It's the first ever solo show in Pitch Pass history! Roche has some thoughts on D.C. United after two matches (and four points) in the MLS season, the new players, the DPs, the kids and their minutes, Troy and Ally, and more!By Wonk Eye Media

D.C. United is back and so is Pitch Pass. Roche is joined by journalist Charles Boehm to discuss the offseason of change around the club. But first, the bad as DCU's preseason trip to Saudi Arabia has caused unease amongst the fanbase (3:06). Then, Charlie gives some additional insight on new coach, Troy Lesesne and new CSO Ally MacKay (15:28) befo…

It's not "official" but D.C. United's season has unofficially come to an end without tangible success. The Athletic's Pablo Maurer joins Roche to look back on another lost season for the club, what Wayne Rooney did (and didn't do) for the organization, and where the team goes from here. They also discuss the Kasper situation, the ownership thought …

D.C. United Defender Brendan Hines-Ike has returned to full fitness after suffering two freak, long term injuries over the last three years. He joins Roche on this episode of Pitch Pass to discuss how his "foot exploded in his boot" and how he got back. He then addresses the team's response to the supporters' dissatisfaction with the disappointing …

As MLS season winds down, MLSNext season starts up so it's a good time to check in with the D.C. United Academy with TopDrawerSoccer.com 's Travis Clark. The club's investment in the Academy has been uneven over the years but that seems to be changing with DCU making a real commitment to the youth of the club and the DMV at large. Travis and Roche …

D.C. United has reached the home stretch of the MLS season and things are...meh. Pro Soccer Wire's Jason Anderson joins Roche to answer three questions about the club as it makes its push to make the playoffs. 1. Are things better or worse now as opposed to the last 4 years? 2. Can #DCU make the playoffs? 3. Has the manager found a new formation fo…

One of the pleasant surprises to the start D.C. United's season has been the play of Ted Ku-DiPietro. The DCU Homegrown joins Roche on this edition of Pitch Pass to discuss his season thus far, his "traditional American sports" path to the first team, Wayne Rooney's advice to the young players on the team, his "young veteran" advice to the teenager…

There's not just a different vibe for D.C. United on the field. Off the field, the club has raised their game in a number of areas, especially the digital team. Claudia Pagan has been the face of DCU Digital for the last 4 years and joins Roche to discuss the process of creating content. Apple TV has played a role in the increase in content creatio…

D.C. United's season is underway and the results thus far have been...encouraging? Pro Soccer Wire's Jason Anderson joins Roche to discuss the Black And Red's first two matches and if there is any long term takeaways from them. Among the talking points: -What youngster has the best long term outlook? -Rooney's tactics -The still wobbly defense -Chr…

Pearl Jam played Madison Square Garden on September 11th and Billie Jean and Roche (and Venus and Serena) were there! It was Billie's first show of the tour and Roche's second but it was the first the two attended together so they were looking forward to comparing notes in this episode of Jamily Matters. From the new "stools" setup to start PJ show…

Pearl Jam is through two legs of their 2022 tour! What are the trends we've seen so far? Varied openers! No Covers shows! Tighter song rotations! It's been a topsy turvy ride and we are barely halfway through the tour. To help make sense of what we've seen so far and with Billie Jean "on assignment". Roche speaks with Randy Sobel of the Live On 4 L…

It's been an unsatisfying period for D.C. United for both the club and its supporters. But with rumors swirling of multiple additions incoming during the summer transfer window, there is a sense of excitement around the team. Roche spoke with DCU GM Lucy Rushton about potential reinforcements, the type of player the club is looking to add, and when…

It has been a tumultuous month for D.C. United following the dismissal of Hernan Losada amid a cloud of controversy and confusion from supporters. New DCU Head Coach Chad Ashton joins Roche to talk about the transition from Losada to him. What's changed, what's stayed the same, and what's ahead. Ashton discusses the "have fun" comments from the pla…

Jamily Matters is back and so is Pearl Jam! It's been over two years but the band is finally back on the road for a full fledged tour! Roche and Billie discuss the first four dates of the tour to see if they can spot any trends, give some setlist highlights, and overall impressions of the beginning of the 2022 Pearl Jam tour. They also reveal what …

As D.C. United embarks on its second year under the stewardship of head coach Hernan Losada (assisted in the front office by Lucy Rushton and Dave Kasper), off the pitch, the club is going through a similar re-imaging under DCU's President of Business Operations, Danita Johnson. Danita joins Roche on this episode of Pitch Pass to discuss the health…

Billie Jean and Roche catch up on Pearl Jam news including the release of Eddie Vedder's solo album, Earthling, a new song from Stone Gossard's band, Painted Shield, and the announcement that Pearl Jam's next album will be produced by Andrew Watt (26:55). Then, Billie had a chance to see Eddie Vedder's Earthling Tour and gives a recap of the show. …

Vinyl is back! The format is fast becoming THE physical alternative to streaming. Even young people, who never had vinyl in the house as kids, are embracing vinyl. But Pearl Jam never left the vinyl bandwagon. They have been supporters of vinyl from the beginning of their career and continued through to Gigaton. In this episode of Jamily Matters, B…

