Pearl Jam's Gossard Says Other Band Is No Side Project

His other band, Brad, celebrates 20 years together this year

Published 5th Apr 2012

In a new interview with Billboard.com Gossard revealed that he doesn't view his band Brad as a side-project. This year they release their fifth album and celebrate 20 years together.

"It's a little weird trying to be in two bands," Gossard tells Billboard.com. "It's more common these days, for sure, but it's always been a little bit of a struggle with me being in Pearl Jam and those other guys being in Satchel and Shawn (Smith) being in Pigeonhed, too. (Brad) has always felt like a little bit of a no man's land where we're making records together but then maybe it's not quite as serious of a band, and Pearl Jam casts such a big shadow."

The band release their new album, United We Stand, on 24 April in the US and on their new album they took themselves a bit more seriously.

"We kinda figured we're stuck with each other and we're gonna make a record once in awhile and we might as well make more of them because we really like it," the guitarist explains. "So we went in giving ourselves more time to make it. I think we went in with less expectations of what it was supposed to be, and I think that helped us to just appreciate each other more and be more present in the studio, and I think it paid off. I think it ended up that we made one of our better records just by having recommitted ourselves to our little group... And we're confident that at some point the band will sort of be acknowledged and appreciated by others more, too."

(Billboard)