Pearl Jam vocalist auctioning tour items

Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder is auctioning off second row seats, post-concert meet-and-greets and autographed posters on his upcoming solo tour, according to RollingStone.com. The proceeds are going to the defense fund of the West Memphis Three, a trio of young Arkansas men who have been jailed for more than a decade for murders they insist they did not commit. Information on how to place bids or donate straight to the fund itself can be found at wm3.org. Vedder begins his first-ever solo jaunt on April 2nd in Vancouver, Canada in support of the soundtrack CD for the film Into the Wild, for which he wrote and recorded nine new songs.

The West Memphis Three were accused and convicted -- wrongfully, many believe -- in the 1993 murders of three small boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. The police in the case have been accused of mishandling the investigation, as well as coercing a confession from one of the three men.

Vedder has also contributed a song called "No More" to the soundtrack of the documentary Body of War. The album comes out on March 18th and also includes songs from Serj Tankian, Tom Morello, Roger Waters, Neil Young and others. The film chronicles the struggle of Iraq War veteran Tomas Young, who was paralyzed during his first week of duty in Baghdad.

Young told RollingStone.com about Vedder's involvement in the project, "Eddie asked if there was anything he could do for me. It dawned on me that there was the possibility of making an album with songs that inspired me to keep going through the antiwar movement."

Proceeds from the soundtrack will go to Iraq Veterans Against the War. The film premieres this week at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.

Pearl Jam will reportedly begin working on its next studio album this month and is scheduled to co-headline Tennessee's Bonnaroo festival in mid-June.
Submit the above story to:

Del.icio.us   Digg   reddit   StumbleUpon   Facebook