Speaking on Strummer and the posted performance, Vedder stated, “I just think that what Joe did with the Mescaleros and those records, those songs and those words, it was a very communal sound, I think when you have a communal sound, the listener feels like they can be part of that community. I can only imagine that he facilitated thousands and thousands of connections.”

Joe Strummer first rose to fame as the co-founder, singer and guitarist of The Clash, the group was formed in the late 70s and soon became a beacon within the era’s rising punk movement. Soon after their formation, The Clash created a key part of music and cultural history, the band’s third studio album London Calling was released in 1979. The album’s lead single “London Calling” soon became a staple of the genre and would go on to define an era and generation.

After Strummer disbanded the band in 1986 he embarked on the next chapter of his career, the talented artist then began his work in film soundtracks and began to release solo material. One of Strummer’s first forays into film music was in 1986 within the film Sid and Nancy, the film charted the chaotic relationship between Nancy Spungen and Sid Vicious from fellow UK punk outfit The Sex Pistols. During the ’90s, Strummer formed his own personal supergroup, The Mescaleros would go onto release three studio albums including “Long Shaddow’s” partner album Streetcore.

The album was released on 21st October 2003 via Hellcat, an independent record label based in California’s Los Angeles. The album was posthumously released after the tragic passing of Strummer in December 2002 and was received with great applause. At its time of release, Mojo magazine stated that “Streetcore is an amalgam of all that made Joe Strummer, the musician and the man, so great.”

JOE STRUMMER 002: THE MESCALEROS YEARS is available September 16th, 2022. Pre-order the 7LP and 4CD boxset NOW at https://t.co/b8vpOhAaev

Including the remastered Mescaleros albums plus demos, outtakes, rarities, previously unreleased songs & items from the Strummer archive. pic.twitter.com/qTrUFwzr3T

— JoeStrummer (@JoeStrummer) July 27, 2022

Last month it was announced that a new box set would be released, Joe Strummer: 002: The Mescaleros Years is set to drop on 16th September 2022. The collection will feature songs by Strummer and The Mescaleros, the box set will mark the first-ever release of an anthology take from group’s entire discography.

Strummer’s widow Lucinda Tait was the executive producer of the upcoming collection and has given the following statement, “There’s so much great music that Joe left us in his archive. To focus on Joe’s work with The Mescaleros was the natural second step on ‘002’ because those songs he made with them just seemed to resonate so strongly and reinvigorated his connection with his audience at a level he hadn’t experienced since his days with The Clash.”

Click here to pre-order Joe Strummer: 002: The Mescaleros Years.

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Vedder’s new single aims to capture the sense of solitude and grief with its lyrical content and use of melancholy melody. The Pearl Jam frontman’s instantly recognisable vocal talents carry the track’s meaning throughout and signals the singer’s triumphant return. The new single utilises heavy usage of traditional rock and grunge elements, mixed with ingredients found within ballads “Brother The Cloud” provides a new breed of anthem. Alongside the single’s release, an animated official lyric music video was also made available

“Brother The Cloud” is the third track to be released from Vedder’s upcoming album. The first single entitled “Long Way” was released in 2021 and received great reviews, Variety described the track as “the strident, guitar-driven “Long Way” finds Vedder narrating a tale of a man haunted by a lost love,” The singer’s new album’s second single “The Haves” was also released last year to great critical acclaim. Stereogum provided the following comment, “a searching heart ballad about personal connection, and it addresses the increasing divide between rich and poor.”

Vedder’s upcoming album marks the 57-year-old artist’s first full release since the 2011 album Ukulele Songs. Earthling sees Vedder team up with Grammy award-winning producer Andrew Watt. The American producer is known for his work with some of music’s most successful artists, Watts recently lent his talents to Sir Elton John’s most recent album The Lockdown Sessions. Within Sir John’s 2021 album the legendary pianist and Watts worked with a platter of talented artists including Stevie Wonder and Vedder.

Much like The Lockdown Sessions, Earthling also boasts a tracklist full of impressive collaborations. The album sees Sir John and Wonder team up again with Watts and Vedder, the former can be heard within the album track “Picture”. Vedder’s new album also includes archived recordings of the singer’s late father, in a recent interview with Mojo Vedder discussed the personal recordings and his upcoming release, “I carried that disc around for two, three months in my suitcase, not ready to hear it, Finally, I got the guts, and after a couple bottles of wine played it one night in Argentina. And he was good. It was incredible – like he left a message for me. I thought of [Earthling] like a setlist – by the end, that’s when you start bringing out special guests… We had Stevie and Elton, Ringo was an incredible addition… and then my pop gets to be on a record with those guys, which is not too shabby.”

Vedder’s forthcoming fourth solo studio album marks not just the return of Vedder but also the official formation of a new supergroup. The Earthling group consists of Red Hot Chili Pepper’s drummer Chad Smith, keyboardist and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, Jane Addiction bassist Chris Chaney, guitarist and vocalist Glen Hansard and Watt on guitar. The newly formed supergroup held their debut live appearance last September at Ohana Festival, the famed California festival founded by Vedder.

“Brother The Cloud” is available throughout all streaming platforms and Earthling is available to pre-order and pre-save digitally. Earthling is also available to pre-order within physical forms including CD, Vinyl and cassette.

Click here to pre-order Earthling.

Click here to download/stream “Brother The Cloud“.

IT’S AUCTION DAY for The Edge’s @musicrising #GuitarIcons auction! Kick off is 10am PST / 6pm GMT, Sat Dec 11. To watch the online auction and to find out how to bid, go to https://t.co/B9sRhzztuR. pic.twitter.com/YqGGJxxbYM

— U2 (@U2) December 11, 2021

The event saw numerous musicians offering their instruments to the auction. Notable examples include the sale of a bass used by Sir James Paul McCartney, dating back to his days in the classic seventies rock band Wings. The instrument, which is a Yamaha BB-1200 bass, sold for £374,905, becoming the highest-selling bass at an auction and beating the pre-existing record from 2020, when Bill Wyman (of The Rolling Stones) had his 1969 Fender Mustang bass sell for £290,190. It wasn’t the only record of the night, with Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder having his smashed Lake Placid Blue Fender Telecaster (smashed by his own hand at a concert) become the highest-selling smashed guitar at an auction, going for £201,168.

Other artists whose instruments were auctioned include U2 bandmates Bono and Adam Clayton, with The Edge’s own Custom Strat from “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For“ getting over £370,000. Oasis’ Noel Gallagher and Coldplay’s Chris Martin also had success with their instruments, getting around £39,000 and £61,000 respectively. Other artists’ instruments that featured include Elton John, Lou Reed, Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Marr and Radiohead. If you want to read more about who was involved, you can look here and here.

In speaking on the event, The Edge had this to say: “We want to thank everyone involved in this amazing auction including the artists who generously gave their personal instruments and the bidders from around the globe who helped us break world records. The proceeds Music Rising earned will help bring live music back to life in a part of the country whose musical culture has been hugely influential in the world. We are indebted to all of the supporters of Music Rising who have given us a great opportunity to return to our roots and help those musicians in need.“

Ezrin also said that “We are so thankful to all of the artists, supporters and bidders who helped make Guitar Icons an auction for the history books. New Orleans musicians are the custodians of a unique music heritage, passing it down through the generations and influencing so many genres of music we enjoy. The proceeds from this auction will help musicians from the region who suffered financially through this pandemic.”