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Soundgarden: Surviving Members Say They’re Not Done Being a Band

Soundgarden has been relatively dormant since the death of singer Chris Cornell, but its surviving members aren’t officially calling it quits. Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd recently collaborated…

Matt Cameron, Kim Thayil and Ben Shepard
Mike Coppola, Kevin Winter, Roger Kisby/Getty Images

Soundgarden has been relatively dormant since the death of singer Chris Cornell, but its surviving members aren't officially calling it quits.

Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd recently collaborated with Brandi Carlile on A Rooster Says, a Record Store Day release where they back the singer-songwriter and Seattle native on two Soundgarden covers/re-recordings:  "Black Hole Sun" and "Searching With My Good Eye Closed."

Cameron told Rolling Stone of the collaboration, "We had a blast. I think most people assume the three of us over and done with since Chris passed away, but that’s not the case. It’s nice to know that people still want to hear us play together."

Thayil added, "It was so natural and fun to play with Brandi, and the twins [Phil and Tim Hanseroth], and playing with Ben and Matt is second nature for me. Any opportunity to play with all of them again whether live or in the studio, I would embrace without hesitation."

As for other recent band activity, new Twitter and Instagram accounts were launched back in June under the name "Nude Dragons," which is an anagram for Soundgarden. The band famously performed under the Nude Dragons name back in 2010 at a show in Seattle, which marked the first time Soundgarden had performed on stage in 13 years. Currently, those social media accounts appear to have been deleted or set to private.

Erica Banas is a news blogger who's been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she's ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C'mon now!) She's also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights