Matt Cameron

*Vital Stats*

  • Name: Matthew D. Cameron

  • Date of Birth: November 28, 1962

  • Nickname: 'Foo

  • First Musical Influence: Jimmy Hendrix

  • Age Began Drumming: 9 years old

  • Favorite Beer: Rolling Rock

  • Favorite Sports: Basketball, soccer, motor sports

  • Underwear Preference: Boxers



  • Matt Cameron. A man whose musical and technical ability has set him apart from the rest. From the psychedelic groove of Wellwater Conspiracy, to the intensity of Soundgarden, Matt Cameron has invigorated fans around the world.

    So how did it all begin? Where did Matthew (deemed "Foo" by his younger brother who, at a young age, couldn't quite pronounce his big brothers name--hence Ma Foo) first make his mark on the entertainment industry? The answer lies within the cult movie Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (one of the worst movies ever; yet worth a laugh or two) where Matt can be caught singing "Puberty Love". Matt's performing debut The film, made in Matt's childhood neighborhood within San Diego, integrated much of the "local talent scene." According to Matthew, "It was a movie that was put together by people that were living in our neighborhood growing up as a kid and they used people in the neighborhood to be in the movie."

    The "hit" song proved to be a prequel to the success awaiting Matt. That success lied in the Land of a Thousand Umbrellas. Rainy Seattle. Matt, after practicing often 3-5 hours a day on the drums, moved out to Seattle during the early 80's and met up with bassist and future owner of C/Z Records Daniel House. The two joined Tom ("Nerm") Herring in an "instrumental power trio" named Feedback. Later, in 1985, Feedback would evolve into Skinyard, described as, "a virtual cornucopia of Seattle notables." Skinyard in 1985 Skinyard consisted of Feedback alumni Matt and Daniel, later to become producer guru, Jack Enido on guitar, and Ben McMillan on vocals. According to the Skin Yard official site, "Matt came up with our name, which oddly enough means absolutely nothing, but was just weird enough for us." The group played their first gig "in June of '85, opening for the U-men; however Matthew would leave the band before the release of their self titled album. Matt would then join the band Soundgarden, who, after drummer Scott Sundquist quit during the middle of '86, was in dire need of a man behind the kit. Says House about Matt's transition,

    "He didn't exactly leave Skin Yard for Soundgarden. When he left, he just plain left Skin Yard. The personalities in Skin Yard never work out that well. We were all too fucking anal for our own good, and a bunch of anal people just doesn't work out. We were all anal and neurotic, it's a bad combination. I thin Matt just got frustrated with that dynamic. I think he enjoyed the music, but for him it just wasn't that much fun, and that was enough reason to say, 'I don't want to do this, I'm not enjoying myself.' And at the time Norman Scott or Scott McCollum, whatever name you want to call him by, was about to become the new drummer for Soundgarden. He was pretty much sworn in and all of a sudden Matt showed up and expressed that he would be interested. That was one thing-Skin Yard wsa the Seattle band that had the drummer everyone was awed by. Everyone was always, 'Oh my God, that drummer.' He almost overshadowed everyone in the band. And Soundgarden couldn't pass up a chance like that. He played with them once and Scott was out. This was about six months after Matt left Skin Yard. I guess it seemed like he left Skin Yard to join Soundgarden, but it wasn't quite like that."

    Thus Matthew Cameron joined Soundgarden in August of 1986, the band he would anchor for the next ten years. What Matt brought to the table in Soundgarden was not the motivation to write songs, it was his rhythmic complexity. Cameron, "a very technical, adept drummer with musical interests that ranged far beyond rock," clearly was to affect the sound of Soundgarden. Comments Jack Enido, "Matt is Mr. Monster Technician. It was quite a change when he joined, it took them [Soundgarden] a while to jell. But, obviously, they persevered, and got a new sound." Matt took Sundquist's previous Soundgarden drumming, and, "using his knowledge of drumming in other areas of music," made "the drums a greater element of the sound", and "brought the drums more to the front, effectively giving Soundgarden if not another lead instrument, then a springboard and propulsion for its sonic wash." Said Kim Thayil, in the first article printed on the band, to Alison Yount of The Rocket, "With Matt our sound's leaning toward psychedelic again. Psychedelia, but powerful-brain-melting, concussion-building psychedelia."

    Soundgarden

    Throughout his years with Soundgarden, Matt has created some of the most memorable rhythms behind the music; from the steady crash of "Nothing to Say," to the technical beauty of "Never the machine forever," to the odd-time of "Head Down," to the pounding thunder of "Jesus Christ Pose". The significance of Matthew Cameron on Soundgarden's work is immeasurable.

    Not only has Matt created such unforgettable cadences, he also is a remarkable songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Says Daniel House, "Matt is a terrific songwriter, amazing. He's been a multi-instrumentalist for years. He was constantly recording stuff on his four-track where he plays everything, guitar, bass, drums, sings, everything, and he's still that way." This influence is seen intertwined throughout Soundgarden's five LP's, as well as amongst his many side projects. These side projects: Temple of the Dog, Hater, Tone Dogs, and The Wellwater Conspiracy all provided musical outlets for Matthew's creations. Since the stunning breakup of Soundgarden, April 9, 1997, Matthew Cameron has been involved with several groups, namely: Smashing Pumpkins and Prodigy. Matt served as a "studio" drummer for the Pumpkin sessions, and provided a few rhythms that were cut and paste into Prodigy's newest album. Matt has continued work with The Wellwater Conspiracy, as a second album, Brotherhood of Electric is due for release sometime in the near future. Appearing on the first single off of Brotherhood of Electric is the song titled, "The Compellor," featuring Matt's vocals.

    In addition to involvement with The Wellwater Conspiracy, Matthew has become rather involved with fellow Seattle band Pearl Jam, and has just completed the 1998 Summer Yield Tour as their replacement drummer. Appearing on the Late Show with David Letterman, Cameron made his first national appearance with Pearl Jam. This is not the first time that Matt has assisted the members of Pearl Jam, as his history with the band reaches far into the past. Shortly after Andy Wood's tragic death, Matthew assisted Stone Gossard in the recording of several demo tracks, later titled the "Stone Gossard Demos '91." Bassist Jeff Ament comments on enlisting the aid of Cameron, "We got together with Matt and went into the studio for two or three days. There was no pressure, because they weren't really songs; they were just song ideas, jams, and that sort of stuff. It was totally cool, because at that point, it was just kind of picking up the vibe and going with it."

    Pearl Jam and Soundgarden during Lollapalooza '92The vibe later turned into several songs off of Pearl Jam's debut album Ten. During the recording of the demos, Matt became involved in the creation of Temple of the Dog, Chris Cornell's heart-felt dedication to Andy Wood, which later involved Pearl Jam members, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder on back-up vocals. Yet another incidence of Matt Cameron's involvement occurred in '95 when drummer Jack Irons left the band Eleven to join Pearl Jam. Matt stepped in for Jack by completing the recording of Eleven's new album, Thunk. In addition, the two bands, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam toured together during Lollapalooza '92. Cameron's present position with Pearl Jam is still up in the air. Band members have voiced their praise of Matt's work throughout the summer tour, and have publicly stated that they do not wish to have both studio and touring drummers. However, until an official announcement has been made, Matthew's involvement will remain in question.




    Chris Cornell and Matt Cameron Most recently, Mathew has reportedly worked with Chris Cornell on Cornell's debut solo album. The two reportedly recorded one track together, and could possibly work more together in the future.


    Last, on a more personal note, Matthew Cameron recently became a proud husband. He and his wife, April Cameron, were wed on October 25, 1997. Congratulations Matthew.








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