kim thayil

Blow out the candles!

Soundgarden had the opportunity to play one of President Obama's inauguration balls last week and are talking about the response they got as the first heavy rock band to play a ball.

Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil says he decided to keep a low profile during the band's long hiatus rather than be a part of a collaboration or something that he didn't start.

Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil was asked by PremiumGuitar.com how the recording of the band's new album, King Animal, was different from the way the band cut its earlier records. Thayil explained, "Well, we didn't have predetermined deadlines set by the record company -- that was great."