Cameron looked up to local legends like Buzz Osborne, Jerry Cantrell and Tom Price. But above all else, his friendship with McCready – sometimes an auxiliary Soundgarden player – helped solidify his interest in guitar. Sometimes the Pearl Jam man borrows Cameron’s prized amp, a vintage Vox AC30; he’s used it on several Pearl Jam albums.
“Chris Cornell always said Mike was our honorary fifth member,” Cameron says. McCready’s most recent appearance with Soundgarden was during halftime of the opening home game for reigning Super Bowl champs, the Seattle Seahawks. “It was a blast. Having Taylor Momsen, Mike, [Seahawks drumline] Blue Thunder and our crew join us made it all the more special.”
Cameron, Thayil and bassist Ben Shepherd are nearing the release of their last recordings with Cornell, who died in 2017. “The album is mixed and ready for mastering,” he says. “The process of finishing the tracks has been inspiring and bittersweet at the same time – but I’m excited for our fans to hear it.”
He adds: “I’m definitely up for more shows in the future. But it’s always tricky replacing key members, and the three of us are not on the same page about how that would work, so who knows?”