Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament has announced a new photography book titled Since Forever, featuring more than 250 images from the band’s formative years.
The 9” x 12” hardcover book will bring together Ament’s black-and-white photographs of the people, places and moments that surrounded Pearl Jam’s rise during the 1990s.
Created with his brother, designer Barry Ament, the visual memoir will see the photographs accompanied by the musician’s personal reflections and observations. Most of the images were taken between 1990 and 1998, with Ament saying that 90 per cent of them have never previously been made public.
“If there was a goal, it was mostly to save the failing 30-year-old negatives,” he explained. “It was Barry’s idea to make a book.”
“Historically, my family will often get together by creating some kind of project or job. And in some ways, putting together this book was a job for Barry and me – a reason to hang out.”
The book includes photographs taken backstage, in recording studios and during the journeys between shows, offering Ament’s perspective as both a participant in and observer of the band’s breakthrough.
Ament was a prominent figure in Seattle’s legendary alternative music scene before co-founding Pearl Jam, having previously played alongside guitarist Stone Gossard in Green River and Mother Love Bone.
Following the death of Mother Love Bone frontman Andrew Wood in 1990, Ament and Gossard began working with Mike McCready before recruiting Eddie Vedder and forming the band that would become Pearl Jam.
Their debut album ‘Ten’ arrived in 1991 and became one of the defining records of the grunge era, followed by ‘Vs.’, ‘Vitalogy’, ‘No Code’ and ‘Yield’.
Since Forever is available to pre-order through Pearl Jam’s official website here and will arrive at selected independent bookshops on September 25. Further book events featuring Jeff and Barry will be announced in the coming weeks.
Alongside his music, Ament has long worked as a visual artist and designer, earning two Grammy Awards for Best Recording Package.
Earlier this month, he was among the artists who donated to a fundraiser for late L7 bassist Jennifer Finch, contributing $5,000 (£3,700) towards her treatment for brain cancer.
Elsewhere, Vedder recently shared the new song ‘Better Believe’, written and recorded with students from the Chicago music and mentoring organisation Guitars Over Guns.
