PEARL JAM Members Prep For GREEN RIVER Reunion

The Pulse of Radio reports that PEARL JAM bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard are prepping for this weekend's reunion performance with GREEN RIVER, the Seattle-based band in which both musicians got their start. The group, which also features members of MUDHONEY and was one of the earliest influences on the legendary Seattle "grunge" scene, will perform for the first time in almost 21 years on Sunday (July 13) at the 20th anniversary celebration of Sub Pop Records.

Ament told Billboard.com that the band has re-learned two previously unreleased songs called "Leech" and "Baby, Help Me Forget" from its first demo for the occasion. Ament explained, "In a weird way, those are probably some of the best songs we have...At the time, we thought they were way too simple or not challenging enough. But in retrospect, they're really great pop songs. We re-learned those two, but there are five or six songs that never got released."

GREEN RIVER has rehearsed five times in anticipation of the show, and Ament hinted that the group could work together again in the future, saying, "It would be fun to write a couple of new songs with those guys."

Ament and Gossard will join the rest of PEARL JAM on Saturday (July 12) for the taping of the "VH1 Rock Honors" tribute to THE WHO. They'll be joined by FOO FIGHTERS, INCUBUS, THE FLAMING LIPS, TENACIOUS D and THE WHO themselves. PEARL JAM will perform "The Real Me".

In other news, New York's Daily News reported that PEARL JAM singer Eddie Vedder rewarded a fan who found Vedder's girlfriend's cell phone in the back seat of a New York City taxi. The phone, which contained private photos of Vedder, his girlfriend and their family, was discovered last week. After Vedder called the number, the fan immediately returned the phone. Vedder gave him a thank-you letter, an engraved Zippo lighter and a $500 cash reward.