Pearl Jam have chosen a new drummer to replace longtime stickman Matt Cameron, but fans won’t find out who’s behind the kit until the band plays frontman Eddie Vedder’s Ohana Festival in September.
Guitarist Stone Gossard offered the update during an interview on the SiriusXM’s “Pearl Jam Radio” channel, saying (as transcribed by Spin), “I love the mystery of it all. It’s so exciting. There’s not enough mystery in the world. I think the band is very excited that we’re actually getting to play. It’s been a while and the fact that we get to do it at Ohana makes it even doubly exciting.”
He added, “And the fact that nobody knows who’s going to play drums with us even makes it triply exciting. So, it’s our mystery wrapped in an enigma and we’re relishing in it right now.”
Original Pearl Jam drummer Dave Krusen, who played on the band’s mega-selling debut album Ten, has already ruled himself out. When asked on Instagram if he would be rejoining the band, Krusen responded, “No, they have a new drummer already.”
Meanwhile, Gossard also sang the praises of Cameron, who decided to leave Pearl Jam last July after 27 years in the band.
“Matt Cameron has always come at things with an openness to all the people in the room and with grace and love for this process,” said Gossard. “His playing speaks for itself. Matt’s always going to be our brother. He was ready for a shift and ready for a change. God bless him, and we love Matt always.”
The guitarist went on to say, “But I think it’s also going to be good for us to in a sense of letting that unknown enter into the equation again, giving us a chance to to regroup and try to still be good. That’s a cool challenge. Where do you go after Matt Cameron? It’s a big question, and he always served the music [in an] outstanding [way]. He always played with power and with energy, and it’ll be a tough task to figure that out. But I’m confident that we’re going to be able to do it.”
