Having
conquered crippling anxiety disorders that forced him off the
drum
throne of superstar rock bands like The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl
Jam, drummer Jack Irons is back with his first
solo album, Attention Dimension.
Jack, who recorded in various home studios over the course of five
years, says, "The
whole process of making this record allowed me to
begin to be healthy again."
A highlight of the extremely eclectic
album is a steel drum arrangement
of Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," featuring Les Claypool on
bass and
vocals by Eddie Vedder. Other former bandmates putting their
imprint on the album include Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard and
Jeff Ament,
Chili Peppers bassist Flea, and Eleven's Alain Johannes (who mixed the
album) and Natasha Shneider.
"Having my friends' support helped me feel
like I could pursue a career again," Irons says. "I was very isolated
for a long
time. To reconnect with all of these people was a huge
thrill."
Ultimately, Jack looks at Attention
Dimension
as a way of 'redefining and reintroducing himself. "With this record
completed, I feel like I can make
music like this all the time now," he
says. "There was a fine line between creating and working through
anxieties within
the creative process. But I feel the most balanced when I'm just playing and really into
it."
