Pearl Jam is the home base, but Mike has never stopped jamming with others. Here's the band history and the notable projects he's been part of.
Mike co-founded Pearl Jam in 1990 with Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament, then recruited Eddie Vedder and drummer Dave Krusen. As lead guitarist he has shaped the band's sound from the very first record, and he has become a bigger part of its songwriting over time.
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, and its studio albums run from Ten in 1991 to Dark Matter in 2024.
The groups Mike has played in alongside, and in between, Pearl Jam.
A one-album tribute to the late Andrew Wood, started by Chris Cornell of Soundgarden. Mike, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament and Matt Cameron form the band, with Eddie Vedder joining on "Hunger Strike." It was Mike's first studio experience, and he delivers an epic solo on "Reach Down."
Formed in Seattle with bassist John Baker Saunders, singer Layne Staley and drummer Barrett Martin. Their album Above (1995) is best known for "River of Deceit." A deluxe edition followed in 2013 and Live at the Moore 1995 in 2015.
Named after The Rockford Files, this band reunites Mike with his former Shadow bandmates and singer Carrie Akre. Their debut came out on Epic in 2000 and reached digital platforms in 2022.
Mike played guitar with Duff McKagan, Barrett Martin and singer Jeff Angell. The band released an album in August 2013.
A project with Duff McKagan, Barrett Martin and Jaz Coleman, released on Mike's HockeyTalkter Records label. In 2017 they put out "All Things Fade Away" featuring singer Ayron Jones.
A tribute band to the English rock group UFO. Mike has played with it, and with a reunited Shadow, at his annual benefit concert for the Northwest chapter of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation.
Mike's first band began in eighth grade as Warrior, became Shadow and moved to Los Angeles in 1986. After it split, he joined Love Chile, where Stone Gossard first saw him play.
A one-off supergroup of Mike, Jeff Ament, Matt Cameron and Chris Cornell, recording "Hey Baby (Land of the New Rising Sun)" for the Jimi Hendrix tribute album Stone Free.
Mike's guitar has turned up on records and stages well beyond his own bands.
Sources: Wikipedia and Consequence.
A graphic novel and companion "lost" rock opera album, released October 6, 2026 through Z2 Comics. It's a historical fantasy set in the Seattle music scene, developed over about 20 years, with original songs written from the perspective of lead character David Williams.
A book of Polaroids Mike shot during his time in Pearl Jam, going back to the early 1990s. It documents the band on tour, friends like Neil Young and Dave Grohl, and his personal life.
Mike helped organize this first-ever Nashville benefit concert with Dierks Bentley, supporting the Tennessee and Washington Innocence Projects.
