I found it odd that the much-publicized alleged Soundgarden came from nothing more than a cryptic two lines from Chris Cornell and a new website. The Pulse of Radio (subscription required) does some digging, only to come up with more questions than answers:
The post reads, “The 12-year break is over and school is back in session. Sign up now. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!” But Knights of the Soundtable was the name of SOUNDGARDEN’s fan club, and the message does not say explicitly that SOUNDGARDEN itself is returning — although it is worded vaguely enough to hint at a possible reunion.
And then there’s this: Former NIRVANA bassist Krist Novoselic wrote at his Seattle Weekly blog just before Christmas, “I’ve heard a rumor about a SOUNDGARDEN reunion at the next Coachella festival in April. As a longtime fan of the band, this blew my mind. So I poked around a little, and — according to an excellent source — the rumor is not true.”
Rumors of a SOUNDGARDEN reunion have picked up steam in the last year, possibly because the band members are known to have gotten together to talk and three of them — all but Cornell — jammed together last March at a Seattle club.
The talks, however, were reportedly only about the possibility of releasing a long-awaited collection of rarities, along with reissuing the band’s catalog and selling some new merchandise.
Billboard.com, after the New Year’s Day announcement was posted, reported that the band was in negotiations with several festivals, but that has yet to be officially confirmed or denied.
I doesn’t make much sense that a dormant fan club from the nineties would start back up again without a reunion from its namesake, and while Novoselic is a grunge luminary, I don’t think he should be considered an expert on the intimate details of someone else’s business. I’d have to say this debunk attempt is grasping at straws, though a lack of formal, official confirmation should keep fans’ hopes at least tempered.
What do you think? Did the Internet get everyone ahead of themselves or is the reunion the real deal?
[Pule of Radio via Blabbermouth]
