As part of an interview with Pearl Jam Radio, David Estrada toured the facilities of one of his favorite bands.
David Estrada has had some pretty remarkable experiences as a member of the Sounders FC.
On Thursday, he had one that he’ll be smiling about for days.
Recently retired radio personality Mike Gastineau now hosts a feature segment on Sirius XM’s Pearl Jam Radio station, interviewing athletes about their passion for music, their sport and really anything else that “The Gas Man” finds interesting. This week, Estrada stopped by the studio to record the segment for a later show.
The interview dove headlong into Estrada’s youth in Salinas, California, and the birth of his love for music – his grandfather was a rock DJ in Mexico and his father blasted many of the same classic rock favorites from the car stereo for years. It also covered his soccer career, earning a scholarship at UCLA and his time with the Sounders while also stopping along the way to play some Pearl Jam tracks.
It was much more than a standard interview and Estrada was open with Gastineau throughout the segment.
One key element that made the interview special is that the studio is part of Pearl Jam’s headquarters in Seattle and after the interview was done, Estrada toured the warehouse, seeing firsthand the equipment the band uses to produce the hundreds of songs that have made Pearl Jam stand the test of time over the past 20 years.
There he saw the space the band is using to rehearse for their upcoming tour to support their recently completed album – their 10th since they exploded onto the scene in 1991 with the multi-platinum “Ten” that catapulted them to stardom. There he stood on the floor, gazing around the room under the watchful eyes of a painting of Pete Townshend on the wall above and a giant backdrop once used on tour by The Ramones.
“It was an unbelievable experience,” Estrada smiled. “Just being able to see some of the equipment that they use on tour … you can just feel the history in that building. It’s hard to explain.”
