Matt Cameron Appreciation Thread

[bodysnatcher]

Would have been interesting if they had a female drummer, like Janet Weiss. Even for just a tour.

[Fuzzcharger]

Richard Stuverud is the drummer on most of Jeff's projects: Three Fish, Tres Mtns, RNDM, his solo records, etc.

Josh Freese is the drummer in The Vandals, also a big session guy and friend of Stone's.

They both auditioned for Pearl Jam after Abbruzzese was fired, losing out to Irons.

Stuverud plays drums on the Nothingman demo on the Vitalogy reissue.

Now I think about it, if Matt Cameron hadn't of been available to join I reckon Stuverud would have sounded cool in PJ. It would have obviously pulled things in a different direction and I reckon that a record like Avocado probably wouldn't have happened.

[PHATJ]

Matt is an amazing drummer. His work with Soundgarden is astonishingly good at times. PJ has never been a perfect fit for him. It works as best as it can, but it doesn't make the band better and it doesn't play to Matt's strengths nearly enough to justify him choosing Pearl Jam over Soundgarden (if it ever came to that). Jack Irons, on the other hand, is THE perfect fit for PJ.

[zeb]

Interviewer I saw that you also hit the stage with Soundgarden at the Paramount Theater in Seattle. What was that like?

Mike McCready Soundgarden was amazing. I’m a total Soundgarden fan so I hovered around them a lot. I think I became either very annoying or they were happy to see me, I don’t know. I brought them pizzas one time at their practice right before that tour and Matt [Cameron] called me up and said, ‘Hey, do you wanna come out and jam on the song ‘Tighter and Tighter”?’ Which is a song Stone and I had been talking to Matt about and saying, ‘God, you gotta do that song. It’s so killer.’ So Matt said, ‘Do you wanna come out and play on it?’ I was like, ‘Yes!’ It was fun. I got to see Matt Cameron play with Soundgarden and he is a monster with them. He plays differently than he does with us so it was cool to see him from another point of view and kind of go, ‘Oh my God! Jesus Christ that is some of the best drumming I’ve seen in my life.’ It kind of felt like a coming home I guess. Like, oh yeah, we're all still doing stuff. It kind of reminded me of 20 years ago when we were just starting with Temple of the Dog. I love seeing those guys, even just around town.

[bodysnatcher]

Interviewer I saw that you also hit the stage with Soundgarden at the Paramount Theater in Seattle. What was that like?

Mike McCready Soundgarden was amazing. I’m a total Soundgarden fan so I hovered around them a lot. I think I became either very annoying or they were happy to see me, I don’t know. I brought them pizzas one time at their practice right before that tour and Matt [Cameron] called me up and said, ‘Hey, do you wanna come out and jam on the song ‘Tighter and Tighter”?’ Which is a song Stone and I had been talking to Matt about and saying, ‘God, you gotta do that song. It’s so killer.’ So Matt said, ‘Do you wanna come out and play on it?’ I was like, ‘Yes!’ It was fun. I got to see Matt Cameron play with Soundgarden and he is a monster with them. He plays differently than he does with us so it was cool to see him from another point of view and kind of go, ‘Oh my God! Jesus Christ that is some of the best drumming I’ve seen in my life.’ It kind of felt like a coming home I guess. Like, oh yeah, we're all still doing stuff. It kind of reminded me of 20 years ago when we were just starting with Temple of the Dog. I love seeing those guys, even just around town.

noticed that too. kinda frustrating

[Birds in Hell]

Interviewer I saw that you also hit the stage with Soundgarden at the Paramount Theater in Seattle. What was that like?

Mike McCready Soundgarden was amazing. I’m a total Soundgarden fan so I hovered around them a lot. I think I became either very annoying or they were happy to see me, I don’t know. I brought them pizzas one time at their practice right before that tour and Matt [Cameron] called me up and said, ‘Hey, do you wanna come out and jam on the song ‘Tighter and Tighter”?’ Which is a song Stone and I had been talking to Matt about and saying, ‘God, you gotta do that song. It’s so killer.’ So Matt said, ‘Do you wanna come out and play on it?’ I was like, ‘Yes!’ It was fun. I got to see Matt Cameron play with Soundgarden and he is a monster with them. He plays differently than he does with us so it was cool to see him from another point of view and kind of go, ‘Oh my God! Jesus Christ that is some of the best drumming I’ve seen in my life.’ It kind of felt like a coming home I guess. Like, oh yeah, we're all still doing stuff. It kind of reminded me of 20 years ago when we were just starting with Temple of the Dog. I love seeing those guys, even just around town.

noticed that too. kinda frustrating

Matt's drumming for Pearl Jam was plenty powerful and energetic in 1998-2000, I don't know what happened after that.

I'm not sure whether he's reserving his energy because the shows are so long or if he just got bored stiff of playing endless 4/4 mid-tempo rockers (or both.)

There's just no comparison with his Soundgarden drumming these days.

[WtOB?]

Hey, Matt was terrific in 2003 too. Go easy.

[darth_vedder]

Maybe Mike playing with SG, and seeing MC in his natural habitat + MC getting back with SG = more inspired playing from PJ, and finally working MC in as he should.

Looking back, I guess Binaural and that album's outtakes are Matt's best work with the band (Evacuation, God's Dice, Insignificance, and Grievance + Sad and Hitchhiker, etc...).

