hennemusic

“The new name is Pearl Jam.”

And so it was – 20 years ago, when a Seattle-based band changed its name from Mookie Blaylock before taking on the world.

Pearl Jam have released a clip from the upcoming documentary "Pearl Jam Twenty," which will chronicle the band's entire two-decade career through interviews, rare footage, live performances and more.

"Pearl Jam Twenty" is due out in September from director Cameron Crowe. The film, an accompanying book, an upcoming two-day festival and recent reissues of PJ’s first three albums are all part of a 20th-anniversary celebration for the Seattle rockers.

Beyond the celebration of the band’s career in the rearview mirror, PJ are planning to begin work on a new album this year, Ament told Billboard.

"We did a whole bunch of demos and everybody's got a disc of 25 [songs] right now," Ament says of Pearl Jam's plans to hit the studio. "April will be the time where we get together and learn to play all these demos and figure out which 12-15 of them float to the top. Hopefully we can get something done this year."

"There's been so much focus on the past,” added Ament, “that I think all of us are really excited to make a new record and have something to look forward to because we've been digging in the boxes in our basement a lot the last year or so."

Singer Eddie Vedder is doing a solo acoustic tour and releasing a concert film of it, as well, this Spring.

The band was recently named winners of a 2011 Planet Defender Award by Colorado-based environmental organization Rock the Earth as part of their national Rock the Earth Day celebration. The honor recognizes Pearl Jam, and its individuals, for their dedication to environmental activism.

Pearl Jam – PJ20 clip (2011)