Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament robbed outside Atlanta's Southern Tracks studios

Brendan O'Brien's production skills have attracted some of music's biggest names, including Bruce Springsteen, to record with him at Atlanta's Southern Tracks Recording studios.-

Apparently, the thugs have taken note, too.-

On the afternoon of April 27, Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament fell victim to an attack outside Southern Tracks when the knife-brandishing suspects robbed him of $3,000 in cash, his passport, and $4,320 worth of goods, according to a Dekalb County police report.-

According to the AJC:-

The bassist attempted to run away but was knocked to the ground, sustaining a cut on the head that did not require hospitalization. The robbers drove off in a black Nissan Maxima.-

A surveillance camera captured the assault but no arrests have been made.-

Pearl Jam plans to self-release the O'Brien-helmed album - which will be the Seattle band's ninth - according to Rolling Stone:-

&-;The new record feels good so far - really strong and uptempo, stuff we can sink our teeth into," Eddie Vedder told us. It's the band's first album with O'Brien behind the boards since 1998's Yield.