Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament once stated that "essentially Ten was just an excuse to tour." The band clearly just wanted some material to play on the road, as their first tour kicked off just after they'd completed mixing sessions for their debut album; the record wasn't even released yet. The tour -- PJ's only with drummer Matt Chamberlain -- was a short one focusing on the East Coast and Midwest. It wrapped up in Chicago at the famed Cabaret Metro with a concert that is still legendary...

Ten yielded (no pun intended, Pearl Jam fans) three enduring hit singles: "Alive," "Even Flow," and "Jeremy." But here on Consequence Podcast Network and Sony’s The Opus, we focus on the legacy of the entire album -- and the real meat of Ten is on the non-single tracks. The band has opened shows with the record's final track, "Release," ever since the original Ten tour. "Oceans" features some of the most unusual percussion arrangements on any hard rock track of the era. And the label wanted...

While Season 16 of the Consequence Podcast Network and Sony’s The Opus focuses on the unparalleled musical legacy Ten, it's important to note of Pearl Jam has been defined as much by their visuals as their sound. On Episode 2, we explore how bassist Jeff Ament not only contributed to the band's sonics, but their imagery as well. Subscribe now so you can listen to all episodes of Season 16 of The Opus. Also, pick yourself up one of our official Opus hoodies or T-shirts at the Consequence...

The series of events that had to happen to have Ten even exist is wild. Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard were in Green River, but they broke up. Then, they were in a pysch-garage band called Mother Love Bone, whose singer, Andrew Wood, died right before their first album was released. The two of them, and a couple of members of Soundgarden put out a tribute album for Andrew, and this singer they’d heard about from Jack Irons, - the drummer from the Red Hot Chili Peppers - guested on one of the...

Season 15 of Consequence Podcast Network and Sony’s The Opus comes to its conclusion on a high point as we explore how Cypress Hill put weed rap on the map. Within a few months of its release, the impact of Cypress Hill and the subject matter of some of the raps therein was apparent. Other rappers started writing songs that expanded more on the glory of marijuana. While we think of Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre as pioneers in the art of weed rap, it’s often forgotten that Dre once bragged on record...

On the previous episode of Consequence Podcast Network and Sony's The Opus Season 15, we explored the chemistry between the voices of Cypress Hill’s B-Real and Sen Dog. In Episode 3, we look at the unique alchemy of their beats. The place where rock and metal meet has always been a part of Cypress Hill's sonic and cultural identity. Sen Dog's first concert was thrash-metal band Slayer; that band's drummer, Dave Lombardo (who, like Sen, is Cuban-American), was his high-school friend. At the...

Consequence Podcast Network and Sony’s The Opus Season 15 continues as we explore the unparalleled chemistry between Cypress Hill’s B-Real and Sen Dog. B-Real’s high-pitched, nasal rap style played off the boom of Sen Dog’s authoritative baritone for a sound unlike anyone else. In Episode 2 of The Opus: Cypress Hill, the two rappers discuss finding their voices, while the legendary Chuck D (Public Enemy, Prophets of Rage) heaps praise on the group’s unique sound.

Season 15 of The Opus, presented by the Consequence Podcast Network and Sony, travels back to the Southern California in which Cypress Hill’s sound exploded onto the scene. The sonic sense of urgency in the hip-hop group's self-titled debut album was a time-and-place thing -- a product of late '80s/early '90s Los Angeles that was swept up in the tension just before the Rodney King verdict and the uprising that followed. Cypress Hill's lyrics and beats were tailor made for the subwoofers in...

The production on Just As I Am is just as tight as you’d expect an album made with Booker T Jones to be. Bill Withers may have been a rookie singer/songwriter, but the plates on this album were definitely not. In this episode, we speak to folks who help Withers discover and perfect his signature sound. We also discuss the album’s sonic legacy with people whose sound has been influenced by the music Withers, Jones, and company made 50 years ago.

Amir “Questlove” Thompson, in Rolling Stone in 2015, called Bill Withers the “last African-American Everyman … the closest thing black people have to a Bruce Springsteen.” Withers’ Just As I Am was once referred to as “middlebrow soul.” That is to say, it was easily accessible at a time when music was becoming increasingly complex. In this episode, we find out what it means to be a populist musician when popular music was quickly turning its eye to more complicated compositions.

In September of 1972, after having been nominated for three Grammys and winning one, Bill Withers spoke with The New York Times, and declared that the whole music thing was simply a phase for him. In 1985, Bill Withers, walked away from the music industry, deciding to not record or re-sign to a record label. He wanted to return to his “regular guy” life, and be a husband and father. When Bill Withers began making “Just As I Am,” he was employed as a factory worker at Weber Aircraft in...

Season 14 of The Opus focuses on Bill Withers' landmark debut album, Just as I Am. In episode one, host Jill Hopkins and special guests Jon Batiste, José James, Aloe Blacc, and Phil Cook discuss how a blue-collar everyman became a soul music legend.

