Crib Notes

Brendan O’Brien’s production skills have attracted some of music’s biggest names, including Bruce Springsteen, to record with him at Atlanta’s Southern Tracks Recording studios.

Apparently, the thugs have taken note, too.

On the afternoon of April 27, Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament fell victim to an attack outside Southern Tracks when the knife-brandishing suspects robbed him of $3,000 in cash, his passport, and $4,320 worth of goods, according to a Dekalb County police report.

According to the AJC:

The bassist attempted to run away but was knocked to the ground, sustaining a cut on the head that did not require hospitalization. The robbers drove off in a black Nissan Maxima.

A surveillance camera captured the assault but no arrests have been made.

Pearl Jam plans to self-release the O’Brien-helmed album — which will be the Seattle band’s ninth — according to Rolling Stone:

“The new record feels good so far — really strong and uptempo, stuff we can sink our teeth into,” Eddie Vedder told us. It’s the band’s first album with O’Brien behind the boards since 1998’s Yield.

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To celebrate the release of their fourth coming, Brendan O’Brien produced full-length album, Crack the Skye, Atlanta metal behemoth Mastodon has announced that the group will play a free, live in-store performance at Criminal Records on Tues., March 24 at 8:30 p.m. — the date the album is officially released in the U.S.

If you attended any of the shows at Criminal’s mini-metal fest the night before the Scion Rock Fest on Fri., Feb. 27, than you know that space will be limited and hair will be flying like helicopter blades.

Bring ear plugs and be sure to get there early or get stuck outside.

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Last week Rolling Stone’s “Rock and Roll Daily” blog posted an interview with Mastodon’s guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds. In the interview Hinds explains how the head injuries he incurred as the result of being attacked at the VMA’s in Las Vegas last year pushed Mastodon to pursue a more melodic direction with their forthcoming album.

According to the story:

“I was dizzy for eight months… During those months, I just sat with my acoustic and a little marijuana, and wrote all the music. I wanted a more melodic, easy-listening situation, and that definitely came from having head trauma.”

From there the group sought out producer Brendan O’Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, AC/DC) to help flesh out the reportedly melodic but heavy as hell sound of Mastodon’s next record.

Read the full story here.

Hinds’ recent run-in with King Khan at the Highland Inn Ballroom in Atlanta (and ensuing witch hunt) hasn’t churned out any musical epiphanies or led to any fortuitous pairings with producers just yet, but give it time…

(Photo by Jimmy Hubbard)

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