Mike McCready, Barrett Martin + Duff McKagan Recording New Music
For a certain segment of Generation X, Mad Season served as an introduction to the concept of the supergroup. Originally featuring Alice in Chains vocalist Layne Staley, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, the Walkabouts bassist John Baker Saunders and Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin (along with guest vocals by Screaming Trees' Mark Lanegan), Mad Season were a veritable grunge all-star team when they released their only album, Above, in 1995.
Although both Baker and Staley tragically overdosed in 1999 and 2002, respectively, the spirit of the band lives on through McCready and Martin – who have also recently performed reunion gigs with former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan. Martin posted a photo on Facebook (above) featuring himself, McCready and former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan with the caption "THE trio" and the hashtag "#MadSeason."
It turns out, however, that some hashtags shouldn't be taken literally – the trio are working on material for McKagan's upcoming album, according to his manager.
In 2013, Martin and McCready also worked with McKagan, R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and Lanegan to finish material originally written in the '90s for Mad Season (three songs called “Locomotive”, “Black Book of Fear” and “Slip Away”) and they were included on a commemorative box set released in 2013. Looks like we'll be waiting at least a little longer on that long-awaited follow-up to Above.
Check out one of the previously unreleased songs featuring Lanegan from the box set below.
Mad Season – 'Black Book of Fear'