Before the ink was even dry on the press release announcing the break-up of

Soundgarden, ATN learned that bassist Ben Shepherd has joined the eccentric

Seattle band Devilhead. The band, fronted by Brian and Kevin Wood, older

siblings of the late Andrew Wood of seminal Seattle glam outfit, Mother Love

Bone, released their sophomore album, Pest Control on Stone Gossard's

(Pearl Jam) Loosegroove label last year.

Devilhead's manager, Diane

Podolak, told ATN that Shepherd has been playing with the band for over a

month, replacing departed member Tim Young on guitar around the time he started

telling people he'd been "fired" from Soundgarden. "When Tim left the band, Ben

just volunteered for the job. He started getting together with the band and

asked them if he could join and they said yes," said Podolak.

The new

configuration of Devilhead played their first, and so far only, live show last

Friday (April 4) at Moe's in Seattle, during which they debuted a number of the

seven or eight songs they've written together over the past five weeks, mixed

in with two songs from the last album and a cover of AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds Done

Dirt Cheap," on which Shepherd shared vocal duties with Brian Wood.

"He's

definitely joined the band," said Podolak, adding that the new material the

band have been writing is in more of "a Hater vibe," referring to Shepherd's

side-project with Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron, versus the

metal-meets-lounge-meets stoner rock of Devilhead's last album.

"They're

going to play a couple more shows and start phasing out the old stuff and try

to get in the studio and have a new record out in the fall, or by Christmas, if

they can," Podolak said. The other members of Devilhead are drummer Mike Stone

(Tuatara) and Corey Kane (Satchel).