Spin - The 10 Best Songs With Matt Cameron On Drums
The 10 Best Songs With Matt Cameron on Drums
From Pearl Jam to Soundgarden to Wellwater Conspiracy, Cameron has become one of the all-time greats
Al Shipley // May 1, 2020
With all due respect to Virginia transplant Dave Grohl, Matt Cameron is the definitive drummer of the Seattle grunge scene. As the longest-running percussionist for both Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, as well as Temple of the Dog, Cameron has been the steady pulse of Northwestern rock since he moved from San Diego in the mid-‘80s and joined Skin Yard.
With the bombast and precision of a top-shelf metal drummer but a deep knowledge of punk and garage rock and a flair for oddball time signatures, Cameron is the kind of drummer that gets respect across genres and generations. When British electronica stars The Prodigy wanted to conquer America and cross over to rock fans, they sought Cameron out to provide drum loops for 1997’s The Fat of the Land. When Rush frontman Geddy Lee made his first solo album, 2000’s My Favourite Headache, he chose Cameron to occupy the stool usually occupied by the mighty Neil Peart. And when Pearl Jam once again found themselves without a drummer in the late ‘90s, their first call was to Cameron, newly available after the breakup of Soundgarden.
6. Soundgarden – “Fresh Tendrils”
Cameron wrote the music for several Soundgarden songs, including minor hits like “Rhinosaur” and “By Crooked Steps.” He also collaborated with Chris Cornell on the lyrics to “Fresh Tendrils,” an underrated deep cut from the band’s 1994 masterpiece Superunknown. With a funky Cameron backbeat and clavinet by Eleven’s Natasha Shneider married to a hauntingly ominous tune, there’s nothing else quite like “Fresh Tendrils” in Soundgarden’s catalog.