Song: "Solitude"
Artist: Jerry Cantrell
Album: "Degradation Trip Volumes 1 + 2"
Year: 2002
Place Of Origin: Tacoma, Washington
Years Active: 1983 - present
WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:
"Solitude" is a song that appears to be about being isolated from the outside world. When Jerry Cantrell was writing songs for "Degradation Trip", he basically secluded himself in a house with his guitars and a 4-track recorder. All the demons he had inside came pouring out in the music and lyrics of the songs for this album. He almost felt like he drove himself insane by the process and vowed that he would never record like that again. What was left was an extremely personal album that not only shed light on his own struggles but touched on his relationship with the late Layne Staley as well.
JERRY CANTRELL DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):
1998 - Boggy Depot (Columbia Records)
2002 - Degradation Trip Volumes 1 + 2 (Roadrunner Records)
CURRENT STATUS OF JERRY CANTRELL:
Born in Tacoma, Washington in 1966, Jerry Cantrell began playing guitar seriously at the age of 17. He moved to Dallas, Texas for a short time but soon returned to the Pacific Northwest. In 1986, he was playing for a band called Diamond Lie. It was around this time that he went to a concert for a band called Alice N' Chains, who were fronted by Layne Staley. Cantrell wanted to form a new band and Staley gave him the number of Sean Kinney who joined to play drums. Mike Starr joined in on bass. He was the brother of Kinney's girlfriend. The group wanted Staley to be the lead singer but he didn't want to at first so the band brought in a bunch of terrible singers for tryouts while Layne was present. Finally, he joined the band and they took the name Alice In Chains. Alice In Chains, of course, is legendary. One of the biggest bands out of the 90's and Cantrell was a main songwriter and contributed vocals along with Staley. It was the harmonizing between the two singers that really set this band apart. The music could be so heavy yet the vocals were amazing together. From 1990, with the release of their debut "Facelift", to 1995, with their self-titled release, Alice In Chains was on top of the rock world, alongside fellow Seattle bands Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Nirvana. Drugs were taking over the band, however, and none were more affected than Layne Staley. The band's last live appearance featuring Staley would be on July 3, 1996. Staley would become more and more of a recluse after this time, slowly succumbing to his heroin addiction. Cantrell, meanwhile, did not want to start a solo career. He always wanted to be the guitarist/vocalist for Alice In Chains, but with Staley's condition, his hand was almost forced to do some solo stuff. The first thing he did was record the song "Leave Me Alone" in 1996 for "The Cable Guy" soundtrack. In 1998, Cantrell released his debut full length solo album, "Boggy Depot" which featured the singles "Cut You In" and "My Song". As I said earlier, Cantrell locked himself in a house for four months to write songs for his next effort, 2002's "Degradation Trip". This album was released just two months after Layne Staley tragically died and Cantrell dedicated the album to him. In 2005, Alice In Chains began reuniting with guest vocalists to perform at various benefit shows. Eventually, Comes With The Fall frontman William DuVall would join the band as second vocalist and guitarist. Alice In Chains were back! The band has since released two more albums, 2009's "Black Gives Way To Blue" and 2013's "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here". Since June of 2017, Alice In Chains have been working on their newest album which is set for release in the summer of 2018. In February of 2017, Cantrell recorded a solo track, "A Job To Do" for the movie soundtrack "John Wick: Chapter Two". With Chains back in business, Cantrell's solo career has taken a back seat, but as I said earlier, Cantrell himself prefers it this way as he would rather be part of a band than a solo artist. He has a tremendous legacy, both as a songwriter and as a guitarist. Alice In Chains' sludgy riffs and harmonizing vocals make them unique to their craft and highly influential to many bands who came after them. I love the solo stuff but I'm also happy that Cantrell and Alice In Chains are still going strong.
TEN JERRY CANTRELL SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:
1. My Song
2. Cut You In
3. Anger Rising
4. Dickeye
5. Angel Eyes
6. Hurt A Long Time
7. 31/32
8. Leave Me Alone
9. Psychotic Break
10. A Job To Do
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