Is SOUNDGARDEN Reunion Really Happening?

The Pulse of Radio reports: The music world was rocked on New Year's Day (January 1) by the news — posted at singer Chris Cornell's web site and Twitter page, plus a new site called Soundgarden World — that grunge gods SOUNDGARDEN would reportedly reunite in 2010 after a 12-year absence. But a closer look at what was posted actually says nothing of the kind, throwing doubt on what — if anything — the band really has in store.

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.

There's also the question of ex-SOUNDGARDEN drummer Matt Cameron, who now plays in PEARL JAM and has several live commitments with that band lined up this spring and summer.

Cornell told The Pulse of Radio in 2007 that SOUNDGARDEN as a live act had its ups and downs. "SOUNDGARDEN was sometimes like the best rock band you'll ever see, and sometimes we were not that," he said. "Sometimes we were — we were very unpredictable and part of the unpredictableness was sometimes, we just really didn't come together. We were volatile that way."