For a seemingly "sullen" band, Pearl Jam has a surprising number of Christmas songs, covers and originals. Billie and Roche discuss some of their favorites PJ holiday tunes and wonder if the band would ever tackle a Hanukkah song. But first, Roche gives an update on the song rankings project and he and Billie give their thoughts on Eddie Vedder's n…

Yield is Pearl Jam's masterpiece. Is that opinion or fact? Roche and Billie Jean make their case for why it's a fact in the latest episode of Jamily Matters. It's the album that they've been most excited and most nervous to rank because it is unquestionably their favorite. After waxing poetic about this amazing work of art, they begin the difficult…

It's late 2002 and Pearl Jam have just released their last album of new material for Epic Records. The record deal they signed pre-Ten had finally been concluded (The compilation albums Lost Dogs and Rearviewmirror would be released over the next two years to officially wrap up the deal) and the band would soon become free agents for the first time…

Pearl Jam made their triumphant return to the stage at the Sea.Hear.Now. Festival in Asbury Park and Billie Jean was there! How did the Gigaton songs sound? What was it like seeing Pearl Jam live after a 3 year hiatus? What was the vibe like on stage and in the crowd during the set? What were the highlights? Billie Jean answers those questions and …

D.C. United has a new youth academy director and he joins Roche on this episode of Pitch Pass. Patrick Ouckama plays his hard close to the vest which makes for a fun cat and mouse type conversation. After getting some background on Ouckama, Roche asks about the Pathway2Pro initiative, the recent success of the academy, uniform tactics throughout th…

Billie Jean and Roche mark the 30th anniversary of Ten as well as the 25th anniversary of No Code on this edition of Jamily Matters. It's been fun reading and listening to the band reminisce about the most important album in its history and the crew point out some of their favorite interviews with the band over the last few months. They also discus…

D.C. United homegrown Griffin Yow joins Roche on this episode of Pitch Pass to discuss his "senior year" of high school, the expectations that come with being the first homegrown signing of his generation, his fit in Hernan Losada's plans, and the challenges of the first half of this DCU season.By Wonk Eye Media

Five years ago this month, Pearl Jam played a now legendary secret show at Third Man Records. Third Man Records co-founder Ben Blackwell joins Roche and Billie to reminisce about that special night in PJ lore. Ben gives us a history of Third Man Records including some great stories of the early days of The White Stripes and Jack White's vision for …

Much like everything else during the pandemic, our first listen to new music is unlike anything we've ever experienced before. How much of that has shaped your opinions of the songs on Gigaton? That's a question Roche and Billie Jean tackle on this episode of Jamily Matters. From the heartbreak of "Comes Then Goes" to the brilliance of "Seven O'Clo…

Pearl Jam releases over 180 live shows as part of the DEEP Immersive Experience and Roche and Billie are overwhelmed (in a great way) by it. Billie gives some behind the scenes insight on the daunting task for a musician to put 5000+ songs on each streaming service and the exhaustive work that goes into it. Did the DEEP drop ruin 6 years of Roche's…

U.S. Soccer Hall Of Famer Bruce Murray joins the show to discuss The Accelerator School, how it differs from traditional schools, soccer clubs, and MLS academies, and his hope that it changes how Americans look at education and soccer (12:50). Then, Roche and Bruce go over the state of the American soccer system, , the rise in the stature of MLS an…

We kick off our "My PJ Experience..." feature with Brad White who is the Assistant Program Director of the legendary KBCO in Boulder, CO. After getting some background on Brad, the AAA format in radio, and the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater, Billie Jean and Roche ask Brad about his love of Pearl Jam (17:12). Brad shares some great stories about the …

D.C. United started the Hernan Losada era in...style? Depends on your definition of the word. What isn't up for debate is that DCU got a result against NYCFC in their first MLS regular season of 2021. They did it with, more aggressive tactics and a renewed vigor. Writer Charles Boehm joins Roche to give some first impressions of the team under Losa…

Pitch Pass kicks off its 10th season with one of our favorite guests. The Athletic's Pablo Maurer recently wrote the definitive oral history on the insane 2012 MLS Eastern Conference Semi-Final between D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls. He joins Roche to discuss the oral history and share a few more stories from that tie that didn't make it in…

For a band with as many albums (which include a Greatest Hits album and a double album of rarities and B sides) as Pearl Jam has released, there are a surprising number of orphaned tracks. Songs that have not appeared on an official studio album (anniversary editions aside). On this episode of Jamily Matters, Roche and Billie Jean go through the 20…

We've all got treasured memorabilia from our beloved band that we love to exhibit. That's the thought behind this new feature on Jamily Matters. Our first guest for the "PJ Merch" series is the morning show host for Minneapolis' CITIES 97.1 (and HUGE PJ fan), Paul Fletcher. After Paul and Roche discuss some behind the scenes radio stuff (2:37), Bil…

