Pearl Jam Offshoot Deaf Charlie Release Debut Album

07-01-2023

Album art

(The Syndicate) Deaf Charlie, a musical project featuring Montanans Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam and John Wicks of Fitz and the Tantrums, release their 12-track debut album, Catastrophic Metamorphic, today. The album is available digitally on all DSPs and in limited edition vinyl LP at pearljam.com and at indie retail.

"There's a real optimism in this batch of mostly dystopian themes, and that comes from John's upbeat production and playing," explains Ament. "He infused a lot of pop and reggae elements into the songs, pushing my arrangements and rhythms into new territory. Most of these tunes had real journeys between our two visions."

The second single "Ched Man" follows "Losing My Mind" which was released earlier this month. The song is inspired by Ament seeing this phrase graffitied at a skatepark on the Blackfeet Reservation built by his charitable foundation, Montana Pool Service. "It's an homage to our first peoples," said, Ament.

Deaf Charlie's first collaboration came about during the pandemic as Ament/Wicks on the Buzzcocks' "Sittin' Round At Home." Recorded in their home studios, the cover helped shape the project. They then released their debut single "Something Real" in 2020. Most recently, the duo collaborated along with Josh Klinghoffer composing the score for the FX series, Under The Banner Of Heaven.

"There's a real optimism in this batch of mostly dystopian themes, and that comes from John's upbeat production and playing," explains Ament. "He infused a lot of pop and reggae elements into the songs, pushing my arrangements and rhythms into new territory. Most of these tunes had real journeys between our two visions." Read the full biography here.

Pearl Jam is set to embark on a five-stop run featuring nine shows across the midwest beginning in St. Paul, MN on August 31.

Deaf Charlie will perform their first live set together at Ohana Festival in Dana Point, CA on Sunday, October 1.