Brandi Carlile Talks Dreams Of Fronting Soundgarden, Covers Elton John, More On 'Stern' [Videos]

Brandi Carlile appeared on The Howard Stern Show on Tuesday where the singer-songwriter sat for an interview and performed in-studio. Though the Grammy-winning musician has achieved widespread commercial and critical success, she still dreams of greater things, including fronting Soundgarden.

When asked about her previous statement that she would volunteer to front the grunge pioneers, Carlile remarked, “I wasn’t trying to be presumptuous, I was just trying to be helpful. I love Soundgarden so much and I loved Chris Cornell, and I love Kim [Thayil], Matt [Cameron], and Ben [Shepherd], and I just feel so connected to them being from Seattle. And every time I sing with them, and [Phil and Tim Hanseroth, aka The Twins] come too, it just feels like heaven.”

The two Seattle-bred acts share a history that goes far deeper than Northwestern heritage. Carlile was one of many performers who took part in the I Am The Highway: A Tribute To Chris Cornell benefit concert at L.A.’s The Forum on January 16th, 2019. She performed an emotional “Like A Stone” with Audioslave, as well as the grand finale of “Black Hole Sun” with the surviving Soundgarden members. According to Carlile, however, she wasn’t the first choice to take lead vocals.

“Listen I don’t know, so you can’t quote me on it, but I have a feeling it was Axl Rose,” Carlile said, which elicited thumbs-ups from the studio crew.

As for why the Guns N’ Roses frontman didn’t make it to the massive benefit concert, should Carlile’s supposition prove accurate, “I don’t know what happened, all I knew was I got to do it… I said ‘I know all of the words to the song, by heart. I want to do it, and can The Twins come and be the guys that go, ‘Black Hole Sun!’ in the background?’ Because I knew they’d get such a thrill out of being onstage with those fellas. And we stayed up until four o’clock in the morning that night thinking that nothing was ever gonna get better in our careers than that moment.”

But it did get better, as last year Carlile and The Twins went into the studio with surviving Soundgarden members Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, and Ben Shepherd to record A Rooster Says, a two-track, 12″ vinyl with covers of “Black Hole Sun” and “Searching With My Good Eye Closed”.

On the subject of covers, Carlile also used her time on Stern to pay tribute to one of her all-time heroes, Elton John. Carlile, joined by The Twins as always, offered up an acoustic cover of “Madman Across The Water”, the title track to The Rocket Man’s 1971 album.

Watch Brandi Carlile volunteer as tribute to front Soundgarden, cover Elton John, and other select clips from her recent Stern appearance.

Brandi Carlile Is Down to Be Soundgarden’s New Lead Singer