Let's talk live music! Since we haven't been able to see live music in almost a year (and counting), Billie Jean and Roche are thirsty for live Pearl Jam. If you are an iPhone user (like Billie), you know all about PJ Stat Tracker. If you are an Android user (like Roche), you have a vague awareness of PJ Stat Tracker. This episode of Jamily Matters…

For a band with as many albums (which include a Greatest Hits album and a double album of rarities and B sides) as Pearl Jam has released, there are a surprising number of orphaned tracks. Songs that have not appeared on an official studio album (anniversary editions aside). On this episode of Jamily Matters, Roche and Billie Jean go through the 90…

#DOOP is all the rage and it's due in large part to the Philadelphia Union Academy. The Union academy is quickly becoming the youth development model in MLS and Charles Boehm has been covering it since its beginnings. Boehm joins Roche for the latest Pitch Pass to discuss the Union model, how it relates to European youth setups, how it's different …

On the 18th anniversary of its release, we celebrate the "European dining experience" of Pearl Jam albums, Riot Act. And yes, it's a celebration despite Roche's initial thoughts on the album. He and Billie Jean discuss their extensive live history with the album, Riot Act's place in the overall PJ story (the end of a chapter), and the realization t…

Loosegroove Records co-founder Regan Hagar joins Billie Jean and Roche on this special episode of Jamily Matters. Regan participated in the rise of the Seattle scene in the late 80s/early 90s and shares some wonderful stories from that time. He (along with Stone Gossard) launched Loosegroove Records to showcase other musicians and recently relaunch…

Loosegroove Records is officially back! The label, founded by Regan Hagar and Stone Gossard in 1994, has been revived to spotlight young artists and Gossard's new project, Painted Shield. Our very own Billie Jean is working behind the scenes to make sure Loosegroove hits the ground running. Billie tells Roche how the Loosegroove revival came to be,…

Roche and Billie Jean rank side two of Pearl Jam's compilation album Lost Dogs in this episode of Jamily Matters.The second half of this double album is much more like a typical compilation album and is much more melancholy than side one but chock full of fan club singles and hardcore fan favorites. If you enjoy Jamily Matters, please rate the show…

Compilation albums are usually for the hardest of hardcore fans. Lost Dogs is not your ordinary compilation. For one, it contains one of the biggest hits in the Pearl Jam catalog. It's also the rare compilation that doesn't feel "thrown together." In this episode of Jamily Matters, Roche and Billie Jean discuss the significance of Lost Dog in the c…

Roche checks in with The Athletic's Pablo Maurer for an update on the MLS Is Back Tournament. Has the tournament been good for the league? Is youth finally being served in the League? What teams' performance is indicative of its future? Plus, an update on D.C. United and more. Click here for more info on Jaime Moreno.…

Former MLS GK Andrew Dykstra now makes his living coaching the next generation of soccer players. In this episode of Pitch Pass, Dykstra discusses the challenges of being a youth coach during a pandemic, which age groups suffer the most from a disruption in training, and which MLS team mines the Mid-Atlantic region for talent the best. Roche and An…

It's the most important Pearl Jam album and one of the most iconic albums of all time. Ten not only put the band on the map, it launched them into the stratosphere of music. So ranking the songs shouldn't be a problem, right? Yeah, sure. Roche and Billie Jean do their best to rank this virtually flawless album while also pointing out it's unusual p…

Since the murder of George Floyd, Roche (a black man) has been paralyzed with indecision. He didn't want to mindlessly hit "RETWEET" to other people's thoughts but couldn't get his own thoughts in order to let his voice be heard. As he has done his entire adult life, he turned to music, specifically the music of Pearl Jam. In this episode of Jamily…

By now, you know that Eddie Vedder has accepted All In Challenge on behalf of the band. On this episode of Jamily Matters, Roche and Billie Jean daydream about winning the incredible VIP package the band has put together and answer three questions about some of the choices they would make if they won. Click hear to learn about what you can win and …

Roche and Billie Jean rank the songs of Pearl Jam's 2013 album, Lightning Bolt, in this episode of Jamily Matters. LB has generally been given a "meh" from PJ fans but is it deserved? Billie Jean and Roche debate that and their differing views on what they want and expect from an "older" band like Pearl Jam.…

After scoring the game winning goal against Inter Miami, D.C. United veteran Frederic Brillant, like almost everyone else, has spent the past two months at home. During that time, he's spent time with family, stayed sharp with DCU's tactical Zoom sessions, mentored the younger United players, while being mentored by Nolan Sheldon on the nuances of …

Pearl Jam is the transition from the early '00s to the era we are still in today (unless you consider Gigaton the start of the next era...which Roche may agree with). It's the band's first album without the shackles of a major label and because of that, they were much more "available" to do promotion of it. In this episode of Jamily Matters, Roche …

Jamily Matters is back with our first impressions of Pearl Jam's new album Gigaton. Roche and Billie Jean go over their initial standout tracks, the missteps, and the track listing. Then, Roche shares a theory about Lightning Bolt's place in PJ's catalog now that Gigaton is here. Plus, thoughts on the "rage" of the band, what the tour schedule look…