[zatara]

Interviewer I saw that you also hit the stage with Soundgarden at the Paramount Theater in Seattle. What was that like?

Mike McCready Soundgarden was amazing. I’m a total Soundgarden fan so I hovered around them a lot. I think I became either very annoying or they were happy to see me, I don’t know. I brought them pizzas one time at their practice right before that tour and Matt [Cameron] called me up and said, ‘Hey, do you wanna come out and jam on the song ‘Tighter and Tighter”?’ Which is a song Stone and I had been talking to Matt about and saying, ‘God, you gotta do that song. It’s so killer.’ So Matt said, ‘Do you wanna come out and play on it?’ I was like, ‘Yes!’ It was fun. I got to see Matt Cameron play with Soundgarden and he is a monster with them. He plays differently than he does with us so it was cool to see him from another point of view and kind of go, ‘Oh my God! Jesus Christ that is some of the best drumming I’ve seen in my life.’ It kind of felt like a coming home I guess. Like, oh yeah, we're all still doing stuff. It kind of reminded me of 20 years ago when we were just starting with Temple of the Dog. I love seeing those guys, even just around town.

noticed that too. kinda frustrating

Matt's drumming for Pearl Jam was plenty powerful and energetic in 1998-2000, I don't know what happened after that.

I'm not sure whether he's reserving his energy because the shows are so long or if he just got bored stiff of playing endless 4/4 mid-tempo rockers (or both.)

There's just no comparison with his Soundgarden drumming these days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSCb2aCMNsM
not good quality video, but "...oh yeah, we're all still doing stuff..." Did the Kim Thayil's "little nephew" just compared his stuff, ukulele stuff, brad stuff, rndm stuff, backspacer stuff (which I generally like,fine) with Soundgarden? In order to balance his aforementioned unavoidable conclusion? I don't think he meant "we 're all still doing stuff together". Regarding Cameron,I personally prefer the Irons' period, but when he joined the band there was a huge possibility for creating a strong renewed baseline with Jeff and Stone. We got Boom instead. Putting a piano next to a drummer like Cameron is an excellent idea for a jazz band without bass.

[VinylGuy]

He did some songs with Janet Weiss right?? i would like to hear those....and his work with SP too.

[B]

"The guys wanted me to go full throttle with this album."

fuck all you "Matt Cameron plays too fast" haters

[LuNY]

Matt Cameron is amazing! Pearl Jam have been at an optimum level since 98 and have never declined. He defines the songs clearly; making Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard very happy. Matt is like Keith Moon and John Bonham at the same time. His rolls and general playing are smooth, amazing, original, and explosive. He is a genius. So all the members of PJ (highly skilled musicians) agree Matt has made them the best they have ever been, but people on this forum debate it? Jack was awesome, but Matt is Matt. He will be with PJ until the end.

[harmless]

"The guys wanted me to go full throttle with this album."

fuck all you "Matt Cameron plays too fast" haters

The irony there is that the MYM studio version could've been quite a bit faster and it would've probably enhanced it.

[taffer]

"The guys wanted me to go full throttle with this album."

fuck all you "Matt Cameron plays too fast" haters

The irony there is that the MYM studio version could've been quite a bit faster and it would've probably enhanced it.

So whom to blame?

[harmless]

"The guys wanted me to go full throttle with this album."

fuck all you "Matt Cameron plays too fast" haters

The irony there is that the MYM studio version could've been quite a bit faster and it would've probably enhanced it.

So whom to blame?

I'm not really blaming anyone, but a video of Matt with Soundgarden has nothing to do with disproving my point.

[taffer]

harmless i'm not blaming anyone, but all those talking about "fast Matt" are just annoying and ridiculous, he's been around for 15 years and i just cant imagine he couldnt learn the proper tempo.

I remember someone from the old board has blamed Matt that he couldn't play the proper intro for the Why go, back in 2003.

It's just guitars (to blame)

(imho)

[harmless]

harmless i'm not blaming anyone, but all those talking about "fast Matt" are just annoying and ridiculous, he's been around for 15 years and i just cant imagine he couldnt learn the proper tempo.

I remember someone from the old board has blamed Matt that he couldn't play the proper intro for the Why go, back in 2003.

It's just guitars

(imho)

What's just guitars? You don't care about drums, you don't understand people's critiques of Matt, therefore they're not important? I don't really want to have this conversation again, but Matt has his problems and I don't think you have to be unfair to the guy to admit that.

[Strat]

harmless i'm not blaming anyone, but all those talking about "fast Matt" are just annoying and ridiculous, he's been around for 15 years and i just cant imagine he couldnt learn the proper tempo.

I remember someone from the old board has blamed Matt that he couldn't play the proper intro for the Why go, back in 2003.

It's just guitars

(imho)

What's just guitars? You don't care about drums, you don't understand people's critiques of Matt, therefore they're not important? I don't really want to have this conversation again, but Matt has his problems and I don't think you have to be unfair to the guy to admit that.

No, but blaming matt for sped up tempos is pretty absurd...

[Strat]

And just because Matt isn't always playing Jesus Christ Pose doesnt mean he's bored...

Or because he makes style choices that you dont enjoy (the royal "you" not just "you" harmless) doesn't mean he's bored in PJ

[Strat]

Also take the matt bashing to the Jack Irons thread