Pearl Jam: Why The Band Fired Drummer Dave Abbruzzese

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Today we explore why ex-Pearl Jam drummer Dave Abbruzzese got fired.

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Why Pearl Jam Fired Dave Abruzzesse
Pearl Jam was a band who seemed to have trouble holding onto a drummer during the 90’s. During the decade the band had 5 different drummers including Dave kruzzen, Matt Chamberlin Dave Abruzzesse,,Jack Irons and their current drummer Matt Cameron. Today we’re going to talk about fan favourite Dave Abruzzese (AhBrewZeeSee).
In 1991 Pearl Jam would release their monumental debut record Ten that saw drummer Dave Krusen behind the kit. Krusen left Pearl Jam in May 1991 just as the band was going to england to mix Ten and he checked himself into rehab.. According to Krusen, he was suffering from personal problems at the time including alcohol addiction and dealing with his first child on the way. It would take two more tries, but by 1994 he was sober.
Matt Chamberlin was brought in to play a string of dates for the band who were out on the road promoting ten and was offered the drumming spot but declined since he wanted to slow down his life a bit and he would tell author Mark Yarm in the book Everybody loves our town that he felt no emotional connection to the band since he was a replacement player. Chamberlain also had his eyes set on joining GE Smith’s house band on the show saturday night live,. Chamberlain was friends with a drummer named Dave Abruzzesse who he knew back in Texas. He would recommend the drummer to Pearl Jam During this time Abbruzzese was working in a plant shop and he would tell author mark yarm: “I was working at a head shop. My expertise was in the grow dept. So if people would come in saying they wanted to grow lettuce hydroponically in their closet wink wink i would help them get setup.’ The drummer was also playing in a funk band at the time in Dallas called Dr. Tongue, while also hosting his own radio show on community radio called Music We Like Show. It was that show where he first heard of an up and coming band named Pearl Jam, but his initial reaction to the band may surprise you..
Abruzzese initially had a negative response to Pearl Jam’s sampler CD he played on the show and claimed he only made it through 25 seconds of the first couple songs.
Krisha Aurgerot who was Pearl Jam’s manager Kelly Kurtis assistant would tell Mark Yarm: I was shocked to see Dave Abbruzzese in the lobby of Curtis management when they were trying out drummers. Because he was such a rocker. Super long hair wearing a track suit. He’s from texas so it’s a totally different vibe. I could see him in alice in chains, not in pearl jam.
Abruzzesse would end up arriving in seattle just as the band was filming the video for their single Alive. Abruzzesse wouldn’t perform in the video as Matt Chamberlain was still in the band.
But Soon enough Abruzzese would start performing with the band just before the release of Ten and following his second show with the band as act of solidarity he would get a tattoo of the Pearl Jam stick figure logo tattooed on his left shoulder. Abruzzese would tour extensively with the band over the next 3 years performing on their MTV unplugged set, Saturday Night Live, the band’s follow up record Versus, and on their 1994 follow up Vitalogy. It was during the making of vitalogy where tensions seem to flare up in the band leading to his dismissal
According to guitarist Stone Gossard Vitalogy was the first pearl jam record where Eddie Vedder was the one making all the final decisions on the album and according to producer/engineer adam kasper he claimed Vedder wasn’t happy musically with Abbruzese with Kasper claiming “Dave was an extremely busy player and eddie like a more raw sound We even started out with drum machines and that’s sort of a slap in the face to the drummer. “
It’s also been claimed that there were personality conflicts between the members and abruzzese more specifically frontman eddie vedder and bassist Jeff Ament, There was one story in particular which apparently rubbed Eddie Vedder the wrong waye. It was claimed by producer Brendan O Brien at one of the recording sessions abbruzzese accidentally knocked over Vedder’s guitar that was a gift from The Who’s Pete Townsend, The guitar broke and Abruzzese apparently left a little note for Eddie and left the studio to go do a drum clinic or some sort of self promotional gig.