He told me about it when I interviewed him for this week’s issue. First, though, I had to ask him about the chances of a TAD reunion since Sub Pop is celebrating 20 years in April, and there are rumors about a big show featuring some old SP legends. I thought maybe TAD would make an appearance… sadly, they’re really a thing of the past.

What are the chances of a TAD reunion?

Pretty slim. My heart’s just not into that anymore. I’ve put that period of my life behind me. I’m working on a new project.

So you still play music?

Yeah, I play with drummer Eric Akre and bassist Peggy Tully. We’re called Brothers of the Sonic Cloth and we’re getting ready to play our first show in March. It’s dark and heavy, with lush, quiet parts and then some raging parts, too. I’m doing a lot of electronic sampling and triggering, so it’s a new direction. I’m really excited about it.

So it’s not grunge?

I don’t even know what grunge means.

So they aren’t grunge, but they’re still really heavy shit. Tad hasn’t forgotten how to slay. And apparently the newer stuff they’re doing is even a little more experimental than what you can hear on their MySpace page—www.myspace.com/brothersofthesoniccloth.

According to Tad the show in March hasn’t been confirmed yet, but as soon as I find out when and where, I’ll let you know. It might be a good idea to wear earplugs too, so you don’t end up with tinnitus like Tad.

Q: You were the singer/guitarist for the loudest fucking band in Seattle in the 1980s and ’90s. How’s your hearing? Did you wear earplugs? Did anybody?

A: I did toward the end, but there’s definitely some hearing loss. I’ve got tinnitus, the ringing in the ears.

That’s no fun.

No, it’s not. Especially if you’re out camping, and it’s really quiet. It’s like somebody should answer the phone or something.

You can read the whole interview here, and the TAD documentary, Busted Circuits and Ringing Ears, shows Wed Feb 13 at 7 pm at the Varsity. It’s a good documentary about a band who saw far more struggle than I was aware of. They don’t delve too deep into some of the darker aspects, but they go deep enough to leave a touching impression of a man and a band that most people wrote off as being simply loud, chaotic, and drunk.

(You can watch the trailer via the Stranger’s videos page. Click here!)