Matt Cameron
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Matt Cameron | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Matthew D. Cameron |
| Also known as | Foo Cameron Ted Dameron[1] |
| Born | November 28, 1962 San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Alternative rock, grunge, hard rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, Songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Drums, vocals |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Label(s) | J, Cruz, Sub Pop, SST, A&M, C/Z, Third Gear, Epic, Time Bomb, TVT, Megaforce |
| Associated acts | Pearl Jam, Wellwater Conspiracy, Harrybu McCage, feeDBack, Motel 6, Skin Yard, Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, Tone Dogs, Hater, Queens of the Stone Age |
Matthew D. Cameron (born November 28, 1962 in San Diego, California) is an American musician renowned for being the drummer, back-up vocalist and occasional songwriter in the grunge rock bands Soundgarden (1986-1997) and Pearl Jam (1998-present).
He joined Soundgarden in 1986 and remained in the band until its break-up in 1997, triggered by creative friction. During this "sabbatical" year he spent some time on his side project Wellwater Conspiracy as well as session drumming for The Smashing Pumpkins. In 1998, after a successive departure of one of Pearl Jam's many drummers, he was invited to drum on the band's Yield Tour, and soon became a permanent member, remaining in the band ever since.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Matt Cameron was born and raised in San Diego. Cameron began playing drums at an early age. At the age of 13, he and some friends played in a cover band called "Kiss" (with the word imitation written underneath the name, in small print). During this stint, he met Paul Stanley. However, after a letter from the management of the band Kiss threatened the children with legal action if they did not cease their infringement, the band melted away.
In 1978, under the pseudonym "Foo Cameron", Cameron sang the song "Puberty Love" which was featured in the movie Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. The nickname "Foo" came from Cameron's younger brother, who pronounced Matthew as "Ma Foo".[2]
[edit] Musical career
[edit] Skin Yard
In 1983, Cameron moved to Seattle,[3] where he got a job working at a Kinko's.[4] He first played in the local instrumental band feeDBack with musician Daniel House. Following feeDBack, Cameron joined House in 1985 in the newly formed Skin Yard. The band had been formed in January 1985 by House and Jack Endino. Cameron stayed with the group for almost a year. In 1986, Skin Yard contributed two songs to the now-legendary Deep Six compilation. This album was the first to showcase the early grunge sound. The band released its first album in 1986, the eponymous Skin Yard. Cameron wrote the song "Reptile" for the band which appears on its first record. (More of Cameron's work with the band can be found on the 2001-released odds-n-sods Skin Yard Collection, Start at the Top.) Shortly after the release of Skin Yard, Cameron left the band to join Soundgarden.
[edit] Soundgarden
By September 1986, Cameron had gained so much notoriety in the local music scene that he was chosen to play for Soundgarden, replacing drummer Scott Sundquist. Soundgarden was made up of vocalist/guitarist Chris Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Cornell said, "When I first met Matt, he was already the best drummer in town...He just seemed very confident and well-adjusted."[5] The band signed with the independent label Sub Pop and released the Screaming Life EP in 1987 and the Fopp EP in 1988. In 1988, the band signed with legendary punk record label SST Records and released its debut full-length album Ultramega OK. The band subsequently signed with A&M Records, becoming the first grunge band to sign to a major label. In 1989, the band released its first album for a major label, Louder than Love.
In 1990, the band was joined by a new bassist, Ben Shepherd. The new line-up released Badmotorfinger in 1991. The album brought the band to a new level of commercial success, and the band found itself amidst the sudden popularity and attention being paid to the Seattle music scene and the genre known as grunge. The band's next album was to be its breakthrough. Superunknown, released in 1994, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and launched several successful singles, including "Spoonman" and "Black Hole Sun". In 1996, the band released its fifth studio album, Down on the Upside. While successful, it did not reach the level of success of the band's previous album, Superunknown. In 1997, the band broke up due to internal strife over its creative direction.
