John McBain (born April 23, 1965) is an American musician from New Jersey. He was a guitarist for the rock bands Monster Magnet, Hater, and Wellwater Conspiracy, among others. He is also active as a solo artist and has contributed to The Desert Sessions.[1]
He was a live member of the Queens of the Stone Age for their first three shows, and co-wrote the song "Regular John" which appears on their self-titled debut album.
Wellwater Conspiracy
In 1993, McBain and Matt Cameron created the Wellwater Conspiracy along with Ben Shepherd. After several 7" singles they released their debut album Declaration of Conformity in 1997 on the Third Gear label. Shortly after the release, Cameron was chosen to replace Jack Irons as drummer for rock group Pearl Jam. However, Cameron maintained both groups, contributing to a further three Wellwater Conspiracy albums. Notable appearances include keyboardist Glenn Slater of folk rock group The Walkabouts, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam and Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss.
Solo career
In 2004, McBain moved to San Francisco, refining material that he had accumulated which he believed was not in step with the Wellwater Conspiracy's garage rock style. In February 2006 he released The In-Flight Feature on Duna Records[3] (founded by Brant Bjork). In 2012 McBain collaborated with Carlton Melton on their Smoke Drip 12 inch LP [4]