Pearl Jam lead guitarist Mike McCready will appear on the Epic debut album by the Rockfords, a new group that also includes members of the Seattle band Goodness. The 12-track, self-titled release will street on Feb. 1.

First single "Silver Lining" will be serviced to radio beginning Jan. 17, according to the Pearl Jam Rumor Pit on the Sony Music web site. The following day, the track will be available on the soundtrack to the film "Down To You," which stars Selma Blair, Julia Stiles, and Freddie Prinze, Jr. "Down To You" hits theaters on Jan. 21.

McCready is no stranger to several of the Rockfords' members, having previously played with Danny Newcomb, and Chris and Rick Friel in the '80s Seattle band Shadow. The Friel brothers, Newcomb, and Carrie Akre play in Goodness, which has released albums for Atlantic and Epic.

In related news, the Rumor Pit reports that Pearl Jam's eagerly anticipated sixth studio album has yet to be completed. Tchad Blake (Sheryl Crow, Soul Coughing, Matthew Sweet) is producing the as-yet-untitled album, tentatively scheduled for a spring release on Epic. A U.S. tour is in the works, as are European dates this summer.

Pearl Jam's annual Christmas single, mailed to members of its fan club, contains two new songs, "Strangest Tribe," and "Driftin'." Earlier this fall, the group played its first live shows in over a year at the Bridge School Benefit in Mountainview, Calif. Two new songs, "In Thin Air," and "Nothing As It Seems," were debuted, but it is not known whether they will appear on the forthcoming album.

Pearl Jam's 1998 Christmas single, "Last Kiss" b/w "Soldier Of Love," was released commercially to benefit Kosovo relief efforts; "Last Kiss" was an unexpected radio smash, peaking last summer at No. 2 on The Billboard Hot 100.