While a member of Soundgarden, Cameron wrote the following songs for the band:
- "He Didn’t" (Ultramega OK) ... music
- "Jesus Christ Pose" (Badmotorfinger) ... music (co-written)
- "Room a Thousand Years Wide" (Badmotorfinger) ... music
- "Drawing Flies" (Badmotorfinger) ... music
- "New Damage" (Badmotorfinger) ... music (co-written)
- "Birth Ritual" (Singles: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) ... music (co-written)
- "Mailman" (Superunknown) ... music, and played mellotron
- "Limo Wreck" (Superunknown) ... music (co-written)
- "Fresh Tendrils" (Superunknown) ... lyrics (co-written) and music
- "Rhinosaur" (Down on the Upside) ... music
- "Applebite" (Down on the Upside) ... music, and played Moog synthesizer
The task of figuring out the time signatures for Soundgarden's songs was usually left to Cameron.[6] About his drumming with Soundgarden, Modern Drummer stated that Cameron "always injected a maturity into Soundgarden's music. His ghost-note grooves and the uncanny ability to make odd time feel like straight time have already earned him status among rock's drumming's elite pacemakers."[7]
[edit] Pearl Jam
Almost a year after Soundgarden's break-up, in summer 1998, Cameron was invited by rock-colleagues Pearl Jam to drum on the band's Yield Tour after the band's drummer Jack Irons left due to health issues. Soon, during the tour, he was invited to become a full-time member and he's been in the band ever since. Cameron had worked with members of the band before on the Temple of the Dog project and had helped them record some early demos in 1990. He is the longest serving drummer of the band and has recorded three studio albums (Binaural, Riot Act, and Pearl Jam) and several live albums. Cameron and the band have started recording Pearl Jam's ninth studio album and the fourth in which he will be performing.
Since joining Pearl Jam, Cameron has written the following songs for the band:
- "Evacuation" (Binaural) ... music
- "In the Moonlight" (Lost Dogs/Binaural sessions) ... lyrics and music
- "Save You" (Riot Act) ... music (co-written)
- "Cropduster" (Riot Act) ... music
- "You Are" (Riot Act) ... lyrics (co-written), music, and played rhythm guitar
- "Get Right" (Riot Act) ... lyrics and music
- "Unemployable" (Pearl Jam) ... music (co-written)
While not as frequent as the other members' written contributions, Cameron's are held in high regard by the band, as are his performances. In the liner notes of the Lost Dogs compilation, Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder says:
| “ | Matt Cameron writes songs and we run to find step stools in order to reach his level,...what comes naturally to him leaves us with our heads cocked like the confused dogs that we are,...eventually getting it. Did we mention he's the greatest drummer on the planet?[8] | ” |
[edit] Other musical projects
Along with Chris Cornell, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, Matt Cameron appeared on the Temple of the Dog album, which paid tribute to Mother Love Bone lead singer Andrew Wood, who died of a heroin overdose at age 24.
He played in a jazz-influenced side project called Tone Dogs in the early 1990s. Cameron also has a fondness for psychedelic garage rock, and his side projects Wellwater Conspiracy and Hater reflect this.
Cameron also appears on the Gamma Ray EP which would become the first recorded material by Queens of the Stone Age.[9] Cameron played drums at the band's first show on November 20, 1997, however he did not join the band as its drummer.
Cameron contributed his drumming on seven tracks considered for the album Adore by The Smashing Pumpkins, though only the epic and highly acclaimed "For Martha" appeared on the album. Another studio track, "Because You Are", surfaced on the B-sides and rarities collection Judas Ø. Rumours circuated in the beginning of 1998 that he was considered as a permanent drummer replacement for Jimmy Chamberlin, but Cameron denied this.
Other albums Cameron has played drums on include Geddy Lee's 2000 solo album My Favorite Headache, former bandmate Chris Cornell's 1999 solo album Euphoria Morning on the track "Disappearing One", and on four tracks on Eleven's 1995 album Thunk.
Matt Cameron has enjoyed a friendship with fellow drummer Jeremy Taggart of Canadian rock group Our Lady Peace. When Taggart was sidelined with an ankle injury during the recording of that group's 2000 release Spiritual Machines, Cameron played drums on songs such as "Right Behind You (Mafia)" and "Are You Sad?". Cameron has also contributed to the film soundtrack to 2002's Spider-Man, playing on "Hero" with Chad Kroeger and Josey Scott.[10] As Cameron was unable to attend the shoot, Jeremy Taggart returned the favor and is shown in Cameron's place in the video.
Cameron, along with fellow Pearl Jam bandmate Mike McCready, also contributed two songs to Peter Frampton's instrumental album, Fingerprints. These include a cover of Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" and "Blowin' Smoke".
