Earlier this week, Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron shocked fans by announcing his departure from the band following 27 years of dedicated service. “I am forever grateful to the crew, staff and fans the world over,” he wrote in a public statement. “It’s been an incredible journey. More to follow.”
It didn’t take long for Pearl Jam fans to start speculating about how the band will fill his seat. (This is hardly a new position for them considering that Cameron is their fifth drummer.) When Cameron came down with Covid in 2022 and had to miss a couple of shows, Pearl Jam turned to original drummer Dave Krusen, multi-instrumentalist Josh Klinghoffer, and longtime band buddy Richard Stuverud to play in his absence.
All three names have been thrown about by fans speculating wildly about who the band might select. Fans have also contemplated the possibility that former Pearl Jam drummers Jack Irons or Matt Chamberlain might return to the fold. Josh Freese and Zak Starkey, who recently lost some very big jobs, have also entered the conversation. (For what it’s worth, Jay Weinberg and Nic Collins would also be excellent picks.)
And then there’s Dave Abbruzzese. He played with Pearl Jam at the absolute height of their fame between 1991 and 1994, and can be heard on Vs. and Vitalogy. For an outspoken segment of Pearl Jam fans who came of age during this time and cling to it tightly, he’s the band’s definitive drummer.
But Abbruzzese didn’t leave the group in a very amicable fashion (“the other members decided to fire me in order to pursue a philosophy which they perceive as incompatible with mine,” he said in 1994), and he voiced his extreme displeasure when he wasn’t inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame back in 2017 (“I am personally at a loss for words for how Stone, Mike, Jeff, Matt, Edward and [manager] Kelly Curtis are accepting of such an injustice”). He’s had no real contact with the group in 30 years.
In the aftermath of Cameron’s defection, countless fans have reached out to Abbruzzese on social media to see if there was any chance he might return. In a long and heartfelt post on Facebook, Abbruzzese told fans that he’s given the situation some thought, but presumes it’s basically a non-starter.
“The fact that I haven’t had any personal contact with any of them leads me to believe the water under the bridge runs too deep and too icy for there to be any reconnection or reconciliation,” he writes. “This is a shame and saddens me, greatly. I know I could and would have much to contribute if indeed the call came, but sadly, I don’t see that happening.”
That said, he continues to wish for some sort of reconciliation with his former bandmates. “My drumming and passion for giving it my all is still as powerful as ever,” he writes. “I wish Pearl Jam and its organization continued success and I do hope that there will come a day that we can again connect on some level. All that being said, I do ask that you please stop sending me messages asking & telling me to contact their management. I appreciate and understand your desire to see what could come out of that reunion musically. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious.”
He ends the message by asking news outlets to run his note in full, so we’ll do just that below:
Due to the announcement of the mighty Matt Cameron choosing to step down from the throne he has had for the past 27 years, there has been much talk of my drumming, and the what if and would may never be, of late…
I thought I would take the opportunity to share some recent and past works with all of you that have bombarded my Facebook & Instagram pages with literally 1000’s of posts, messages and emails, hoping I would call Pearl Jam and attempt to reconcile with them. To be clear, I have nothing to reconcile with them about.
My firing from the band and the subsequent trials and tribulations caused by the actions of the band’s management and the band’s old label that made things challenging for me weren’t completely my doing. With the exceptions of some petty comments and actions that I never quite understood or expected, I have never placed blame and harbored resentments towards the members of the band.
I have been blessed to have participated in some remarkable musical projects with remarkable people over the last 30 post Pearl Jam years. Although I never truly understood what was so important to destroy the musical chemistry we had back then, it is what it is, and I can’t do anything about it. At least nothing that I can figure out. The years since 1995 have served me well towards growing as a person and a player.
It seems the guys in the band matured and grew up as much as I did, but the fact that I haven’t had any personal contact with any of them leads me to believe the water under the bridge runs too deep and too icy for there to be any reconnection or reconciliation.
This is a shame and saddens me, greatly.
I know I could and would have much to contribute if indeed the call came, but sadly, I don’t see that happening.
I have been involved in so many wonder-filled projects. The production of The Green Romance Orchestra albums with my dear family of Gary J. Muller , Paul Slavens , Doug Neil , Darrell Phillips, Jimmy Shoaf and the extraordinary mastering engineer and one of my best friends Joe Gastwirt , all near and dear to my heart. Working with Roger Hodgson of Supertramp fame, and getting to form and maintain loving relationships with Rogers lovely family, Heidi Hodgson and Andrew Hodgson. G & R. Working with Eddie Kramer , Noel Redding, William Cox, Doug Pinnick , Corey Cornell James Glover and Eric Schenkman … Some co-production, drumming and mixing for albums by Stevie Salas that introduced me to my brothers Bernard Fowler , Tm Stevens, Jara Harris Melvin Jr. Brannon, Kevin W Smith, Vincent Ruby p. Huxley Jamie Seyberth, Matt Sorum .. and the joys of touring performing live music with the IMFs. Working with the incomparable Waddy Wachtel Carmine Rojas , Reeves Gabriel, Rick The Bass Player, & Robi Banerji . Mr. Peter Cornell , who I had the fortune of working on some touch up mixes for Peter, Joseph Shaughnessy and Will Evankovich when they were a band named Grace. My heroes, Mike Dillon , JJ Jungle , Zac Baird, John IV Speice gathering at my studio in Seattle’s Magnolia district for the HABMX “Out Demons” album. Jeff Fielder, Zach Harjo Perry Morgan , John Bush and the Speakeasy Junction jams. Peter Cornell’s “Champion” album. Pseutopia music with Shyam Narayan , Laji George & Mithun Raju . The Shy Blossom album. Countless one off tracks. Carlos Garcia-Menocal. The works with John X Volaitis , Scott Reeder and Royston Langdon. Not to mention the great times shared with working on quarantine jams with an incredibly talented line up of Marcus Nand , Carmine Rojas, Bernard Fowler, Cici Von Strangelove , Eric Schenkman , Benny Goodman, Jeff Fielder, James Mauri, Shani Kimelman , Aubrey Seaton , Lynn Seaton , Rob van den Biggelaar Taryn Taryn , Joanna Connor , Jeff Nolan , Jeff Weiss, Charlie Berezansky , Daniel James, Jim Regan , Brian Dahlen … Stacy Hogan & Sin SHAKE Sin.
Contributing drum tracks for the album by the exceptional Joanna Connor.
The Lost Symphony with Jimi Bell , Brian Goodman , Benny Goodman , Siobhán Cronin | Violinist Joey Concepcion, and a cast of exceptionally talented players. The time shared writing and planning with my friend Shawn Smith before his untimely passing.
And so many more…
Plus add to that the personal aspects of my life, blessed with a beautiful and talented daughter… overcoming substance abuse, embracing insanity and coming out on the other side, working in the field of recovery, legal issues, a failed marriage…
Needless to say, music is still very important and a continued passion without any doubt.
My drumming and passion for giving it my all is still as powerful as ever.
I wish Pearl Jam and its organization continued success and I do hope that there will come a day that we can again connect on some level. All that being said, I do ask that you please stop sending me messages asking & telling me to contact their management.
I appreciate and understand your desire to see what could come out of that reunion musically. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious, also.
With much love and appreciation,
Dave