Soundgarden + Audioslave + Temple of the Dog… ONE Tribute Band?! Ep;52

How do you build a tribute around one of the most powerful—and difficult to reproduce—voices in rock history?

You find five musicians crazy enough to try.

On this episode of Tribute Band Sessions, Mike sits down with members of Superunknown: A Chris Cornell Tribute, a Philadelphia-area band taking on the music of not one, but THREE legendary catalogs: Soundgarden, Audioslave and Temple of the Dog.

And they aren't taking the easy songs.

Frontman Jason Reed talks about the challenge of performing Chris Cornell's incredible vocal parts night after night—including the songs that once genuinely scared him to attempt live.

The band also reveals how Superunknown came together almost by accident. Jason originally launched the project in 2018 as a solo acoustic tribute following Cornell's passing. After crossing paths with members of the Foo Fighters tribute White Limo, drummer Ron DiSilvestro essentially made the decision for everybody:

“We're his band now.”

From there, things moved FAST.

By only their THIRD SHOW, Superunknown was on a plane to Honduras performing for U.S. troops.

That led to performances in Guantanamo Bay, Singapore and the Middle East—including some of the most intense audiences they've ever experienced.

We also get into what makes Soundgarden's music so deceptively difficult: bizarre guitar tunings, unconventional drum parts, technically demanding arrangements and, of course, Cornell's seemingly impossible vocal range.

The guys explain why they don't dress up and pretend to BE Soundgarden. Their mission is different: reproduce the MUSIC as faithfully and powerfully as possible.