[edit] Style and influences
John Tempesta (of White Zombie fame) remarked during a Zildjian advertising campaign that Matt Cameron "is like the Steve Gadd of Heavy Rock". Comparing Cameron to his contemporary Jimmy Chamberlin casts Cameron as a patient player who seeks not to dominate the stage, but rather tease out a groove that will compliment and support the surrounding atmosphere. Despite a career in rock music, Cameron stated in a 1989 radio interview that growing up he "wasn't a big rock fan..." and that his musical tastes during his youth were "more into jazz." Cameron has professed that his primary musical interests lie in progressive rock and various jazz subgenres, including hard bop, both of which are characterized by a much busier playing style than Cameron exhibits. Cameron has cited Tony Williams, Keith Moon, Steve Gadd, Stewart Copeland, and Kiss as influences.[11]
Listening to his contribution to 1998's Adore by The Smashing Pumpkins, the epic "For Martha", Cameron carves a majestic path culminating in a euphoric cymbal wash that resolves meticulously-crafted tension. In Soundgarden's trademark "Black Hole Sun", he tastefully drops fills linking the song's chorus and verses. Cameron also tends to revisit the paradiddle for effect. Examples include the spreading of the RLRR-LRLL pattern amongst the toms on Soundgarden's "Never the Machine Forever"; between ride and snare on "Unemployable" from Pearl Jam's 2006 self-titled album, creating a driving shuffle; and "You Are" from 2002's Riot Act.
[edit] Gear
Unlike his contemporaries Dave Grohl (Nirvana), Dave Abbruzzese (Pearl Jam), Sean Kinney (Alice in Chains) and Jimmy Chamberlin (The Smashing Pumpkins), who each have extensive drumkits, Cameron, although far from static, employs a more traditional approach to drum equipment.
[edit] Cymbals
Throughout the nineties, Cameron favored three crashes (generally matching 19" Zildjian Z customs), a ride of 20 or 21 inches, and 15" hihats. Before 1996's Down on the Upside, a China cymbal was used infrequently, most notably on Superunknown's closing track "Like Suicide". Although becoming a full-time member of Pearl Jam upon Jack Irons' departure for health reasons, Cameron's cymbal setup has not changed radically from his Soundgarden days. Currently, the most noticeable difference is his use of the A Zildjian series as opposed to the heavier (and discontinued) Z series.
[edit] Drums
Cameron revealed in a 1994 interview with Modern Drummer magazine that to greater emphasize the dynamic shift in the aforementioned "Like Suicide", two kits were used, the latter having shells both larger in depth and diameter.[7] Cameron used California-based DW drums during his time with Soundgarden exempting 1996's Down on the Upside recording and tour, during which he was endorsed by the Canadian custom outfit Ayotte,[12] of which cohort Jeremy Taggart (Our Lady Peace) is a long-time artist. Along with fellow Northwesterner William Goldsmith, Matt Cameron was an early supporter of drummer and craftsman Greg Keplinger, famous for perhaps the heaviest and most characteristic steel snare drum on today's market.
Cameron's subsequent time with Pearl Jam is also notable for his shift away from maple-shelled drums, arguably the most popular drum material in the rock market for its low fundamental tone and strong projection. He has opted instead for the Birch Custom Absolute, which is higher-pitched than maple and produces fewer overtones. Initially during the Yield Tour Cameron could be seen using his purple Ayotte kit, the very same employed on Soundgarden's SNL performances of "Pretty Noose" and "Burden in My Hand" (during which the bass drum read "Go Sonics!", a reference to the Seattle basketball team).
[edit] Sticks
Matt Cameron, along with fellow nineties drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, is endorsed by Vic Firth drumsticks and has a signature model available. They are most similar to a 5B.