So much of hip-hop is built on the notion of creating something from something. Call it covering, call it borrowing, call it sampling, but don't call it unoriginal. For decades, samples have helped musicians turn some of greatest hits into even greater hits. Fugees are no exception to this. They built upon this legacy, The samples and covers included on 1996's The Score range everywhere from The Delphonics to Enya -- and yet they’re seamlessly woven together to create a distinct, singular...

The Fugees were culturally unique in myriad ways. They were a trio comprised of one American-born Black woman and yet also two Haitian immigrants, who both took pride in their heritage. Naturally, this pride was weaved into the fabric of 1996's The Score, and the album's success meant that they were able to champion Haitian music in both America and abroad. In this episode, host Jill Hopkins speaks to the trio's family, friends, and fans about Haiti’s effect on the Fugees and the Fugees...

Instead of returning to the studio with outside producers, the Fugees took their $150k advance from Ruffhouse Records and ventured off to … the basement. Specifically, the Booga Basement in East Orange, NJ, where Wyclef Jean’s uncle and his cousin Jerry “Wonda” Duplessis lived. Booga, along with The Dungeon in Atlanta (where OutKast cut their debut), were two of the most successful underground studios in the game circa the mid-90s. These locales came with a productive, family vibe and...

In the Season 13 premiere, we’ll find out what it took for a group in its own artistic and personal transition to find their place at the top of the charts and on the Grammy stage as the biggest hip-hop act of 1996. Hip-hop had considerably changed from when the Fugees started recording their first album in 1992 to just three years later when they began working on their second effort. The “Golden Age'' was coming to a close, and the genre was at a crossroads. So were the Fugees, though....

The movement was called “Women’s Liberation”, and it pushed the needle of social change more rapidly than mainstream America was ready for in the late '60s and early '70s. The shift was palpable: The need for empowering feminist heroines prompted many Americans to look towards artists, athletes, and entertainers when politics came up short. Janis Joplin was one such name. With a life lived aggressively free of the trappings of stereotypical feminine expectations, the late musician was as...

In many ways, Pearl was a wake for Janis Joplin, a celebration of the singer-songwriter, whose poetry and energy connected with fans, critics, and the general public alike. In hindsight, though, it also felt like the end of an era -- a fiery footnote to the '60s. But what led to that moment? In this episode, host Jill Hopkins will look at the time between Joplin’s untimely death and the post-release reception. She'll also pivot to other posthumous albums to see if there are any parallels to...

Janis Joplin left it all on stage. Janis Joplin brought it all to the studio. Janis Joplin put it all on tape. With that exposed vulnerability, however, comes the illusion that the general public actually knew her. That's simply not the case. In this episode, host Jill Hopkins speaks to the late icon's two siblings Laura and Michael Joplin, who shine a light on the Janis Joplin the public didn’t know. What was it like to grow up with her? Look up to her? Lose her? And then honor...

In the Season 12 premiere, we hop a train heading back to the Summer of 1970, when Joplin and the Full Tilt Boogie Band led the historic Festival Express across Canada. It's a strange and wonderful journey that ends with Joplin's magnum opus. Join host Jill Hopkins as she walks from one carriage to another, learning about the making of the band that would help propel a voice that continues to inspire long after death. Along for the ride are Joplin's biographer Holly George-Warren (Janis: Her...

Give the drummer some! Over the years, countless session players have shaped the spirit and sound of Santana -- but especially the beats. Many stuck around, but others went on to carve out their own careers, the likes of which are among the most varied and vast in the industry. For the fourth and final episode of Abraxas, The Opus takes a rhythmic tour between mainstays Michael Shrieve and Cindy Blackman Santana, celebrating the percussionists that have graced the kit for Santana over the...

As we've already learned this season, the members of Santana all came in with their own eclectic perspectives. From the traditional to the avant garde, they dropped a witch’s cauldron of diverse sonic experimentation. For the third episode, The Opus wants to talk about the power of influence. Not only on the members of Santana, but how they've since left their own distinct thumbprint on artists for generations to come. Groups like Oxomatli and Mana are obvious heirs, but who are the groups...

For the second episode of Season 11, The Opus is curious to know the stories behind the liner notes to Abraxas. Sure, Carlos Santana was the face and name of the band, but he wasn’t the voice and he didn’t make up the totality of their signature sound. Of course, a good bandleader knows it’s not always about them, and Santana was no exception to that rule. His crew of players were all virtuosos in reach of their respective areas, and together they created a signature rock 'n' roll...

In the Season 11 premiere, we're dialing back the clock to the late '60s, a time when Santana and his band were on the cusp of a cultural sea change. They had just conquered the iconic Woodstock Music Festival, and all ears were raised for what came next. But, when you finally have the means to make the album you’ve always wanted ... is it smooth sailing? As an outsider making outsider art, did Santana feel a responsibility to represent his cultural roots? And what about meeting your...

Consequence Podcast Network and Sony’s The Opus is back for Season 11 with a new host and a new classic album to explore. Beginning November 19th, host Jill Hopkins (The Moth Chicago, Making Beyoncé podcast) will conjure the enduring legacy of Santana’s landmark Abraxas.  Following the release of their self-titled debut and their subsequent performance at Woodstock, a world of possibility was opened to Santana for their sophomore record. Band leader Carlos Santana suddenly had the means to...