Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament Helps Build Skateparks in ‘Pass the Bucket’ Video
Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament talks about helping small towns get their very own skateparks in the new mini-doc ‘Pass the Bucket.’
Years before he was the bassist for Pearl Jam, Jeff Ament was a kid looking for a creative outlet in Montana. When you reside in such a sparsely populated area, that isn’t always the easiest thing to do. In ‘Pass the Bucket,’ Ament talks about how connecting to the outside world through his love of music and skateboarding helped shape who he is today. Perhaps that’s why the rocker is using Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy Foundation to help facilitate skateboarding for those who may not have had the chance to otherwise.
Jeff has been helping build world class skateparks in rural areas for years, a process we get to see first hand in the video below. The Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota has some of the highest teen suicide and poverty rates in the West, so Ament took it upon himself to provide them with an outlet that could possibly break that cycle for the youth.
In addition to his charitable contributions, Ament has been working with Pearl Jam on their 10th studio album. Although they are currently on a break from the project, they will embark on a European tour and play some U.S. festivals this summer and plan to continue recording the new album in the fall.