Andrea
Matthew David Cameron is an American musician born on November 28, 1962. He is best known as the drummer for Pearl Jam. He is among a few drummers of all time that have a very inspirational story.
It was not all roses for his career when Cameron first started out. And even though he began drumming at a very early age, it was not until he got into the Seattle, Washington-based bands Bam Bam Skin Yard that he started serious work. But that was not enough to get him into fame, but it soon happened when he joined the Soundgarden in 1986.
As a drummer, Matt Cameron has been very influential to the success of his team. He appeared on every studio album they released and stayed until the band’s end in 1997.
But that was not the end of his career. He had gained so many skills and fame that major bands and musicians were looking for him. In 1998, he went to play on Pearl Jam’s U.S Yield tour and became a permanent member.
The Soundgarden reunited in 2010, and Cameron continued playing with them until the death of their lead singer Chris Cornell in 2017. The band was, for the second time, disbanded two years later.
Matt Cameron is majorly defined by his steady hand. When it comes to keeping time and setting the rhythm, he is one among the best.
It is easy to think that perhaps he is using a metronome when he is the metronome. Over the years, it has been a major support in the industry, creating new styles that have been used for generations to build drummers’ confidence.
Cameron was also a member of Temple of the Dog, where he played alongside Soundgarden and Pearl Jam Bandmates. As if that is not enough, he served as the drummer for the side project bands like Hater and Wellwater Conspiracy. In the latter band, he was not only a drummer but the lead singer as well.
Skills
Matt Cameron laid the rhythmic base for the 90s rock revolution more than any other drummer in history. He did a major reconciliation proggy with an overwhelming force defined by a great technicality.
It was his rotary-blade rhythms that resonated on the 1991 Soundgarden track ‘Jesus Christ Pose” that shook the industry. It was characterized as “a pure assault of senses,” perhaps because that was not his normal drumming style.
Listening to the “Superunknown,” you get the feeling of a thoughtful, yet heavy approach that defines the fluid asymmetry of “Spoonman.” And then there is the unshakeable backbeat of “Fell on Black Days,” that is, without doubt, the work of a genius.
Cameron approaches both pieces with a certain subtleness that has never been heard with any other rock drum. When Pearl Jam invited him on tour after the disbandment of Soundgarden, it was his innovativeness that kept him in the band until today.
He is always glad that they did not try to tone him down, leaving him to play the drums as loud as he wished.