[edit] Personal life
Cameron currently resides near Seattle, Washington with his wife, April, son Ray and daughter Josie. His wife April has contributed viola to Soundgarden's Superunknown, Wellwater Conspiracy's Brotherhood of Electric: Operational Directives and The Scroll and Its Combinations, and Pearl Jam's Binaural.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Skin Yard
| Year | Title | Label | Track(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Deep Six | C/Z | "Throb" and "The Birds" |
| Skin Yard | Cruz | All except "Bleed" and "Out of the Attic" | |
| 2001 | Start at the Top | Cruz | "Twelve Points" and "Make Room" |
[edit] Soundgarden
[edit] Tone Dogs
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Ankety Low Day | C/Z |
[edit] Temple of the Dog
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Temple of the Dog | A&M |
[edit] Hater
| Year | Title | Label | Track(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Hater | A&M | All |
| 1995 | Hempilation: Freedom is NORML | Volcano | "Convicted" |
| 2005 | The 2nd | Barsuk | All |
[edit] Wellwater Conspiracy
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Declaration of Conformity | Third Gear |
| 1999 | Brotherhood of Electric: Operational Directives | Time Bomb |
| 2001 | The Scroll and Its Combinations | TVT |
| 2003 | Wellwater Conspiracy | Megaforce |
[edit] Pearl Jam
[edit] Contributions and collaborations
| Year | Group | Title | Label | Track(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | M.A.C.C. (Mike McCready, Jeff Ament, Matt Cameron, and Chris Cornell) | Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix | Reprise/WEA | "Hey Baby (Land of the New Rising Sun)" |
| 1995 | Eleven | Thunk | Hollywood | "Why", "Seasick of You", "Big Sleep", and "No Ground" |
| Seaweed | Spanaway | Hollywood | "Magic Mountainman" | |
| 1997 | The Prodigy | The Fat of the Land | XL | Unknown |
| Matt Cameron and Taz Bentley | Flyin' Traps: Stereo Drums | Hollywood | "Theme From Wrong Holy-O" | |
| 1998 | Stegosaurus | Stegosaurus | Reprise | "Not Defeat Myself", "Candy", and "At the Water" |
| The Smashing Pumpkins | Adore | Virgin | "For Martha" | |
| 1999 | Amy Denio | Greatest Hits | Unit Circle | "(When George Bush Was Head Of The) C.I.A.", "Secret Crush", "Brave It", and "Traffic Island Psycho" |
| Chris Cornell | Euphoria Morning | Interscope | "Disappearing One" | |
| 2000 | Tony Iommi | Iommi | Divine/Priority | "Time Is Mine", "Flame On", "Just Say No to Love", and "Into the Night" |
| Geddy Lee | My Favorite Headache | Atlantic | All except "Home on the Strange" | |
| 2001 | Our Lady Peace | Spiritual Machines | Columbia | "Right Behind You (Mafia)" and "Are You Sad?" |
| The Smashing Pumpkins | Judas Ø | Virgin | "Because You Are" | |
| 2002 | The Walkabouts | Ended Up a Stranger | Interstate | - |
| Chad Kroeger, Josey Scott, Tyler Connolly, Mike Kroeger, and Matt Cameron | Spider-Man: Soundtrack | Sony | "Hero" | |
| Burden Brothers | Queen O' Spades | Last Beat | "Walk Away" | |
| 2006 | Peter Frampton | Fingerprints | A&M | "Black Hole Sun" and "Blowin' Smoke" |
[edit] References
- ^ "Declaration of Conformity". Official Wellwater Conspiracy Website.
- ^ Papineau, Lou. "20 Things You Should Know About Pearl Jam". VH1.com. June 30, 2006.
- ^ "The Real Thing". Spin. July 1996.
- ^ Atkinson, Peter. "Soundgarden: From Superunknown to Superstars". Jam. May 24, 1996.
- ^ "Soundgarden". Kerrang!. May 29, 1996.
- ^ Woodard, Jodef. "Soundgarden's Kim Thayil & Chris Cornell". Musician. March 1992.
- ^ a b Peiken, Matt. "Soundgarden's Matt Cameron: Breaking New Ground". Modern Drummer. June 1994.
- ^ (2003) Album notes for Lost Dogs by Pearl Jam, [CD booklet]. New York: Sony Music.
- ^ Discography entry for Gamma Ray. TheFade.net. Retrieved on 2007-05-09.
- ^ Wiederhorn, Jon. "Nickelback, Saliva, Pearl Jam Members Make 'Hero' Sandwich For Spidey". MTV.com. March 28, 2002.
- ^ Transcript from Chat Live! March 31, 1999.
- ^ Rule, Greg. "Matt Cameron of Soundgarden: Balance of Power & Grace". Drum!. September 1996.
[edit] External links
- Pearl Jam's Ten Club
- Official website of Wellwater Conspiracy
- Matt Cameron - DrummerWorld.com
- Matt Cameron at Allmusic
- Matt Cameron at the Internet Movie Database
- Matt Cameron - Lukin.com
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Cameron, Matt |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Cameron, Matthew |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Musician, Songwriter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 28, 1962 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | San Diego, California, U.S. |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
