Probably the earliest incarnation of Soundgarden was a short-lived cover band called the Shemps, which was founded by Thayil's roommate, a guitarist named Matt Dentino. Chris Cornell, then nineteen, had started out as a drummer, but he wanted more musical input than drummers were typically allowed. 'I always figured I would just end up being such a good drummer that the best band in the world would ask me to be in it,' says Cornell. 'I guess I lost that attitude pretty quick.' Deciding to try singing, Cornell answered Dentino's vocalist-wanted ad. When Cornell joined the Shemps, Yamamoto was playing bass; he subsequently quit and was replaced by Thayil.

'When I met Chris,' says Thayil, 'my first impression was that he was some guy who just got out of the navy or something. He had real short hair and was dressed real slick. He had a great voice -- even though we were doing shitty material.' As Thayil tells it, Dentino was 'obsessed with people who died,' and the Shemps' repertoire consisted almost entirely of Doors, Hendrix, Otis Redding and Buddy Holly tunes. Their only original was a snappy Dentino composition called 'Marilyn Monroe' ('We're all looking for Marilyn Monroe/She's just a girl that I could go for . . .').

Cornell and Thayil often crossed paths with Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd around this time. Cameron was drumming in a band called Feedback, which would eventually evolve into Skin Yard, and Shepherd was the guitarist for a local hardcore outfit called March of Crimes. That band's biggest claim to fame, says Shepherd, was a tape that sold a few copies in Finland. 'And,' he adds, 'we got to meet Jello Biafra [of the Dead Kennedys] because he liked our name'

Soundgarden in 1997 as internal strife ripped apart the alternative rock band. Notably lead singer Chris Cornell released a solo album. Drummer Matt Cameron moved onto another group, Pearl Jam. Rumors of a reunion kept on popping up in reports in the years afterward, and members of the group constantly had to rebuke them in interviews. However, eventually the rumors won out and on January 1, 2010 Cornell announced that Soundgarden would be reforming. Soon after drummer Cameron announced his attention to rejoin the group that helped to establish him a fixture in the music industry.

The immediate plans for the reunited Soundgarden are unknown. Fans definitely expect to get the chance to purchase Soundgarden tickets to see these aged rockers from the 1990s live. The group could head back to the studio first though. All that is known is that the announcement was made on midnight to usher in 2010 and that a link from the new site features a new music video for its song Get on the Snake.