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Pearl Jam Bassist Robbed, Assaulted in Atlanta

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Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament was robbed and assaulted outside Southern Tracks Recording studio in Atlanta, GA, where the Seattle alt-rock band is recording their new album.

According to a DeKalb County Police report obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Ament and a band employee pulled up to the rear of the recording studio on April 27, when three assailants emerged from the woods wearing black masks and brandishing knives.

The attackers smashed the windows of his rental Jeep and demanded money. Ament attempted to flee but was knocked to the ground, sustaining a head laceration. He did not require hospitalization. The robbers took $3,000 in cash, Ament’s passport, and $4,320 worth of unspecified goods before driving off in a black Nissan Maxima.

Though the whole scuffle was captured on a surveillance camera, no arrests have been made.

The recording studio is the home base of producer Brendan O’Brien, a longtime Pearl Jam collaborator, who played keyboards on their 1995 tour with Neil Young and has produced many of their albums, including 1994’s Vitalogy and 1998’s Yield.

In addition to the new studio album, the band’s ninth expected this fall, O’Brien worked with PJ on the reissue of Ten, which dropped in March. In its support, the band recorded a series of podcasts. To listen to Ament talk about the band’s 1992 acoustic performance on MTV Unplugged and hear PJ’s acoustic performance of “Black,” click here.

Pearl Jam has a handful of live shows scheduled for this summer, including headlining slots at San Francisco’s Outside Lands in August and Austin City Limits in October. Visit Pearljam.com for the complete itinerary.