got so big that several members of Pearl Jam would testify in front of congress with Dave
telling author mark yarm When those guys were testifying in front of congress i was in indonesia
just enjoying being alive. The more i read about the ticketmaster situation, it’s like
it all sounds good and nice but there are way more important flagrant injustices we
could have latched onto he'd say Bassist Jeff Ament would tell Mark Yarm “Dave
was a different egg for sure. There were a lot of things personality-wise where i didn’t
see eye to eye with him. He was more comfortable being a rockstar than the rest of us. Partying,
girls, cars I don’t know if anyone is in the same space. Also with Dave musically when
you’d say “I want this to sound more like the buzzcocks I didn’t think he related
to that at all. He was a technical guy and we all played by feeling or seeing other bands.”
Dave would fire back claiming he was the only member of the band who had the same girlfriend
for eight years and that he was driving a used car during his time in the group and
that the band was hypocritical for showing up on the cover of magazines and then complaining
in the same interview how they don’t want to be rockstars. He would also rebuke the
claim there was any discussion of what band should try to imitate the sound like. Guitairst
Stone Gossard would attempt to play the middle man
claiming Abbruzzese ability to communicate with Ed and Jeff were stifled and that it
wasnt necessarily the drummers fault. So how did the band break the news to Abbruzzese.
Well on Aug 1, 1994 the band announced the drummer left the group on amicable terms,
but Dave would later come out and claim he was fired telling a story of how he met guitarist
Stone G ossard for breakfast and was told point blank that the band was looking for
another drummer. He would soon receive calls from the other members of the band except
Vedder. And he wouldn’t see Vedder until a few years later after he and a friend attended
at a chris cornell show in seattle and the pair were waiting outside on the curb with
Abbruzzesse remembering “Eddie came up to us he said Dave Abbruzzese and kinda put his
arms out in greeting because he couldn’t hide from me. And I stood up and realized
just how much shorter he was than i remembered He started rambling and tried to join in our
conversation and he ended up toddling off. There was a little art of me that would’ve
loved to clobbered him and another part of me that felt like i already have just by the
fact that i could still sleep at night and i was proud of everything we accomplished.”
he'd remember Following his dismissal from Pearl Jam, Dave
would pursue other musical projects including even auditioning for Guns N’ Roses in 1997
following the departure of longtime drummer Matt Sorum.
Fast forward now to 2016 and his history with pearl Jam would be in the news again when
the rock n' roll hall of fame announced Pearl Jam would be part of the 2017 inductee class.
In the run up to the ceremony there was a lot of controversy over who would be inducted
and who wouldn't be and Dave would not be inducted despite the fact that drummer Dave
Krusen would be as well as longtime drummer Matt Cameron. Abbruzzese took it as a snub
and was vocal in the press stating "The members of Pearl Jam have got to know what's the right
thing to do. They can't justify ignoring my contributions. Like me or not. If there is
still a part of that band that remembers how hard we worked, how much blood and how much
sweat ... They will do the right thing. It’s just a fine opportunity to see what Pearl
Jam has to say in response. Let’s see if they do the right thing. It’ll be interesting
to see the spin that is put on it. That band and its management have never been ones to
shy away when an injustice is done. Let’s see if they still have the courage to fight
the good fight!" he'd say And Pearl Jam made an attempt to include everyone
in the ceremony, but Dave didn’t see it that way releasing a statement a week after
the ceremony in April of 2017 which he didn't attend lashing out at the band saying
“The band tweeted that they welcomed the idea of the event granting the possibility
of all the drummers to be in the same room. That isn’t an invite" he'd say.
And Abbruzzese also claimed that he had a greater impact on the band than some of his
peers stating: “For the band to put me in the same light as Matt Chamberlain & Dave
Krusen was a slap in the face. Nothing to do with those guys as people or players. Respect…
but as a contributor? A band member? A definitive contributor to the energy and power of where
the band went? …the sacrifices, the work, the physical and emotional contributions…not
to mention the personal weight of carrying on through and after unceremonious and disrespectful
way I was fired. I gave this band all I had to give every single moment I was in it. I
never played for a paycheck. I never let the band down. I never let the music down. I never
let the fans down… not once” he'd say And following the whole fiasco guitarist Mike
McCready who was quite close with Abbruzzese would come out and say, that the drummer should’ve
been inducted. He would then go on to explain how the former drummer was an essential band
member, helping the band navigate the massive success they experienced from playing Lollapalooza
and opening for the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Soundgarden.
And Dave would state his biggest regret was not getting fired, but the fact that the band
didn’t put out more music during his time in the band. Regarding that tattoo he got
on his should he would tell author mark yarm he has no regrets. So let me know what your
guys thoughts are on Dave Abbruzzese and where does he stack up in Pearl Jam's long list
of drummers for you. Let me know in the comments section below guys and don't forget to hit
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