Soundgarden members Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd are reuniting for a show under an old moniker they’ve used, and a woman is going to sing with them during the performance.
The rockers will take the stage together as Nudedragons during the SMooCH benefit for Seattle Children’s Hospital on Dec. 14 at The Showbox in Seattle for a “brief encore performance.” Shaina Shepherd will join the trio on vocals. Tickets are currently sold out, but donations can still be made here.
Shaina performed with Thayil in 2020 during the Museum of Pop Culture’s Alice In Chains tribute show when the band was granted the MoPOP Founders Award. The pair performed covers of the Alice hits “It Ain’t Like That” and “What the Hell Have I” during the ceremony.
“The honor of my life,” Shaina commented on Nudedragons’ social media post.
Soundgarden have only performed a handful of times since the death of Chris Cornell in 2017, but this upcoming benefit show won’t be the first time a woman sang with them. Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless and Brandi Carlile have both sang with them in recent years.
Where Did the Name Nudedragons Come From?
Nudedragons is an anagram of Soundgarden that the band came up with when they reunited in 2010 for a show at The Showbox. It marked their first performance together since 1997, as they broke up later that year due to internal conflicts.
READ MORE: 12 Bands That Called It Quits After the Loss of a Member
Thayil, Cameron and Ben Shepherd also launched Nudedragons social media accounts in June of 2020, as they lost access to Soundgarden’s official accounts during a legal dispute with Cornell’s widow, Vicky Cornell.
The trio filed a claim with the Washington state U.S. District Court in March of 2021 alleging that Vicky had locked them out of all of their band accounts, their website, official YouTube channel and more.
Several months later, the musicians regained access to their accounts. However, they still regularly post updates, anniversary posts and other stories on the Nudedragons Instagram page.
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Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner + Chad Childers, Loudwire
