Sunday’s Grammy Awards might have brought a little déjà vu for Pearl Jam. Exactly 30 years after missing out on the best rock album award to The Rolling Stones, the Seattle rock heroes lost a repeat clash of the titans for the same honor.
It wasn’t Pearl Jam’s night — or day, to be precise — as the local boys struck out in all three categories they were nominated in. Last year’s “Dark Matter” album and its title track were up for best rock song, rock performance and rock album.
We’re guessing the guys, who were apparently in the house though not shown on camera during the Grammys Premiere daytime ceremony where the vast majority of the awards are distributed, aren’t too heartbroken about the Stones taking this one too. Their producer pal Andrew Watt, who produced both “Dark Matter” and the Stones’ “Hackney Diamonds,” shared the win.
A hotshot young producer who’s crossed over from the pop world to earn a rep for helping rock’s elder statesmen recapture some heyday fire, Watt took the stage at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater to accept the rock album award on behalf of Mick and the boys.
“For a little boy who grew up playing guitar, it was one of the most amazing experiences to be around those musicians,” Watt said.
It was a statement that just as easily could have applied to Watt’s work with Pearl Jam. Watt grew up a PJ superfan and even had a backstage run-in with guitarist Mike McCready, who lightly cautioned him against chasing a career in the famously tough music biz.
On his way out, Watt made sure to shout out his Seattle friends from the stage.
“Um yeah, Pearl Jam’s also here,” Watt said emphatically, “and they [expletive] kick [expletive]!”
The award for best rock performance went to another fairly well-known ‘60s band — The Beatles — with a revived recording “Now and Then.” Acclaimed art rocker St. Vincent, one of the big winners from the daytime ceremony, grabbed the best rock song prize for “Broken Man,” featuring some drum work from former Seattleite Dave Grohl.
The Grammys main event, featuring a performance from Monroe’s Benson Boone (a best new artist nominee) and a tribute to Quincy Jones, airs from 5-8:30 tonight on CBS and streams on Paramount+.
Fortune might not have been on Pearl Jam’s side this year, but home state nominees wouldn’t go home empty-handed.
Washington-rooted vocal quartet säje earned their second career win for best arrangement, instruments and vocals, with their single “Alma,” featuring Regina Carter. Absent fourth member Amanda Taylor, the “fractured ensemble” of Tacoma’s Johnaye Kendrick, Erin Bentlage and Roosevelt High School alum Sara Gazarek accepted the award for the second straight year.
“OK, wow. Holy S-word,” a stunned Kendrick said, thanking the Recording Academy. “I had to write this down because I knew my brain was going to leave my body.”
“We share this with our mothers, our grandmothers, our children — my daughters, Adora and Nola, who sang on this — and Sara’s niece, Mavis, who also sang on this one,” Kendrick continued. “They elevated the song.”
With parts of the Los Angeles area ravaged by wildfires, the 67th Annual Grammy Awards looked to be a more sober affair, with much of the music industry incorporating fundraising initiatives into the usual week of events leading up to Music’s Biggest Night.
Those restoration efforts were also on the mind of the Seattle-reared and L.A.-based Gazarek as säje won their award.
“We also want to take a second to acknowledge all of the people who have worked so hard to fight for restoration in Los Angeles after so many of us have suffered in the Eaton fires and the Palisades fires,” she said, specifically calling out jazz bassist and composer John Clayton, who lost his Altadena home.
“We love all of you, we share this with all of you. Keep fighting, keep restoring Los Angeles.”
Säje was also up for best arrangement, instrumental or a cappella — an award that ultimately went to their former collaborator, Jacob Collier, Tori Kelly and John Legend for their rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Hand-picked by Quincy Jones, who inked Collier to a management deal, the singer/multi-instrumentalist’s “Djesse Vol. 4” is up for album of the year.
For a second, the Premiere Ceremony stage became a revolving door of Washingtonians. After säje left the stage, Mercer Island classical producer and engineer Dmitriy Lipay accompanied composer Gabriela Ortiz to the stage to accept the prize for best classical compendium for “Ortiz: Revolución Diamantina.”
It was the seventh career win for the decorated Lipay, who was nominated for four other awards this year — including classical producer of the year — though that was the only piece of hardware he’d take home Sunday.
In other, more hard-luck local ties, former Seattleite and revered jazz guitarist Bill Frisell came up empty in his two nominations (best contemporary instrumental album and best jazz instrumental album). Nominated for his work on the “Star Wars Outlaws” video game, Wilbert Roget II lost best score soundtrack for video games and other interactive media, while Seattle-based writer Lauren Du Graf missed out on the best album notes award for her work on Alice Coltrane’s “The Carnegie Concert.”
Elsewhere, the art designers behind a reissue of Nirvana’s “In Utero” lost in the category of best boxed or limited edition package.